1001 Arabian Nights: The Adventures of Sinbad #1 (Zenescope – Wickline / Brusha / Tedesco / Pantalena / Ruffino)
From the company that brought you smash indie hits Grimm Fairy Tales and Return To Wonderland, comes an exciting new fantasy/adventure series you absolutely don’t want to miss. The fantastic tales of 1001 Arabian Nights have entertained and enchanted readers for hundreds of years. Now Zenescope brings you a bold and edgy reinterpretation of a classic hero. After being falsely accused of murder Sinbad must set out to find the one artifact that can ultimately clear his name. But his journey to a bizarre, volcanic island in search of the first piece of the mysterious relic is interrupted when he comes face to face with the beautiful but dangerous witch Queen Alorana who has other plans in mind for Sinbad and his crew.
Ever since watching Underdog as a wee little tyke (and some may argue I was never “wee little”), I have been a fan of the “fractured fairy tale” idea, and that is why I have been a huge fan of Zenescope books. They have proven over and over again that they can take the tradition children’s story, flop it on it’s side, twist it hard, give it a whole “outer limits” make-over and still make it incredibly entertaining. Well, Zenescope has a whole new animal with Sinbad.
1001 Arabian Nights is different from their other books because it is not a fractured fairy tale, but rather a new look at this adventure hero / literary icon. At the heart of this book, it’s an adventure story in it’s purist form. Sinbad and his crew are fantasy archetypes, all fulfilling their role as they search for magical items that will help Sinbad clear his name… classic story! And not only do the authors have all the right pieces, but they put them together well. The action and pulp dialog in this book is what people wanted out of the new Indiana Jones movie (and did not get). On top a fun compelling plot, you have the Zenescope artists working at their high standard. Fantastic! Even if you can’t get into the melodrama at the high seas, you cannot say that this is not a beautiful book…. landscapes, splash pages and dramatic poses, oh my!
WIth 1001 Arabian Nights, Zenescope shows they are way more than one-trick company… who knows, maybe we will see superhero comics from them one day, I know those would rock too!
Issue Grade: A
