150th Mega Post. Interviews. Reviews....and all that jazz.

First up, it's the Batman: The Brave and the Bold season finale.



Batman: The Brave and The Bold -- "The Fate of Equinox"

"Justice wins the day thanks to the brave and the bold." -- Batman

The season finale opens up with armed guards on the lookout on top of a building. Batman, always on the prowl, knocks one out with his patented one-hitter-quitter and moves on to take down the other guard just as easily. Batman crashes down and is confronted by legendary Bat-villain, Two-Face. Two-Face & Co. surround Batman and he flips his coin on the decision to see if his henchman will kill the Dark Knight. It lands non-scarred face up... and surprisingly, Two-Face turns on the goons! Batman and Two-Face form a temporary alliance and defeat the hired help without breaking a sweat. To Batman's surprise, Harvey Dent then flips the coin again to see whether Two-Face gets Batman this time around. Too bad for Two-Face that Batman rushes and knocks him out.

After the jazzy intro, we see the Batplane flying over a jungle and a ancient temple. Batman climbs the staircase and then suddenly the temple starts crumbling and he's greeted by new Bat-baddie Equinox who invited him. Equinox explains his plan, which basically consists of halving the world in light and dark. A perfect balance, if you will. He is using some sort of a giant gyroscope that has some otherworldly powers to aid him in this goal. Luckily, Batman brought along Dr. Fate along for the ride. Equinox summons winged serpent creatures and Fate battles them with magic while Bats uses Nth metal knuckles to fight. Fate defeats the monsters, and then tries to get the jump on Equinox. Well, it is revealed that Equinox is the master of both Chaos and Order magic.

During his brawl with Batman, Equinox falls into that gyroscope and that triggers the temple to explode. Dr. Fate teleports him and Batman and both think that they got away too easy, as if Equinox wanted this to happen. Both can't agree on how to pursue the situation further, with Fate wanting to use magical techniques and Batman the more scientific approach. Though, when Batman's plane is transformed into a colossal red dragon, the two retreat to Fate's tower. When there, Fate meditates on the matter at hand, but something is terribly wrong. We cut to see Aquaman in his own realm, and Atlantis is under attack from sea monsters. Dr. Fate feels that it's the planet is fighting between order and chaos.

And he's right. The space-time continum has been unbalanced and we now have dinosaurs roaming the earth again. Worse yet, the shifting energies are affecting Fate's powers, making them weaker. He suggests that he and Batman acquire aid from his masters, the Lords of Order. Off they go to consult them and we learn a bit about Equinox's origin and his ultimate goal. The Lords sense Equinox's presence and try to overpower him, but Equinox soon drains the Lords of their power.

Now, Equinox has become, for lack of a better word, a god. Fate goes in with an attack, but Equinox reverses it. Fate realizes Equinox is too powerful for one hero and he summons all the heroes who have made a cameos during the season: The Flash (Jay Garrick), Hal Jordan, Fire, Red Tornado, Plastic Man, Aquaman, Black Canary, etc... and they are there to create a new hero out of all of their powers, with Batman becoming that hero. He is then transformed into a titan himself in spiffy new blue armor, all to clash it out with Equinox like a Godzilla movie. Batman tries using Fate's magic, but Equinox easily blocks it and he teleports both of them to outer space. Batman uses all of the heroes powers from Plastic Man's elasticity to Green Arrow's, well, arrows, to Beetle's cannons, but it seems that Equinox is still a bit too powerful for Batman, even with the combined strength.

Of course Batman being Batman, he convinces Equinox that he is indeed out of balance and therefore, imperfect. Equinox is now distracted, confused, and losing power. Batman swiftly punches him into the dark portal that Equinox was working on earlier and he returns to Earth and restores the powers of his friends. The balance has been restored, and our heroes have saved the day.

Brave and the Bold viewers, what did you think of "The Fate of Equinox"? I have to say that I didn't feel the tension with Equinox, or any real threat on his part since he's only made three appearances (you're more than welcome to correct me if I'm wrong). I didn't feel any connection towards him as a villain. I sort of wish they just went on ahead and used Libra, instead. I think it's interesting how Batman in this series is frequently in the craziest of circumstances, but this one felt a bit too heavy. Don't get me wrong, I love the series as a whole, but just wasn't really relating to anything in this episode. I did think it was pretty cool of Fate to combine the heroes' powers to morph Batman into this titan and duke it out with Equinox. I also think it was weird of Batman to argue with a wielder of Order magic on how to deal with somebody who possess both Chaos and Order magics. Common sense should dictate here, Batman.

Reportedly Season 2 of Batman: The Brave and the Bold will bring in more A-list names, but that's never been the lure of the show. I appreciate how they give coverage to all kinds of DC characters, not just the ones who already have a slew of merchandise. I'll continue watching, I just think they could have done better with this finale. Readers, I have two questions: One, what did you think of the finale; and two, who would you love to see grace this series with their presence?




Next up, is an interview, with Scott Burn, writer of the new Zenescope series, Agon.

Aliens. Gladiator-style competition. Possible genocide.

In January 2010, Zenescope expands their line from fantasy horror to science fiction. One of the first series to premier from their new direction promises action in a series of cinematic alien battles. Screenwriter turned comic scripter Scott Burn gave Newsarama this exclusive interview about his new limited series entitled Agon and what were the inspirations behind his creation.

Newsarama: So, Scott, for those of the readers out there unfamiliar with your works, mind if you tell what you've worked on before?

Scott Burn: I'm primarily an action/science fiction screenwriter. The other projects that I've written include Countdown (which was sold to Summit Entertainment), a story about a group of astronauts who land on a planet and find their own dead bodies. That's in development now and is based on a Richard Matheson short story called Death Ship. Last year I set up a script called Origin (Relativity Entertainment), a different sort of take on black holes and the origin of the species. And the first script I co-wrote called Redline (Bob Yari Productions) was about an FBI agent trying to catch a beautiful thief.

Nrama: What is the story of Agon? Better yet, what is Agon?

Burn: Agon is a Greek word meaning, among other things, "contest". The story is about an alien civilization coming to earth to tell us that we've reached a stage of enlightenment where we're invited to join an advanced alien hierarchy. But to do so, we have to compete against three other alien civilizations in battle. The winner gets to join. The losers have their entire species wiped out.

Nrama: What were the inspirations behind the look and feel of the book?

Burn: I'm a huge fan of the classic sci-fi writers like Robert Heinlein and Ray Bradbury. They have storylines that are epic in scope, but with many characters who are compelling to watch. And while there may be violence in the stories, they also pose really intriguing questions about the nature of humanity, and that drew me to this story. And I've been very fortunate to work with Joe and Ralph who brought in great artists who were able to capture the images I described almost exactly as I had them in my head.

Nrama: I love history, especially the ancient Greek era, did you take a lot from that time period such as architecture or borrow anything from mythology?

Burn: I majored in history in college, and I'm also very drawn to that period. However for the comic book, because the majority of it does not take place on earth, the story doesn't focus on Greek architecture or myth; except to the extent of exploring our original concept of mythology and Gods from the sky type ideas. There are some interesting theories about whether aliens were mistaken for gods in the early stages of mankind, and in that respect, mythology plays a role.

Nrama: Will this be an ongoing or limited series?

Burn: As of now, the plan is for Agon to be a 5 book series (plus the prequel).

Nrama: What are you hoping readers take with them after reading Agon?

Burn: While I hope readers enjoy the action and suspense of the story, I hope it goes a little deeper as well. The goal is to examine the nature of humanity...and whether you have to be human to possess it. Ultimately, I like stories that explore what is the nature of the species and that's what I've tried to do with Agon.




And finally, interview with Joe Brusha about Zenescope's upcoming Neverland.

Alice Liddle. Red Riding Hood. The Little Mermaid. You can now add Peter Pan's name to the list of characters Zenescope adapts into their popular Grimm Fairy Tales line. Zenescope is so excited about the new series, they recently announced a retailer guarantee, meaning retailers can return any unsold, undamaged copies that they order. The series also stands out as a new fantasy series amongst an expanding line of science fiction and more straight horror in 2010 for the publisher.

Newsarama talked exclusively to the writer of Neverland, Joe Brusha and what his take on the classic story entails in this seven issue mini-series.

Newsarama: How long has this been in the works?

Joe Brusha: This was one of the first stories ideas I had for the Grimm universe. I originally wrote it and did the research a few years so I can't be sure that every character from the original made it into this re-imagined version. But I don't think I missed any of the characters. Tiger Lilly, John & Michael, the mermaids and the Croc are all here as well as some new characters.

Nrama: Can you tell us a bit about those new characters?

Brusha: The main new Character is Johnathon Cross who is the hero of the series. He has elements of Hook from the original story, but basically he's a brand new character. As a boy he was abducted by Pan and taken to Neverland becoming the only victim who was ever able to escape. But he left behind his kid brother and the guilt over having to do that has pretty much destroyed his entire life. He gets a shot at redemption when he returns to Neverland to try to save Wendy's nephews John and Michael.

Nrama: Elements of Hook? How so?

Brusha: He has an actual hook and his hand was also bitten off by a crocodile. In the real world he has resorted to a life of crime and become a petty thief which is kind of like being a pirate. And when he's in Neverland he looks like a pirate.

Nrama: Can you tell us if popular Grimm Fairy Tales antagonist Belinda is involved somehow?

Brusha: Neither Belinda or Sela appear in this story. I actually wrote the first draft of Neverland a couple of years ago, before Belinda was even conceived as a character. Neverland is a very similar to Return to Wonderland in structure and while it ties into the Grimm universe it's a self contained story.

Nrama: What were some of the inspirations that went into the character design?

Brusha: Mostly from recent fantasy and horror films. Films like Lord of the Rings, Pan's Labyrinth and Pirates of the Carribean. For Pan I was thinking of a cross between an elf from Middle Earth, like Legolas, and some kind of Vampire. For creatures like the Croc and the Mermaids I wanted them to have a real monster/horror movie feel.

Nrama: Speaking of the art, can you reveal anything with the artist on board for this title?

Brusha: I can't right now. We had an artist assigned to the project but it hasn't been one hundred percent finalized yet. We should make an official announcement in about a week.

Nrama: This seems more like action/adventure than having Zenescope's brand of horror, were you aiming for that?

Brusha: There may be a little more action in this series than in some of our other Grimm Fairy Tales stories but not much. It has a good blend of horror and fantasy and it fits right into the Grimm universe without moving too far into a different genre.

Nrama: Would you consider this a great book to pick up if you aren't familiar with Grimm Fairy Tales and its history?

Brusha: I would but of course I wrote it so I'm partial. I think much like the Wonderland series this is a story that can be enjoyed even if you know absolutely nothing about Grimm Fairy Tales, Wonderland or even if you aren't that familiar with comic books as an entertainment medium. One of our goals as a company is to bring new readers and fans to the comic book industry and we've had a lot of success with that with our Grimm Fairy Tales books. I've had a lot of people tell me that Grimm or Return to Wonderland is the first comic they ever read. One of the good things about re-inventing classic fairy tales is that they are universally recognized which I think helps people to take a chance on them.

Interview with Jerry Brown, writer of "Merc: Broken World"

Zenescope Studios are mainly known for the horror stories and retelling of fairy tales. They're taking a different approach this time around with Merc: Broken World, a noir story with a sci-fi edge. Newsara recently had a chance to talk with the writer of the series, Jerry Brown, though managing and scheduling was interesting because Brown resides in city of Adelaide which is in the South Australia time zone. He gives us a peek inside the details and imagery of this out-of-this-world realm.




Newsarama: So, Jerry, what is “Merc” about?

Jerry Brown: On the surface, Merc is a pretty straight cyberpunk story. Noir characters, Fortune 500 industrial warfare, technology gangs, NRA approved cybernetics—all the elements people have been tooling with for years. My goal was to pull it all together in a fresh way.

The main character is Sonny Grissom. Sonny is a merc, which is a cybernetically enhanced, industrial saboteur. Basically, he's a walking death machine, who gets paid to blow-up cola botteling plants, cap crooked CFOs and steal patent applications.
Mercs make a ton of money, live like kings, party like rock stars and every one of them dies in less than 10 years from all the neural stimulants and immune suppressors they need to perform their jobs. And those last few years of life are an utter nightmare. Failing kidneys, crippling arthritis. They live in constant pain, except for the few brief minutes when they get to fire-up the drugs and storm around like living gods—then it's back to being an invalid.

That's where Sonny is. He's one of the most succesful mercs out there, but his body has been completely demolished from all the punishment. He has six months to live, and he knows that he's wasted his life.

He takes a contract to perform a pretty high-risk task, only it turns out to be much-much more than that. That's all I really want to say about the plot. The story evolves and has a few twists and I'd like to leave them for the readers to find out.

NRAMA: What were some of your influences on the imagery and the design of the characters?

JB: Merc is a study of self-mutilation. I am facinated by the human obsession with distorting our bodies.

Piercings, tattoos, steroids. It's one thing to dye your hair. It's another to push a plug of stainless steel through your face. And when it's taken to its extreme it's really interesting, because extremes are always interesting. The first time I saw someone with a phone looped out of their ear I thought, wow, we're really starting to Borg. It's actually going to happen.
Ray Kurzweil posed a facinating question about when augmentation crosses the line.

How many circuits can you add to a human brain before that brain is no longer human?

The characters of Merc reflect this question. Every character is a freakshow, either by choice or by circumstance. Some have lost their humanity, others hold on to it more dearly for having been denied normality by fate.


NRAMA: Why did you choose to set your story in a cyberpunk realm?

JB: The core machinery of the plot could certainly have been used in different settings, but the avenues

I wanted to explore with Sonny's character could only be realized in a cyberpunk world. To be honest, I haven't been the biggest fan of cyberpunk. I think the punk aspect of the genre drives writers to write about minor players doing peon jobs, who get caught up in big things. It's a perfectly valid way to go, but my eye was always drawn to the flashy stuff—the bodyguards and hit men, who've turned themselves into freaks so they can do their jobs.

The complexities arise when you meet these characters at the end of their cycles. Now they're paying the price for all that power. You see this in ex-pro football players, who look back and say, “I can't believe what I did to myself back then.” I find it very compelling, and I wanted to write a character who's experienced a level of human performance far beyond what I could ever know, and is now paying the price. Cyberpunk was the best way to do it.


NRAMA: Who is the artist you're collaborating with?

JB: The artist is Daniel Schneider, and his work was built on concept art by Claudio Sepulveda.

Dan has done a great job, working on a very tight schedule. Because the characters are so physically mangled, there's a lot of room for interpretation. In a few cases I was quite specific about what was needed, but for the most part I've left it for Dan to decide how to achieve the desired effects. It's worked out great. The only change I've requested was on a panel he executed precisely the way I'd described it—which revealed a flaw in my approach and better way to do it.


NRAMA: Now this isn't your first gig in comics is it? For those of you unfamiliar with your work, tell us a bit about yourself.

JB: I actually come from the film world. I did a draft of Lobo for Warner Brothers (the draft prior to Don Payne's draft), worked on Romeo Must Die, worked with Alex Proyas and did bunch of other stuff that's stuck in development purgatory (which is a tad better than development hell).

A few years back I did a monstrously ambitious series of books for Humanoids Publishing,

called METAL. Two of the books were completed (108 pages), but the artist (Butch Guice) has

never done the art for the third book. Consequently, only two books were published and they were in in French (so, I can't even read them). Humanoids really wants to do a US release, but can't without the third book. It was an incredibly frustrating experience and turned me off doing comics for years. This is the first time I've come back to them since then.

NRAMA: Who are some of your influences as a writer?

JB: I'm real old school. Harlan Ellison would be my number #1 influence. After that, Robert Bloch, A.E. Van Vogt, Clark, [Isaac] Asimov, Bester, Farmer, Lovecraft. Frank Miller changed my sense of what was possible with Hard Boiled and Sin City, but I don't have a solid comic background.
In film, James Cameron is one hell of a writer. Critics take pot shots at his dialogue, but I couldn't disagree more. When you're writing sci-fi movie dialogue, you're always just two seconds away from utter idiocy. It takes incredible vigillance to keep your characters from sounding like Ed Wood creations.

Lately, I find games are really coming up fast as a true art form. I'm playing Fallout 3 now and I find the level of immersion—the level to which I care about what's going on—is approaching what a good book can do. It used to be games were just fear, but they're going after the bigger stuff now; hope, regret, situations with unintended consequences. Gears of War had some real characters too.

It's interesting that at a time when so much of the world is being reduced to porn—to the most stripped down components of ideas—that games are raising their standards and striving to tell more complex stories. I heard one game designer say that they feel a real pressure to try to hit it out of the park every time. I think that's exactly how it should be. It's what I strive for. Hopefully, Merc will deliver that.

triple feature yet again! Moon Knight, Dr. Voodoo and Zenescope's Little Mermaid

In case you missed it...

The Little Mermaid Collection
Written by: Raven Gregory & Linda Ly
Pencils by: Claudio Sepulveda
Colors by: Nei Ruffino
Letters by: Alphabet Studios
Published by Zenescope Entertainment
Review by Lan Pitts

This ain't your baby sister's Little Mermaid. Not by a long shot.

In the spirit of Zenescope's style of reimagining fairy tales and such, comes The Little Mermaid. Now, this isn't the story you may know unless you're familiar with the Hans Christian Anderson version of the story. It starts out the way most remember it, a shipwreck with a prince going overboard and rescued by a mermaid princess. Ah, nautical love.

Well, I'm sure you know how the story goes from there: mermaid princess falls in love with prince, makes deal with Sea Witch, becomes mute, gets her heart broken, and...gets ripped in half by the Sea Witch and her remains eaten by sharks? Oh right, this is Zenescope. Meanwhile, there is another story that parallel's the Mermaid's tale going on featuring the same themes as love, lust, betrayal, and of course Grimm Fairy Tales' recurring antagonist, Belinda. Belinda approaches Lucy, a woman who lives with her young daughter Sara, who is trying to get out of her mother's white trash shadow. Both the mermaid and Sara take some ill advice and both pay the price in their own way.

Originally published as Grimm Fairy Tales #25 and 26, it is now collected into this 56-page issue. There is some really good stuff in here. Claudio Sepulveda draws some amazing landscapes and the opening sequence with the shipwreck is phenomenal. Of course, being aided by Nei Ruffino on colors doesn't hurt either. While Sepulveda does need to improve on his facial constructions, I wasn't turned off or taken out of the story. Speaking of the story, I feel it was too loose in some parts, mainly the motivation of Lucy to use Sara the way she did and why she was listening to Belinda of all people.

All in all, with this collection, you can really see that Zenescope is attempting to step up their game with fantastic visuals and layered stories worth reading.




Doctor Voodoo: Avenger of the Supernatural #1
Written by Rick Remender
Art by Jefte Palo
Colors by Jean-Francois Beaulieu
Letters by Dave Lanphear
Cover by Marko Djurdjevic
Published by Marvel Comics
Review by Lan Pitts

At first, when Brother Voodoo was announced as the new Sorcerer Supreme, I was taken aback a little. I was really pulling for Wiccan to assume the mantle, or hey, even Dr. Doom (just because he is Marvel's greatest super villain). Though, flipping through the pages at my local comic store, purchasing it and actually reading it when I got home...yeah, Marvel chose wisely. I wasn't too familiar with the character, so my impression was open-minded when it came to how Rick Remender worked the Jericho Drumm character and I have to say, he's a bona fide bad ass.

This issue picks up after Jericho Drumm's cameo in New Avengers #53 earlier this year, where the legendary Eye of Agamotto chose him for the role of new Sorcerer Supreme. I love how Remender got down to some serious supernatural business from the get-go with the Doc confining old school Dr. Strange arch-nemesis, Dormammu, and we can see the different types of magicks that Voodoo relies on in comparison to Strange's. It's truly eeriely colored and drawn. One can really sense the feel of the type of power he now possesses. Of course you have Strange in an Obi-Wan-like role, but you can almost hear the doubt in his voice over Agamotto's choosing. Strange understands though that the Eye chose Jericho for a reason and he has to live with that.

Of course, Strange isn't the only one questioning the Eye's choice in new Sorcerer Supreme. Enter: Dr. Doom. The two have a mystical throwdown of serious proportions with Doom dominating until the very end. When he thinks the Eye is now his for the taking, Doom gets a rude awakening by showing him something that makes him do a hasty retreat. I love Remender's vernacular for Voodoo and his use of Vadou terminology. It provides a sense of faithful representation of the character and his world.

Jefte Palo's art is something else, too. I love Dr. Voodoo's new costume and how he interrupts the outlandish scenarios and creatures. It is almost as if he was meant for a book like this. Doctor Voodoo works great as a premiere issue for various reasons, but there are plenty of unanswered questions and I'll be sure to be around to find out.





Vengeance of the Moon Knight #2
Written by Gregg Hurwitz
Art by Jerome Opena
Colors by Paul Mounts
Cover by Leinil Yu with Jason Keith
Letters by VC's Joe Caramagna
Published by Marvel Comics
Review by Lan Pitts

"As Moon Knight, Spector prowls the night, meting out brutal justice to those who would prey on the innocent." Really? If that was the case, how come in the last issue, it was mainly in broad daylight and in this issue, again, it's mostly taken place during day time hours?

With that out of the way, I do want to express how much this series is off to a great start. Coming off the conclusion of the last issue, Sentry confronts Moon Knight and basically tells him can empathize what it is like to have inner demons and dealing with borderline insanity. The dialouge is well-paced and great introduction to the issue with Sentry flying all around, averting numerous disasters, all the while explaining to Moon Knight that if he goes back to his psychotic ways, he'll put him down.

Later, Norman Osborn is disappointed in the Hood and wants Moon Knight by any means. So, naturally, Hood brings in some additional help by means of the Profile. At first, I have to admit, the way the coloring works I thought it was the Purple Man. I always liked reading what the Profile was thinking, even if it was only for comedic value. Hiring the Profile, we also see that Osborn and the Hood will do whatever it takes to bring Moon Knight down, however, there is doubt they actually can. He's composed and seemingly at peace with the role of playing the hero again...though of course there's the end of the issue where, I'm pretty sure, the next issue will be insane and Spector's first real test on holding his madness at bay.

Hurwitz also does a fantastic job at reintroducing Moon Knight's supporting cast and does it in a way that makes you feel he's been doing it for ages, though for some of you new fans, it may seem a little confusing, but a quick browse through MK's history would remedy that. He handles Marlene, Frenchie, and Crawley with ease. Each of them have their own level of tension with Marc (or Jake) and it's wonderful character development to watch unfold. Hurwitz's script is paired well with Jerome Opena's art, that once again shines beautifully. This dynamite pair bring their own vision of action and character to the book and is easily one of the titles to watch out for. I know it may seem strange to some to say that with only two issues in, but rest assure, if you're not picking this up or having this in your pull box, you might want to rethink that.

Zenescope Presents: Dante's Inferno

Later this year, Zenescope’s Grimm’s Fairy Tales gets an expansion as Mercy Dante returns.

Fans of the series know that Dante committed an unspeakable act of violence in issue #29, and in August, Dante returns to the series in issue #41, a lead-in to the five issue, Grimm Fairy Tales: Dante’s Inferno

Described by Zenescope’s Ralph Tedesco as “Jacob’s Ladder meets Resident Evil,” the five issue miniseries promises to follow the Zenescope model of keeping the themes of a known story, while adding its own devious twists.

We spoke with Tedesco and Raven Gregory for more.

Newarama: So guys, can you tell us what the premise is of Grimm Fairy Tales: Dante's Inferno? Is it similar to the beginning of the Divine Comedy or does it just happen to share the name?

Raven Gregory: It's a much more modern take on the allegorical poem. There's a woman, an assassin, Mercy Dante, last seen in Grimm Fairy Tales #29, who shares a lot of qualities with the original Dante. This is a woman who commits an unforgivable crime that haunts her to this very day. Something so bad it is quite literally driving her insane and she's helpless to do anything to stop it until Sela offers her a chance at redemption.

NRAMA: Now how many issues will this consist of?

Ralph Tedesco: Well Grimm #41 is a prequel story to the "Dante's Inferno" mini-series. The mini-series will be five issues though.

NRAMA: Can you tell us something about the artists working this?

RG: We have a couple guys lined up. Some really incredible talent. One who has worked on Grimm Fairy Tales before and a brand new artist that I think people are really gonna dig. I don't want to say who yet until we get a couple issues under our belt but I think fans will be really pleased.

NRAMA: Would you consider this book more horror-oriented or action?

RT: It's part horror, part psychological thriller and definitely part action. It wraps all three into one which makes for a fun ride and something a little bit different too.

NRAMA: So would you guys say it's still in the style of the material Zenescope is known for or does it branch off a bit?

RT: Actually it's like taking the different styles we're already kind of known for and rolling them up into one.

RG: But there's definitely some new surreal styles we're working into this one. Some stuff readers won't see coming from a mile a way that we've never tried before. It's very exciting stuff that I think will have people talking for some time to come.

NRAMA: You guys over at Zenescope always seem to have some sort of horror influence in your works. Not that Hell isn't horrific enough, but is there any other source you tapped into for this arc?

RG: There's a truly disturbing sense of realism we're bringing into the mix with this tale. The idea that, sometimes, there's something that's looming just beneath the surface. Something that, if we're lucky, we never have to deal with. But that doesn't mean it's not there or that we don't breathe a sigh of relief that it happened to pass us by. But for Mercy, one wrong choice is all is takes to step out of the light and into the darkness.

RT: This series will have a little bit more action than our GRIMM fans are used to, that's one thing. We're definitely influenced by horror with the Grimm series but we also are always influenced by other genres as well and that's what we hope keeps our readers interested and on their toes.

Grimm Fairy Tales #41, the lead-in to Dante’s Inferno hits stands this August

crossed posted from Shotgun: Interview with Raven Gregory

Recently, I had a chance to talk to Raven Gregory: writer and editor over at Zenescope Comics to talk about the new chapter in the Wonderland series, "Escape from Wonderland".

Shotgun Reviews: For those out there that have no clue what it's about, can you explain Wonderland in a nut shell?

Raven Gregory: Return to Wonderland is the story of a mentally sick Alice, now an adult with a family of her own, who's teenage daughter, Calie Liddle, travels to wonderland to discover the source of her mother's insanity and discovers what wonderland really is. While Beyond Wonderland follows a now pregnant Calie, as she goes into hiding in New York City unaware that something has followed her beyond wonderland and is stalking her and those she holds dear.

Escape From Wonderland, the final part of the trilogy, deal with Calie, now determined and no longer running from her destiny, go back to wonderland intent on saving her newborn child from the madness of that world. But if you're asking me what Wonderland is...It's another dimension tangent to our own. A place that is the source of all madness in our world. Once every generation a sacrifice must be made to wonderland to keep the madness of that world from pouring into our own. But as we learn in Beyond Wonderland that may not actually be the case.