GRIMM FAIRY TALES (VOL. 2) #54 – Review

In GRIMM FAIRY TALES (VOL. 2) #54, available from Zenescope Entertainment on November 24th, 2021, Skye and the alt versions of her friends fight a desperate battle to save the cyberpunk Earth from its version of the Spider Queen.

The Details

• Written By: Dave Franchini
• Art By: Babisu Kourtis
• Colors By: Jorge Cortes
• Letters By: Taylor Esposito
• Cover Art By: Al Barrionuevo
• Cover Price: $3.99
• Release Date: November 24, 2021

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Was It Good?

GRIMM FAIRY TALES (VOL. 2) #54 is the finale of the Cyberpunk universe arc but definitely not the end of the fight against the Dark Princess. The ending is relatively satisfying, there are a few surprises — one significant one half-way through and a much stronger one at the end, and readers get a nice little tease for what comes next. Overall, I liked the story in this episode but the end result lacked dramatic punch in the art department. Let’s get into it with some minor spoilers.

When we last left Skye and her alt-team, they were confronted by the Cyberpunk universe’s version of the Spider Queen, Liesel was down and out after getting brain fried, and Robyn was revealed to be on the Spider Queen’s side all along. That was last issue, and we’ll cover specifics on the plot of this issue in the next section, but it’s necessary to bring up a few points now to clarify the critique.

During the big battle, Robyn loses most of her right arm. Not a scratch. Not a serious wound. Stripped to the bone. That should have been a bigger moment than the art portrayed. For the weight of the injury to feel meaningful, Robyn needed to go into shock or at least looked like she was shocked. As an archer, your arms are everything and that loss should have felt like a devastating blow, but here, it’s not even acknowledged other than you see it in a few panels. The challenge with this critique is that it’s unclear if this was an artistic choice or a script choice.

During the big battle (again), the Spider Queen is dealt a massive blow that has significant consequences for everything that comes after. As big as that moment should be, it was only given a single panel on a 7-panel page. A moment that big felt really small when it shouldn’t be. Again, I’m not sure if that was an art choice or a script choice.

These are different examples of the same problem. Big things are happening that feel small in this issue. When the final moments of a fight for world domination are happening, the visuals dial the drama way down, and it undercuts the impact of the story.

As a whole, the art is great. The cyber-version designs for the characters are interesting. Creating an amalgam of spider monster and cyborg for the Spider Queen’s minions looks cool. The colors pop, and setting designs are perfect for this alternate world. Any one panel looks great in this issue, but it’s the lack of big moments and drama that pull the issue down.

What’s It About?

[SPOILERS AHEAD – Click here if you just want the score without spoilers]

If you’re confused how Skye got into this mess, first read our GRIMM FAIRY TALES (VOL. 2) #53 review.

When last we left our heroes, Liesel’s cybernetic brain went kaput, Robyn revealed herself to be a traitor, and the spider Queen was ready to chow down on Skye and the Queen of Hearts. Surrounded, outnumbered, and out of options, Skye has no choice but to surrender.

We learn through the Spider Queen’s evil monologue that she had secretly been using malicious code to hack Liesel’s cybernetic brain every time Liesel hacked into the Spider Queen’s systems. The hacker was getting hacked. Spider Queen’s goal was to eventually commandeer and integrate Liesel’s system’s into her own as Liesel was the only barrier to the Spider Queen’s takeover of the world’s systems.

Shackled and hopeless, the Spider Queen moves to transform our heroic duo into one of her spider slaves when they’re suddenly freed. Liesel wasn’t as down as she let on, and she allowed herself to get captured to get the team into the inner sanctum where the Nexus crystal is stored. We conclude the issue with a solid battle, Robyn forced to become a lefty, and the hint that Skye may be a bad judge of character on multiple levels.

Final Thoughts

GRIMM FAIRY TALES (VOL. 2) #54 ends the adventures in the cyberpunk universe with a desperate battle against the Spider Queen for control of the world. The story wraps with a satisfying conclusion that leads to the next multiverse hop, and there are plenty of big stakes happening, but the action felt too small for the gravity of events that occurred. Visually, the issue looks great, but big happenings need dramatic visuals, and on this point, the issue is lacking.

Score: 7/10

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