FAIRY TALE TEAM-UP: ROBYN HOOD & VAN HELSING, by Zenescope on 6/12/24, orders a big, juicy “stake” when Robyn scopes out a high-end night club that caters to vampires.
Credits:
- Writer: Pat Shand
- Artist: Alessio Mariani, Daniel Maine
- Colorist: Juan Manuel Rodriguez, Maxflan Araujo
- Letterer: Taylor Esposito
- Cover Artist: Geebo Vigonte (cover A)
- Publisher: Zenescope Entertainment
- Release Date: June 12, 2024
- Comic Rating: Teen
- Cover Price: $6.99
- Page Count: 51
- Format: Double-Sized Issue
Covers:
Analysis of FAIRY TALE TEAM-UP: ROBYN HOOD & VAN HELSING:
Plot Analysis:
Pat Shand may be best known for developing the monstrous side of the Zenescope universe, so the publisher’s latest team-up plays to Shand’s strengths when Robyn Hood and Van Helsing infiltrate a night club run by ancient vampires in FAIRY TALE TEAM-UP: ROBYN HOOD & VAN HELSING. However, the mission isn’t as straightforward as it sounds.
Pat Shand’s tale begins with a woman named Jennie who brings a trio of acquaintances to the upper level of a nightclub rumored to be run by vampires. The vampires established a reputation of only feeding on volunteers while not taking enough blood to kill their victims. This night, something is different Jennie’s three friends don’t leave the club alive.
Later, we find Robyn Hood dressed in a clubbing outfit to scope out a club supposedly run by vampires. When she approaches a man with obvious fangs and offers to go wherever he cares to lead, the secret rendezvous nearly turns into an accidental murder when Robyn’s male friend turns out to be a vampire pretender.
Thinking her vampire hunting mission is a bust, Robyn leaves by the back door, but she’s surprised to encounter two real vampires trying to dump a body in the alley’s dumpster. After a lethal fight and two broken heels, Robyn stakes one vamp while the other runs away. Robyn concludes her night out by examining the body to find it’s been drained of blood via a needle.
Rather than going home, Robyn heads to Liesel Van Helsing’s apartment to inform her of her discovery. After a cup of tea and relaxing chit-chat, Van Helsing says she knows about the club run by elder vampires, but they’ve held up their bargain of never killing. The body in a dumpster is a new development, so the two agree to team up.
The next night, Robyn and Liesel return to the club and head to the upper levels after receiving an invitation from the owners. Robyn barges in, prepared to go stake-crazy, but Liesel asks Robyn to keep cool while she talks to the vampires she’s given a respectful distance to in the past.
The elder vampires, calling themselves the Infernal, reaffirm their commitment to not killing humans. However, their brother, Zihan, has parted ways with their group and is determined to convert their devotees into an army of vampires. The Infernal has sworn never to harm their own kind, so they ask Robyn and Liesel to stop their brother.
The Infernal gives Liesel and Robyn an invitation to a forthcoming initiation event where they believe Zihan will attack his siblings. The heroes arrive in appropriate ball gowns and watch the crowds during the event. Sure enough, Zihan makes his move, sending the event into chaos.
Liesel and Robyn use their fighting prowess and discretely hidden weapons to battle Zihan and his vampire followers. Eventually, Liesel delivers the killing blow to stop Zihan for good, but the partners’ troubles with vampires are far from over.
Character Development:
Although Pat Shand is more commonly known as a Van Helsing writer, Robyn Hood takes center stage for most of the team-up, and she’s written with all the brash, brazen charm you’ve come to expect. Further, Shand gives the rapport between Robyn and Liesel a relaxed, easy tone to convince you they work just as well as friends and fighting partners.
Artwork and Presentation:
The artwork is a mixed bag. Alessio Mariani’s pencils/inks are a bit rough, and his style for presenting female characters, especially Robyn, gives them an emaciated look that verges on starved or sickly. When the art changes over to Daniel Maine at the midpoint, the turnover is jarring, but Maine’s execution is better.
Art Samples:
Pacing and Structure:
Pat Shand’s pacing is smooth, steady, and engaging. The script never lingers too long on any one moment unless something important is happening, and the general story keeps the energy high enough to hold your attention.
As for the plot structure, getting the elder vampires to “hire” Liesel and Robyn is a unique twist, and the story is well constructed from start to finish.
That said, the one minor point that’s confusing at first is the realization that the nightclub in the opening prologue and the nightclub where we first meet Robyn are two different nightclubs.
Thematic Exploration:
Although it’s not obvious, you could surmise the general theme in this issue is all about trust. Humans trust elder vampires to be a part of their world. Liesel trusts the elder vampires to stick to their promise. And the team-up ultimately stems from a broken trust between Zihan and his siblings.
The Bigger Picture:
Series Continuity:
This team-up appears to be taking place within the current Grimm Fairy Tales universe, but there’s no obvious connection to any of the recent Lovecraftian horrors or larger arcs taking place in adjacent titles.
Final Thoughts:
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FAIRY TALE TEAM-UP: ROBYN HOOD & VAN HELSING gives readers a standard heroes-versus-vampires story with a unique twist. Pat Shand’s central concept, pacing, and plot execution are solid, but the art from a small team of artists is a mixed bag.
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