Grimm Fairy Tales 2019 Holiday Special published by Zenescope

Written by Dave Franchini

Artwork by Hakan Aydin

Color by Grostieth

This book is 4 horrifying stories 3 of which happen in the middle of the main story. It is very reminiscent of series like the creep show or even tales from the crypt. It’s Christmas themed which seems to make it even creepier.

Each tales is a tale of vengeance and revenge which can be very satisfying, but ultimately predictable. A couple of these scary stories even have a don’t do drugs type of message. If you are into horror, vengeance and seeing stupid teenagers be subjected to horrifying events due to their misgivings and mistreatment of others, then this book will be right up your alley.

If you are looking for a story that moves through a greater narrative, then you may want to pass. This book contains horror and mayhem for horror and mayhem sake. There is no overarching story which adds charm if you are looking for a quick, scary and horrifying book.

The art is colorful and detailed. I’m not sure if I agree with all the demons having five mouths on their chest, but it sure looks frightening. You can easily understand the gory actions and circumstances in this book. With that said it is not overly gory and does a good job of letting your imagination fill in the blanks. There are a couple of panels where there are some odd body positions, but nothing to jarring.

Overall, I would give this book 7 capes out of 10. The stories have good twist, but ultimately predictable. The art fits the horrifying subject matter, but there are some choices that don’t quite jive with me. It does do a job of telling creepy stories if revenge and punishing the wicked. I’m not sure what that has to do with the Christmas holiday, but perhaps that is the point.