LEGENDS: THE ENCHANTED
Nick Percival has created a visually stunning graphic novel; reimagining a fairy tale world full of gruesome creatures, dark magic, and nasty ol’ hags. Unfortunately the artwork is the only bright spot of the novel. While this is an imaginative reimagining it is also, regrettably, more of the same of what we’ve come to expect from authors who take far too many liberties with the stock characters they use.
It appears as if all of Grimm’s Fairy Tale characters have grown up to become a band of gruesome anti-heroes known as the Enchanted; a rag-tag group of immortals who all enjoy the same hobbies of killings trolls. This idea could have possibly made for a decent story but a rushed script makes for an exciting but ultimately unfulfilling graphic novel. Legends: The Enchanted is simply another failed attempt at profiting over the unexplainable craving for the reimagining of the sweet fairy tale characters we all grew up with. We’ve seen it before in comics (Fables), several movie attempts (Snow White and the Huntsmen, Red Riding Hood) and now a television series (Once Upon a Time).
Percival does create an interesting story but seems to think that by using well-known characters he can simply skip the character development found in most well-crafted tales. Why are Rapunzel, Hansel and Gretel, Pinocchio, and Little Red Riding Hood immortal? At what point in between Mother Goose’s tales and Percival’s reimagining did they suddenly acquire a taste for mercenary work and ninja-like combat skills? As one goes through this novel you begin to question why the author even bothered using these well-known characters. They are so far from being anything like the characters they’re based upon that Percival might as well have created entirely new ones.
I’d give you a plot summary but that seems rather pointless as this novel is just 100 pages of your favorite childhood story characters gruesomely killing or being gruesomely killed. That being said, Legends: The Enchanted is a gritty and beautiful comic and an absolute joy to look at but drab storytelling and an unimaginative script unfortunately prevent it from becoming something more. If you just so happen to be a fan of gritty fairy tale characters then by all means pick this one up! Otherwise, your money will be better spent elsewhere. The Enchanted isn’t a bad comic, but with graphic novels like My Friend Dahmer being released why bother with a brutal rehash of Jack and the Beanstalk?—Henry Rentas
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