Grimm Fairy Tales #18, written by Joe Brusha, picks up right where the last issue left off. We find Shang and Sam taken as prisoners by the trolls. They reveal that everything was arranged by Merlin himself so that he would be able to rule the land of Camelot once again. In an effort to save her friends, Skye enlists the help of the Black Knight. While they do end up freeing Shang and Sam from their bondage, Merlin has placed a powerful spell on Shang, causing him to be weak and powerless. Meanwhile, Oberon has given the trolls the ability to come out of the underground cave and wreak havoc on the city and all the people there. What will happen to the city as the trolls have free reign? Will Shang be able to regain his strength and fight back?
As much as I enjoyed the Black Knight in issue 15, I felt as though she wasn’t utilized as much as she could’ve been in this issue. I appreciated watching her fight alongside Skye. It was fun to see them working together to defeat a common enemy. However, I don’t feel like she had a strong presence. One thing that bothers me a bit about this comic is that the main characters are hard to relate to. For me, I am more entertained when I can really care about the characters I’m reading about. Unfortunately for me, the majority of the characters in this comic are not ones I can relate with, which makes it more difficult for me to care about them. In the beginning when Shang is powerless and his life is threatened, I wasn’t concerned. Nor was I concerned with Sam when she was hurt. Considering the fact that these two are part of the main characters, that is a problem. I wish that this comic would go into greater depth in regards to the characters so that the readers are more in touch with them.
The artwork by Eman Casallos is superb. The characters’ expressions are captured perfectly and the action sequences are lovely. I enjoyed the way the illustrations moved flawlessly from panel to panel. The colors by Jorge Cortes are very bright and vibrant and beautiful. There are some scenes that look like they could be on a poster. The renderings of the trolls were absolutely amazing. I recommend picking this issue up if only for the artwork alone. Grimm Fairy Tales #18 is available for purchase July 18, 2018.
-Amy Walker-LaFollette