GRIMM UNIVERSE PRESENTS QUARTERLY: SLEEPING BEAUTY, from Zenescope Entertainment on August 10th, 2022, introduces readers to Rory Norris, a promising artist drawn into a world of dreams and nightmares after a deadly car accident.
The Details
- Written by: Dave Franchini
- Art by: Julius Abrera, Igor Vitorino, Guillermo Fajardo, Allan Otero
- Colors by: Grostieta, Adriano Augusto, Jorge Cortes, Maxflan Araujo
- Letters by: Earl Letterman
- Cover art by: Igor Vitorino (cover A)
- Cover price: $8.99
- Release date: August 10, 2022
Is It Good?
GRIMM UNIVERSE PRESENTS QUARTERLY: SLEEPING BEAUTY is Zenesceope’s latest foray into using the idea of a classic fairytale character and modernizing the premise with a superhero twist. In this case, the battle is fought within the realm of dreams. Does this new character make readers’ dreams come true or put you to sleep? The former. This is a good one.
The highlights of this quarterly are the original premise and the mesmerizing art.
First, Franchini delivers a strong, relatable, heroic character in Rory Norris aka Sleeping Beauty. She’s the every-person with hopes and dreams (you’re going to hear the word “dream” a lot in this review) that get tossed out a window when a malicious entity from the dreamworld comes calling. By striking Rory with one setback after the next in the very beginning, Franchini establishes a strong path for readers to empathize with her situation. You understand what she’s been through, you can relate to her motivations and struggles, and when the action heats up, you’re firmly invested in wanting her to succeed.
As you can see from the credits above, a squad of artists is typically a red flag for clunky scene transitions and inconsistent art. Thankfully, the artist handoffs aren’t jarring, and you can see why so many hands were needed because the dreamscape scenery is mindbendingly beautiful. This quarterly is one of the rare cases where you can understand why extra hands were needed, and the results are worth it. The character designs and “real world” scenes are fairly standard Zenescope house style, but the dream sequences are works of art.
The minor down point, which one of the characters calls out (briar) is Rory’s incessant self-narration. She comments and exclaims on everything. In fairness, that could be intentional to reflect how getting into your own dreams is the same thing as thinking out loud, so there’s a creative reason for Franchini to have Rory be overly chatty, but the chattiness gets tedious in a few spots.
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What’s It About?
[SPOILERS AHEAD – Click here if you just want the score without spoilers]
We begin with Rory Norris giving an introduction to patrons attending her art exhibit. The show is a success, and she meets her family, friends, and boyfriend after the show to make celebration plans. Rory and her boyfriend, Eric, leave in a separate car and discuss plans for the future when Eric’s voice and eyes suddenly change. He drives the car off a bridge into the icy water below.
Later, Rory awakes in a hospital bed. Eric is dead, and Rory’s blind from a head injury. Overwhelmed with pain and grief, all Rory can do is rest and heal. However, while she sleeps, her dreams take on a vivid, “real life” quality as she sees the hospital, other patients, and terrifying monsters sent by a figure from her childhood nightmares named Mr. Dread.
Soon, Rory realizes she has powers within her realistic dreams, and she can push back the monsters terrifying other dreamers. Rory concludes she has the power to enter and interact with the dreamworld, she explores the imagination of the realm and encounters others along the way, including a new all named Briar. Briar explains the nature of the dream world, the awful history behind Mr/ Dread’s rise to power, and why he’s suddenly interested in Rory.
We conclude the quarterly with a hostage situation, a battle of wills, and a glimmer of hope.
Keep scrolling for a closer look at preview images of the internal pages, or Click Here to jump right to the score.
Final Thoughts
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GRIMM UNIVERSE PRESENTS QUARTERLY: SLEEPING BEAUTY is a strong quarterly and one of the best new character introductions we’ve seen in some time. The pacing, plotting, and premise are all on-point, the dream sequences are colorfully mesmerizing, and the main character gets you on her side almost immediately as somebody to root for.
Related Information
Is Sleeping Beauty Aurora or Rose?
In the Disney version of the classic fable, Aurora is Sleeping Beauty. When the Brothers Grimm collected and published their version of the story, Sleeping Beauty’s name was Little Briar Rose. In other words, Sleeping Beauty’s real name is either Aurora or Rose depending on the version.
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