Grimm Fairy Tales presents Oz: Age of Darkness One-Shot Review


Will this place within Grimm Fairy Tales survive the evil of such a vile conqueror? Read on to find out.

The official description from Zenescope:

Journey into the future of Oz as the Dark Queen releases the Warlord from his emerald prison and back into the realm. When the Warlord’s shadow falls over Oz, death will strike our heroes. Can anyone escape the Warlord with their life, or is Oz and all of its citizens destined for doom?

GFT Oz-Age of Darkness One-Shot_Variant CoverLet’s face facts we all knew that someday even this realm would get touched by a massive web of deceit born forth from the woman that the Dark One loves. Suffice to say that this creative team does a splendid job realizing that, and they do so without ever cheapening the land or characters involved.

Joe Brusha, Ralph Tedesco and Pat Shand work with script writer Jeff Massey to pen an odyssey that shows the future. We see the eventual aftermath of the most recent mini-series, as Dorothy Gale and her allies reign over the land of Oz in a peaceful and just way. Time is not their ally as our heroes have grown slower while the Dark Queen lets loose a frightening adversary that’s been unleashed in the same state he was before. But it’s through the script that the weight of this arc hits home, as friends become sacrifices while the Age of Darkness envelops all of them.

The illustrations in this outing are very detailed as both Lalit Kumar Sharma and Antonio Bifulco build compelling displays that are bound to garner attention and praise. Each pencil stroke perfectly highlights the text while giving room for key moments to offer visual resonance. And with the addition of colors handed in by Hedwin Jimenez Zaldivar the entire comic book absolutely finds its footing before it reaches a shocking cliffhanger.

Grimm Fairy Tales presents Oz: Age of Darkness One-Shot is not what I expected and trust me that’s a good thing. This outing reminds all of us how expendable everyone can be and that right there easily earns a recommendation from me.

OUR RATING
8.5
  • + See the Dark Queen increase her power base.
  • + The illustrations perfectly suit the wondrous land of Oz.
  • + Carries a script full of moments that are downright chilling.
  • - Contains potential spoilers for the current Warlord mini-series...

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