ROBYN HOOD: SHADOWS OF THE PAST, from Zenescope Entertainment on March 2nd, 2022, takes Robyn to the Shadowland’s in a bid to regain the Light stolen from her as an infant.
The Details
- Written By: Joe Brusha
- Art By: Ismael Canales
- Colors By: Juan Manuel Rodriguez, Maxflan Araujo
- Letters By: Taylor Esposito
- Cover Art By: Sean Chen (cover A)
- Cover Price: $5.99
- Release Date: March 2, 2022
Wait! Don’t Forget To Sign Up For The Comical Opinions Newsletter.
It’s 100% FREE. Sign up NOW!
Was It Good?
ROBYN HOOD: SHADOWS OF THE PAST is the follow-up one-shot after ROBYN HOOD: HOME SWEET HOME where the machinations behind Robyn’s hallucinatory trip that forced her to confront her childhood traumas are revealed. We were very keen on that first issue despite its odd setup because it was a stellar example of building up a character by showing how she copes with an unpleasant past and grows as a person moving forward. In this issue, the odd setup is clarified and carried forward into a continuing adventure that redeems Robyn’s past and the past of a new but pivotal character.
Where this follow-up differs from ROBYN HOOD: HOME SWEET HOME is in the tone and the theme of the story. Here, the theme is more of a traditional Zenescope comic where the character uses physical prowess and power to hack and slash her way through the obstacles. That’s not a down point, but compared to the previous issue, the level of pathos and importance isn’t there.
That said, this is a fine issue for world-building, especially for revealing the existence of a second nexus, for revealing the dark forces who’ve stolen children’s lights for their own purposes, and for ending the issue with a new status quo for the main character. Sweeping, nonsensical changes for a titular character are rarely well-received, but this change makes sense and introduces plenty of future potentials.
The art by Canales, Rodriguez, and Araujo is excellent. To be fair, this issue reflects a typical Zenescope house style, but as house styles go, it’s solid. The character designs are strong, there’s plenty of energetic action, and the colors are well done.
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]
As mentioned previously, this one-shot is a follow-up to ROBYN HOOD: HOME SWEET HOME, so you may want to read that review first to fill in some blanks.
We begin with a flashback introduction to a rookie Knight of the Realms, Garret Taft. During the night a cult sought to steal the light from a group of children and replace their souls with darkness, Garret was part of the group that charged the cult to end their ritual. Before the battle was done, Garret fell through a portal to the Shadowlands where his body and soul were forced to endure unimaginable torment.
Now, Roby is confronted by a reaper-like figure after her hallucinations during HOME SWEET HOME. The figure is Garrett, and he forced the visions on Robyn to make her confront her past and strengthen her for the task ahead – regaining the light stolen from her as a child.
Garret teleports Robyn to the Shadowlands to walk a vicious gauntlet of demons and monsters. We conclude the issue with a confrontation against dark gods, restoration, and moving on.
Final Thoughts
ROBYN HOOD: SHADOWS OF THE PAST is a solid follow-up to ROBYN HOOD: HOME SWEET HOME with more punching and less pathos. However, Robyn gets her due with interesting character growth and an interesting new status quo.
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.
We hope you found this article interesting. Come back for more reviews, previews, and opinions on comics, and don’t forget to follow us on social media:
If you’re interested in this creator’s works, remember to let your Local Comic Shop know to find more of their work for you. They would appreciate the call, and so would we.
Click here to find your Local Comic Shop: www.ComicShopLocator.com