It seems that in recent years, there have been a number of
different takes on the old Grimm Fairy Tale stories. On television, there is Once Upon a Time, where the fairy tale characters were brought into
the real world under a vicious curse by the evil queen. In books, there was the Sisters Grimm series
by Michael Buckley, in which two young girls are sent to live with their aunt
in a town filled with fairy tale characters – only to discover they are the
descendants of the original Brothers Grimm.
In the comic realm, DC Comics introduced readers to Fables, in which the characters of the fairy tale realms were
forced to migrate to the real world when threatened by an evil Ghepetto. Now, yet another spin on this concept has hit
the bookshelves in the form of an original graphic novel series – Fairy Godbrothers.
Writer Ken Kristensen and artist M.K. Parker introduce
readers to Sean and Marcus Redstone – brothers who have grown into polar
opposites over the years and must find a way to be civil long enough to sell
the family business their father started years ago before he died. But fate has
other plans, and in this first volume, “Tooken,” Sean and Marcus discover that
when their father told them about the magic that awaits them, he wasn’t
kidding. The two find themselves whisked through their family’s
hundreds-year-old grandfather clock into another realm where all of the fairy
tale characters are real, just not in the way they remember. These versions are
darker, meaner, and filled with much more sex and violence than imaginable. And
when Sean and Marcus inadvertently kill the king’s tax collector upon their
arrival, it sets off a chain of events that lead them down a path of adventure
and reconciliation.
<<<SPOILER ALERT AHEAD!!!!>>>
But the old adage is true – be careful what you wish
for! In Kristensen’s fairy tale world,
the magic in the fairy realm and that in the real world are connected, and when
Sean and Marcus not only meet the mother they never knew, but witness the
demise of a fairy godmother, they unwittingly create a butterfly effect that
changes things in the real world – for when they return to stop the sale of
their family ice cream business, they are shocked to learn their family
business no longer serves ice cream – but porn instead!?! Thus, the Redstone brothers prepare to head
back to the fairy realm to set things right…
Kristensen does provide a unique take on the fairy tale/real
world story; but, sadly, he seems to feel that vulgarity and perversion are a
necessary means to not only make the story more adult, but to keep it “dark”
and “gritty.” Unfortunately, I would
have to disagree. The underlying story
itself was really good, and the characterization (both of the brothers and of
the fairy tale characters) was defined enough that there was no need for the
massive amount of cursing and sexual remarks – they added nothing to the story.
Instead, they come across as a poor man’s way of making a story more “adult”
themed. Aside from that, I do like the
fact that neither of the Redstone brothers are truly likable in the beginning,
but they are both redeemable, and along the way, the reader slowly grows to
appreciate and understand why the brothers became what they did, making their
reconciliation all the more meaningful.
Perker’s art is somewhat rough, but it works well on the
black and white pages – I’m thankful they chose the B&W route instead of
color, as I think it keeps the hard-edged feel to the story, particularly when
the brothers enter the fairy realm.
This is not a series I would recommend to anyone under the
age of 16, and I hope that if a second volume is forthcoming, that the writer
will consider toning down the profanity and let his story speak for itself.
RATING: 7 bandages of
human hair out of 10 for spinning a new tale of the fairy tale / real world
connection – and giving a nod to Narnia with the old grandfather clock acting
as a wardrobe door.
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