GRIMM FAIRY TALES (VOL. 2) #96, by Zenescope on 5/21/25, marks the beginning of the end for the conflict between the Shang Gang and the Congregation of the Dead.
Credits:
- Writer: Joe Brusha
- Artist: Babisu Kourtis
- Colorist: Jorge Cortes
- Letterer: Taylor Esposito
- Cover Artist: Marco Santucci (cover A)
- Publisher: Zenescope Entertainment
- Release Date: May 21, 2025
- Comic Rating: Teen
- Cover Price: $4.99
- Page Count: 28
- Format: Single Issue
Covers:
Analysis of GRIMM FAIRY TALES (VOL. 2) #96:
Recap:
When we last left Skye and the Shang Gang in Grimm Fairy Tales: Once Upon The End Of Time, Father Time decided he’d had enough of humanities shenanigans, so he began unleashing beasts from the past and cybernetic monstrosities from the future in the heart of Philadelphia. Despite her best efforts to stop him, Belle failed to save her home city, losing her life in the fight while the Shang Gang remained trapped in Arcane Acre by Eternity. The issue ended with Father Time turning his attention to Arcane Acre.
Plot Analysis:
In Grimm Fairy Tales (Vol. 2) #96, time runs out and starts again with a prelude issue that explains how the Shang Gang dealt with the Congregation of the Dead BEFORE Grimm Fairy Tales: Once Upon The End Of Time. The issue begins with Arcane Acre under assault by an army of the undead raised by Reap, Sow, and Ianasa. Why? The leaders of the Congregation want a very special artifact in Shang’s possession. We learn through a brief montage flashback that the villains were able to infiltrate Arcane Acre and breach its magical defenses by tricking Diego into falling in love with one of the Congregation members in disguise to obtain entrance.
Now, the Shang Gang fights but loses ground. Mystere arrives via a portal, but she’s weakened without her powers to control the dead, stolen by the Congregation in a prior issue. The Congregation holds Shang in chains in the library until they find what they want – a cursed skull that will complete a ritual spell to raise a massive Death Monster.
When all hope is lost, Father Time steps in and erases the moment where Mystere lost her power to control death. Restored, Mystere takes control of the undead army, destroys the Death Monster, and sends its remnants (along with the Congregation) into a bottomless void for good. The issue ends with Father Time being satisfied that he saved the team so he could destroy them personally.
First Impressions:
Grimm Fairy Tales (Vol. 2) #96 is an oddball entry in the final months of the current volume. Why? Because it takes place before the one-shot, wraps things up mechanically, and that’s it. In every sense, this reads like a cleanup issue.
Artwork and Presentation:
If we’ve said it before, we’ll say it again. Babisu Kourtis’s artwork is generally fine, but it’s hard not to miss the blotchy, sloppy inks. Whenever you look closely at the shadows and contours, the blotches stick out like somebody knocked over an inkwell and cleaned it up in a hurry.
Art Samples:
Story Positives & Negatives:
The Positives:
Joe Brusha’s final note on the Congregation of the Dead is well-paced, action-packed, and wraps up the entire conflict in a neat, efficient little package. Brusha is one of the better writers at Zenescope, so it makes sense that a cleanup issue still ranks among one of the better comics in the series.
The Negatives:
Brusha gets through a lot of conflict in a hurry to get the Congregation out of the way so that Father Time can come in and wipe everything out as the finale to Volume Two. It’s too harsh to say this issue feels rushed, but Brusha gets pretty darn close to it. as each scene plays out like the next tick in a checklist of plot developments. At points, you feel like you’re reading an illustrated summary.
Big Picture:
Series Continuity:
Is Grimm Fairy Tales coming to an end or getting a reboot? The answer isn’t clear at this point. When we talked with the folks at Zenescope during FCBD, the future of GFT was uncertain. We did get word that Van Helsing will get a regular book… maybe, but that’s about it.
Final Thoughts:
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GRIMM FAIRY TALES (VOL. 2) #96 brings the long conflict with the Congregation of the Dead to an efficient, quick close. Joe Brusha’s capper for the Congregations shenanigans is clean and well-structured, but it reads like a “clean up” issue to make room for the beginning of the end of the volume. Plus, Babisu Kourtis’s art style is perfectly serviceable, but the inks are too blotchy/sloppy to carry the series if it continues.
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