- Title: Briar #1
- Comic Vine: link
- Writer: Christopher Cantwell
- Artist: German Garcia
The first issue of Briar feels like something inspired by Fables or Once Upon a Time, however things take a decidedly dark turn. The idea is simple, what if Sleeping Beauty never woke up? Prince Charming married the sleeping princess for control of the kingdom and decades (centuries?) later the princess was awoken by a thief stealing whatever was left in the shambles of the castle.
There’s some dark humor in the comic’s early narration, but that fades away with zombie princess stumbling through the woods. Eventually her humanity returns only to see her captured by slavers. This is decidedly not a Disney story. While an interesting idea, the zombie disappears too soon as does the wit at the beginning of the tale as the comic fails to sell me on this version of Briar Rose or the setting she finds herself in.
[BOOM! Studios, $4.99]