I really enjoyed Radical Comics first Hercules mini series, so I thought I would give another of their series a try. I have to say Legends is nothing new, it is yet another dark violent adult take on classic children’s fairy tale characters. This seems to be a very popular theme in recent years. I can’t tell you how many ongoing series; mini series and graphic novels in this vein have come out recently.
In creator Nick Percival’s vision the familiar fairy tale characters are called The Enchanted and what gives them an edge is their healing charm. This charm does not prevent them from being injured or stop them from feeling pain but it does prevent them from dying and it heals them very quickly. Think of it as a maxed-out magical version of Wolverines healing factor. In this issue we meet several of The Enchanted including Red Riding Hood, Pinocchio and Jack the Giant Killer. We are also clued into a plot against The Enchanted. SPOILER WARNING The plot revolves around finding a way to break The Enchanted’s healing charm, something obviously no one has been able to do up to this point. The issue draws to a close with the conspirators having success at breaking the charm and killing poor Pinocchio. END SPOILER WARNING
Over all it’s not a bad read, a little to fast pasted perhaps but then again they are trying to hook you with this issue. The art is a little to dark for my taste but it was still OK. All in all Legends was a good read, well worth it’s $1.00 price tag. In fact, I liked it enough that if this issue where leading into a mini series I would be willing to invest $3.00 in another issue. It did not, however, interest me enough to put down $20 to read the rest of the story in a hardcover graphic novel.
Keith Forney