FAIRY TALE TEAM-UP: ROBYN HOOD & JASMINE, by Zenescope on 8/7/24, brings Robyn to the lands of the Djinn when she crosses paths with a ruthless collector and his magical slave.
Credits:
- Writer: David Wohl
- Artist: Rodrigo Xavier, Hakan Aydin, Allan Otero
- Colorist: Juan Manuel Rodriguez, Maxflan Araujo
- Letterer: Taylor Esposito
- Cover Artist: Jeff Spokes (cover A)
- Publisher: Zenescope Entertainment
- Release Date: August 7, 2024
- Comic Rating: Teen
- Cover Price: $6.99
- Page Count: 50
- Format: Double-Sized Issue
Covers:
Analysis of FAIRY TALE TEAM-UP: ROBYN HOOD & JASMINE:
First Impressions:
FAIRY TALE TEAM-UP: ROBYN HOOD & JASMINE is your typical magic-based adventure that takes Robyn Hood of NYC to deal with vanilla villains in Jasmine’s neck of the woods. On the whole, it’s not a bad story, but the villains and the plot barely rise above average.
Plot Analysis:
FAIRY TALE TEAM-UP: ROBYN HOOD & JASMINE begins with an introduction to a low-level artifact thief whose greed got the better of him. When his home is visited by a “collector” named Janus and his magical enforcer, the thief is prepared to make any promise to spare his family. Janus moves to wipe out the thief, but Robyn arrives to even the odds.
The thief’s name is Anthony Di Benedetto Jr., but there’s no need to remember it because Anthony and his family are a convenient plot device to bring you into the real introduction of Janus and his magical enforcer. The introductions and setup are fine, but Wohl spends a little too much narration time on Anthony’s backstory because it has no bearing on the present or the rest of the story.
Janus is after a special bracelet that Anthony stole, so the bracelet is the focal point of the adventure. During the fight, Janus and his genie try to teleport away, but Robyn interrupts the kidnapping, sending all three through a portal to the Djinn realm, losing the bracelet on the trip.
Robyn’s trip to the Djinn realm makes sense as an accident, but it’s unclear why she landed in a different place than Janus. Wohl gets Robyn (and the readers) from point A to B, but the trip is mildly confusing.
Robyn lands in the middle of the desert with no idea which direction to go and without provisions. Out of nowhere, Jasmine finds her, and the two ride a magic carpet to the nearest village, where Jasmine is greeted as a local hero. Suddenly, a pair of ogre-like beasts attack the villagers to extract information about the missing bracelet, prompting Robyn and Jasmine to join the fight. Our heroes destroy the ogres. When Robyn explains her knowledge of the bracelet, Jasmine takes them to a magical collector named Pasha.
Here, the plot runs into several rough patches. How did Jasmine happen to be in just the same spot as Robyn in the middle of the desert? Why did the ogres show up and attack random villagers at the exact same time as Jasmine and Robyn arrived in town? The list goes on, but the point is the off-putting number of plot coincidences that happen without any setup.
Robyn and Jasmine offer a deal to Pasha for the bracelet. Pasha refuses to sell but tells them to come back tomorrow for a possible barter arrangement. That night, Jasmine and Robyn sneak back to Pasha’s cave to steal the bracelet, but they’re immediately trapped by Pasha and Janus, who are working together. As part of their arrangement, Janus takes Jasmine as his personal slave, and Pasha gets to keep Robyn.
The issue concludes with Robyn digging deep, more slave collars, and an old acquaintance settling a score.
Overall, this isn’t the worst team-up one-shot from Zenescope, but the volume of convenient plot developments, uneven setup, and forgettable villains keep it far from being the best. FAIRY TALE TEAM-UP: ROBYN HOOD & JASMINE isn’t memorable or terrible. It’s just there.
Artwork and Presentation:
Given the size of the art team, you would expect the art to be good to very good, and so it is. That said, the facial acting of the characters is lacking and the figure work is stiff. Much like the writing, the art isn’t the worst, and it isn’t great. It’s just there.
Art Samples:
The Bigger Picture:
Series Continuity:
Much of FAIRY TALE TEAM-UP: ROBYN HOOD & JASMINE connects with Jasmine’s prior dealings with a blue-skinned genie named Cerule. Their history is referenced but never explained, so if you want the full scoop, an editor’s note directs you to the Jasmine: Crown of Kings miniseries.
Final Thoughts:
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FAIRY TALE TEAM-UP: ROBYN HOOD & JASMINE is a perfectly serviceable one-shot that pits Robyn and Jasmine against ruthless collectors and slavers. David Wohl’s story gets readers from A to B, but the number of coincidences that crop up to get you there and the forgettable villains pull you out of the story. Plus, the art is decent but stiff.
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