The Age of Darkness begins here, but is there enough meat to this particular journey to get fans excited for the future of this shared universe? Read on to find out.

The official description from Zenescope:

A rogue princess named Aisling teams up with Blake, a fallen Wonderland knight, and Bolder, a dwarf banished from his home, in order to protect the realm of Myst from the dark shadows of its past. Journey with this ragtag team of disgraced warriors as they fight for redemption in a world that has forgotten them.

The various worlds tethered together get a proper jump on point for new readers.  As this creative team seeks to flesh out a journey that might just carry a bit of weight with the forthcoming proceedings.  What we get is a strong entry that stumbles slightly while striding toward its plot points.

Pat Shand pens the eventful script and the author does a fine job giving voice to this rag-tag team of heroes.  To his credit he begins the piece while baring in mind two different understandings.  Firstly, he knows that there is a dedicated audience that’s invested in the narrative already, while a brand new #1 promises the possibility of unexpected followers. The scribe is up to the task, as he balances those facts, only yielding a couple moments that felt bogged down by explanation.  What we get, is a competent comic that’s worthwhile but not necessarily as good as it could be.

The art by Sergio Osuna and David T. Cabrera fits within the confines of the text.  There are some issues with their styles being a bit too different, but for the most part the pieces they deliver are strong enough to ward off any lingering doubts.  That’s not to say it was a glowing success but rather a competent pairing that in the end delivered just enough solid renditions to garner some attention and praise.

Grimm Fairy Tales presents Quest #1 is a solid start to something that feels mammoth in scope, but the pacing kept it from reaching the quality of its own intentions.  Recommended.

3.5/5