In an age where female heroes are getting more respectable costumes and a rising audience grows every day requesting a female lead in comic book movies, Robyn Hood couldn’t come at a better time. The heroine is strong and not because she’s part of a bigger universe, but because she’s written strongly. She’s been given a ongoing series which debuts on August 20th. So let’s crack this nut; is it good?
Before you starting reading however, check out what Pat Shand has to say in our exclusive interview!
Robyn Hood: Ongoing #1 (Zenescope Entertainment)
Writer Pat Shand opens this issue with a curveball. It’s inspired for a lot of reasons, partially because Zenescope tends to showcase gratuitous shots of women on their covers, but also because we’ve seen female characters use their sex appeal to get what they want. Case in point, this issue opens with Robyn figuring out a way to get a politician in bed with her. She’s wearing a skimpy skirt, brandishes some fuzzy handcuffs and does it all in a bit of an awkward state. Fact is, she’s brought down to our level because she’s not some sex kitten, but a normal girl, reacting in an normal and kind of disgusted way.
Badass!
The issue then cuts to Robyn outside with a pretty cool shot of her walking down the street with some clever text to show off her two powers and the “only skirt she owns.” Shand quickly introduces us to the cast of characters and the big bad thing that’ll set the plot in motion. That big bad thing is a magical MDMA. Why I haven’t seen magical drugs in comics more is beyond me, but it’s a cool concept. At this point you’d think there was enough material to satiate the reader and it’d all be over, but no, the comic continues, and we get a taste of action, some funny moments between the protaganists, and a surprise to end the issue.
Somebody likes Tegan and Sara.
The art by Larry Watts is strong throughout as well. He does a good job with facial expressions, which is important in a dialogue heavy affair such as this, and the action works too. In fact, he has a neat circular insert in the action sequence that effectively brings the action closer on the bad guy, but livens up the bottom half of the page as well. The look of Robyn is one of the strongest elements of the book too. Her leather cloak makes functional sense, and while a camo green top and bottom doesn’t make a ton of sense in the city, it’s not oversexualized. There are also a bunch of music posters strewn throughout the issue, so look out for those too!
Cool layout here.
Is It Good?
This is a very good introductory issue that balances action, exposition and character very nicely. The pace is so strong and key to its success I’d swear it was created with a metronome.
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