CINDERELLA VS THE QUEEN OF HEARTS #2, from Zenescope Entertainment on 5/17/23, finds Cindy Munroe, aka Cinderella, and the Queen of Hearts teaming up to stop cyborg assassins.
The Details
- Written by: Dave Franchini
- Art by: Jordi Tarragona
- Colors by: Robby Bevard
- Letters by: Taylor Esposito
- Cover art by: Al Barrionuevo (cover A)
- Comic Rating: Teen+
- Cover price: $5.99
- Release date: May 17, 2023
Is It Good?
On paper, CINDERELLA VS THE QUEEN OF HEARTS #2 should be a wild, wacky, weird, buddy action comic to send your adventure-loving tastebuds singing. Ironically, how the issue is described on paper is not how it comes across on the page. You get plenty of over-the-top violence, gonzo villains, and great pacing, but the big problem that keeps this issue from being a hit is the main character.
When last we left Cindy and Julia, aka the Queen of Hearts, Cincdy managed to survive Julia’s HQ survival course only to be nearly blown up after accidentally hitting the building’s self-destruct button. Now, Cindy and Julia recover in a hospital while handcuffed when Cindy’s employer sends a high-tech mercenary team to finish what Cindy started and eliminate Cindy for her trouble.
Again, all the plot points are present to make this comic what should be an action thrill ride. You get creative fight scenes, including several dismemberments, explosions, swordplay, and gunfire. Dave Franchni’s action pacing is spot-on, and the plot developments are creative.
Where the comic falls short is in the dialog leading into the pacing. Cindy talks a lot and says a lot of crazy things. So much so that you have to read all of her dialog in case you miss something important, but in actuality, most of the dialog is composed of Cindy saying crazy things that are meant to be funny. Unfortunately, crazy doesn’t equal funny in this case. If anything, Cindy’s dialog is just plain annoying babble, and because you don’t know if or when Cindy will say something meaningful (e.g. the name of her employer), you’re forced to read every word, and it slows the issue to a crawl multiple times.
In aggregate, Cinderella comes off as a Harley Quinn knockoff who’s more violent, makes less sense, and has even less personality.
On the positive side, Jordi Tarragona’s art is fantastic. The action scenes move like lightning, the facial acting is expressive, and Bevard’s coloring is first-rate.
Keep scrolling for a closer look at the covers, or Click Here to jump right to the story description with some spoilers.
What’s It About?
[SPOILERS AHEAD – Click here if you just want the score without spoilers]
Check out our CINDERELLA VS. THE QUEEN OF HEARTS #1 review to find out how Cindy and Julia wound up in the hospital.
We begin with Cindy Munroe recovering in a hospital bed, where she explains to two men, who appear to be detectives, how she wound up in the hospital. Her story is childishly depicted but close to accurate, and Cindy is surprised to learn she’s going to jail. When the detectives leave, Cindy promptly escapes by ripping her hospital bed rail off its base.
Elsewhere, the detectives visit Julia and explain they’re letting her go due to Cindy’s confession. Before the detectives can undo Julia’s handcuff, they receive a call explaining Cindy and Julia are about to be eliminated.
We conclude the issue with Miss Meow and her cyber assassins invading the hospital, much dismemberment, and more explosions.
Keep scrolling for a closer look at preview images of the internal pages, or Click Here to jump right to the score.
Final Thoughts
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CINDERELLA VS THE QUEEN OF HEARTS #2 brings the crazy with crazy fights, crazy violence, and crazy killers. The art looks great, and if you’re only interested in action, this comic has plenty. Unfortunately, the main character only has one personality trait – crazy, and it makes for a tedious, annoying character.
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