Neverland #2 (Zenescope – Brusha / Paul)
Wendy, Dr. Harlow and Cross find themselves transported to the magical world of Neverland where they begin their quest to rescue Michael and John from Pan’s island. Their search is side tracked when the meet the islands less then friendly natives. Meanwhile Pan contemplates has his own sinister plans for the boys. This issue is a must have for every Grimm and Wonderland fan!
Sometimes, modern takes on literary classics fall way short of expectations (Syfy’s Alice) but sometimes the re-imagined tale is worth more than the price tag. That is what you have with Zenescope’s Neverland. Joe Brusha is doing what he (and the Zenescope crew in general) does best and taking well-known stories and re-working them so that they are prime examples of fresh, intelligent modern horror.
This modern take twists the original and has Pan being the ultimate villain, keeping his eternal youth by sucking the life force out of children and Hook is the exiled hero who is the only one who can stop Pan. Along with the two main characters, there are updated versions of Wendy, the Darling family, the alligator, Tinkerbell and even Smee. For all the gushing I have done over Raven Gregory’s Zenescope’s Wonderland series, I think I will have equal love for Brusha’s Neverland’s – one part action adventure and one-part diabolic horror.
In issue #2 Wendy and Cross (Hook) connect with the help of Dr. Harlow (Smee) and through the use of hypno-therapy and Hook’s own abilities make the cross over to Wonderland. Pan has some management issue with his fairies and he sends out his minions to find the Princess. It sounds messy, but Joe Brusha puts together a solid book that keeps you interested to the end of the issue. The art was pretty good, and only had a slight bit of inconsistency in it.
Bottom Line: Out this week and worth the cover price!
Issue grade: A
