ROBYN HOOD: BABA YAGA, from Zenescope Entertainment on September 14th, 2022, begins a new mystery for Robyn when Baba Yaga arrives in the Big Apple to steal an ancient artifact.
The Details
- Written by: Joe Brusha
- Art by: Renato Rei
- Colors by: Juan Manuel Rodriguez
- Letters by: Taylor Esposito
- Cover art by: Igor Vitorino (cover A)
- Cover price: $5.99
- Release date: September 14, 2022
Is It Good?
ROBYN HOOD: BABA YAGA ties into the new arc from Grimm Fairy Tales with an adventure on Robyn Hood’s home turf involving longtime enemy, Baba Yaga, and her gang of Lovecraftian horrors. That’s right, the latter half of 2022 will show all the Zenescope heroes dealing with a threat of Cthulhu-sized proportions to get your horror juices flowing.
Is it good? The story and art are great. Brusha grounds Robyn Hood as a vigilante force to be reckoned with in NYC, elevating her to a level on par with Nightwing (there’s more to do to reach Batman levels). Robyn is the best kind of vigilante because she knows how to take risks and use her talents to win, but when the odds are overwhelming, as they are here against a pair of unstoppable Nightgaunts, she finds a different path to victory. Robyn isn’t overpowered. Her challenges don’t simply melt away with minimal effort. she gets beat, picks herself up, and uses her brain when her brawn is at its limit.
The plot centers around Baba Yaga’s attempt to steal a Lovecraftian-looking dagger from the local museum. Robyn intervenes to stop the theft, but the situation becomes too risky when Baba Yaga decides to use innocent civilians for leverage. The setup is rock solid, the action is intense, and the conclusion (more like a “To be continued…”) ends the conflict with an appreciable amount of satisfaction for part one.
The art is possibly the most surprising aspect of this issue. We’ve encountered Rei’s style before, but it looks super-polished in this issue. The line work is detailed, even in far panel shots, and Rodriguez’s coloring is excellent. A typical Zenescope title will have art that tends to be very bright, especially in dark settings, but Rei and Rodriguez use the darkness and shadows here to amp up the drama and grittiness.
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]
We begin with a woman taking a museum tour designed around a series of recently-discovered artifacts that appear to have ties to the Elder Gods. The woman is Baba Yaga in disguise. Later, Baba Yaga returns to the museum with a pair of Nightguants to steal one of the artifacts – a dagger with a monstrous head for a hilt.
When the Nightguants crash into the museum, they’re spotted by Robyn Hood while out on her nightly patrol. Robyn follows the monsters and Baba Yaga into the museum and engages in battle. The Nightgaunts can’t be stopped with direct attacks, so Robyn steals the dagger and escapes.
Later, Baba Yaga sends out a citywide broadcast threatening to kill the passengers of a Merry-Go-Round on the boardwalk if Robyn doesn’t return the dagger. We conclude the issue with deadly choices, a display of power, and an interested observer.
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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ROBYN HOOD: BABA YAGA is a hard-hitting action story to complement the new arc in Grimm Fairy Tales. The writing is snappy, the art is gritty and dramatic, and the conclusion skillfully mixes satisfaction with anticipation for the next chapter.
Related Information
Is this Robyn Hood the same as Robyn Hood (Marvel)?
No, Zenescope’s Robyn Hood and Marvel’s Robyn Hood are two different characters. Marvel’s Robyn Hood is an android designed to protect banks by working undercover within the Occupy Wall Street movement. The android became radicalized by the movement, resorting to robbing the banks she was created to protect and giving the spoils to the poor. Zenescope’s Robyn Hood is a close approximation to DC’s Green Arrow, an archer-themed vigilante sworn to protect her city.
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