Fairy Quest #2 Review

Fairy Quest is only on its second issue and it's already one of the best all-ages titles on the market right now. Writer Paul Jenkins has crafted a story that's child-friendly without ever condescending to his target audience. Children are far more intelligent than they're often given credit for, and Jenkins displays a keen understanding of the kind of story that younger readers can get lost in without sacrificing the complexity of his narrative.

Jenkins' dastardly despot Grimm is the kind of villain fans of fairy tales deserve. Grimm embodies complex ideas in a way that doesn't alienate or patronize a younger audience. In the struggle between free will and tyrannically imposed order, Grimm stands for the extreme hardline austerity and slavish dedication to a harmful ideology that characterizes any good fictional fairy tale dictator.

Fairy Quest is not a book that pulls its punches: the longstanding enmity between Peter Pan and Captain Hook is introduced and then viciously twisted into something dark and terrifying, while Red's fearsome and loyal Wolf is given a tragic back story -- told expertly and wordlessly through Humberto Ramos' visual magic -- that will tug at the heartstrings of any reader, regardless of age. Ramos and colorist Leonardo Olea continue to serve up a buffet of devilishly detailed and richly vibrant images that bring Jenkins' story to life.

The moral of Fairy Quest #2's story is that friends may come in unlikely shapes and sizes and enemies might lurk behind the prettiest of faces. Jenkins drives home the fact that life is unfair, humans are cruel and capricious beings, and sometimes bad things happen to good people. Fairy Quest does what good fairy tales are supposed to do: it conveys hard truths about the world in a fantastical setting that emphasizes the simplicity of their message.

Melissa Grey isn't crazy. Her mother had her tested. She can be found on MyIGN at MelissaGrey or lurking on Twitter @meligrey.

Source : ign[dot]com