GRIMM FAIRY TALES (VOL. 2) #56 – Review

GRIMM FAIRY TALES (VOL. 2) #56, from Zenescope Entertainment on January 26th, 2022, pits Skye and her friends against magically-armed gangsters. Meanwhile, Shang reveals the dangerous promise he made to save his family.

The Details

• Written By: Dave Franchini
• Art By: Babisu Kourtis
• Colors By: Jorge Cortes
• Letters By: Taylor Esposito
• Cover Art By: Sean Chen (cover A)
• Cover Price: $3.99
• Release Date: January 26, 2022

Wait! Don’t Forget To Sign Up For The Comical Opinions Newsletter.

Was It Good?

GRIMM FAIRY TALES (VOL. 2) #56 continues the current run’s multiverse-hopping hijinks on “Gangster Earth”. Two elements make this issue one of the strongest in the Dark Princess saga so far.

First, Franchini does a great job of using the death of Mel from the end of the last issue as a strong motivator to set this Earth’s Belle on a warpath. The dramatic art sells Belle’s rage, and Franchini pushes Belle to go hard against her enemies to the point of recklessness. Belle’s rage-from-grief is palpable on every panel she’s in, and Franchini uses that pain to elevate the impact of the story.

Second, Shang reveals why he’s making his group go through a wacky scavenger hunt, and it adds another layer of conflict and emotional tension to the situation. At the moment, Shang did what he thought was best, but it’s clear his choice denies his family their right to choose what’s best for themselves. There’s a fine line between a fatherly decision and a selfish one, and again, Franchini plays the scenario out perfectly to maximize the drama, giving the issue a surprising amount of weight.

The art from Kourtis, Cortes, and Esposito serves the story well in this issue. The tradeoff to achieve all the emotional moments in this issue is a lot of dialogs. Arguably, this is a dialog-heavy issue, so while the average reader wants more action than talking in an action comic, the talking scenes are engaging enough to keep you visually interested.

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]

What?!? Mel is dead??? Yes but no. Sort of but not really. Read our GRIMM FAIRY TALES (VOL. 2) #55 review to get is sorted out.

We begin with a flashback to the point where the Dark Princess “obliterated” everyone near Arcane Acre. Instead of disintegrating into nothingness, Shang found himself on a wintry mountaintop near the mouth of a cave. After besting a few skeleton guards, Shang enters the cave to find out he was saved from disintegration from the wicked Baba Yaga. In exchange for saving his life and promising to cast a spell that will banish the Dark Princess from his Earth, Shang agrees to help Baba Yaga obtain a few rare items.

When Shang finally divulges how everyone is saved and who he bargained with to enact their plan, his group is incensed over not getting a say over risking their lives to help the wicked Baba Yaga. The situation has sown a lack of confidence and respect between Shang and his family.

Elsewhere in “Gangster Earth”, Belle is reeling from her Mel’s death. They manage to escape the speakeasy’s back room with Peyton’s help before getting captured, and Belle swears to avenge Mel’s death. Peyton later reveals she knows the location of the gangster hideout and the probable location of the red jewel.

We conclude the issue with a hideout invasion that doesn’t go as planned, confirmation about the bearer of the red jewel, and an ending that would make Jabba the Hutt very happy.

As an Amazon Associate, we earn revenue from qualifying purchases to help fund this site. Links to Blu-Rays, DVDs, Books, Movies, and more contained in this article are affiliate links. Please consider purchasing if you find something interesting, and thank you for your support.