When it comes to Grimm Universe there’s certainly no shortage of mystical problems, but in the landscape covered by an event is this tangent really something that needs to be told?  Read on to find out.

The official description from Zenescope:

“The Phoenix,” part one.

While the world is reeling from the events of Unleashed, Sela and the newly resurrected Belinda have made it their mission to help people in need. This leads them to Kiera, a beautiful Highborn with a fiery secret who has been living among humans for centuries. As Sela learns the story of the mythological Phoenix’s rebirth, the truth of the plan the Dark One has been putting into motion for years comes to light.

Truth be told when I cracked open this book and began to read its contents I had my doubts about the summation of the issue.  It just seemed like a tale that was completely unnecessary, but by the end I was pleased to find that there was a clear purpose.

Pat Shand pens the script and once again he finds a tactic to take several apparently divergent pieces and discovers a way for all the varying intricacies to connect.  The author handles the introduction and explanation of this new Highborn quite effectively, as he delves out logical information as to why certain characters just couldn’t be reached to deal with it. The dialogue itself is the strength of the book as both our heroes and villains carry defined voices that light the way to a stellar cliffhanger.

After reading this release I have to say, at this point, I simply adore the art by Ricardo Osnaya.  Yes his pencil strokes are chaotic from start to finish, but there is a plucky bit of character buried in each line that oozes the charisma this title usually carries within.  There were a few times where his over the top renditions came off as too spontaneous creating a bit of an eye sore, but these instances where few and far between.

Grimm Fairy Tales #86 is a highly entertaining distraction from the main event. Recommended.

4/5