Review: Grimm Tales of Terror V2 #7
“Oh no, I forgot he put it in there.” – Alexandra.
This issue begins with the protagonist, Carmine, talking on the phone to his girlfriend, or she may be his wife, it’s never quite clear. He’s about to be released from prison. From this we know that he did something prison worthy in his past, though we’re never told why he’s in prison. It’s a brilliant set up as it makes the reader suspicious of the character from the get go. In the letter he tells his woman (Alexandra) that his cell mate is teaching him Buddhist meditation techniques, but in the very next frame we see him about to clobber another inmate over the head. He’s definitely got violent tendencies.
Pat Shand and Ralph Tedesco are having their usual twisted fun with a different take on the old urban legend The Brief Case. They also borrow heavily from the old Alfred Hitchcock Presents episode Revenge. Shand and Tedesco bring us slowly into the world of Carmine and Alexandra, in fact one might think they’re reading an old True Romance issue from the sappy sentimental panels where the two love birds finally hook up after his release from prison.
Things appear to be going smooth for Carmine as he makes a phone call and gets his old job back. He’s paid his debt to society and society seems to be welcoming him back into it’s non-judgmental fold. Carmine is helping Alexandra get the groceries from the car when he comes across…The Brief Case! An argument ensues and Carmine accuses his woman of cheating. He angrily opens the brief case to reveal…Well, I’m not going to give that away. Suffice to say that these aren’t items associated with the contents of a brief case.
Mario Del Pennino has as much fun rendering the characters as Shand and Tedesco have writing them. His expert drawings are a perfect compliment to the story. Pennino’s art brings us to Prison and then transitions us to Middle class suburban America. It’s almost scary to see how easily Carmine can go from the reformatory environment to a completely opposite one. He brings a bi-polar mentality to Carmine that makes him one minute friendly and out going and the next ill-tempered and furious.
Another great story from this creative team. A must read for any horror anthology fan. Carmine’s unpredictable behavior keeps us guessing and the story never goes where the reader thinks it’s going to go. Who’s guilty? who’s innocent? Is anyone completely innocent? ***1/2
Grimm Tales Of Terror V2 #7
Writer: Ralph Tedesco, Joe Brusha, Pat Shand
Artists: Mario Del Pennino
Coverartists: Antonio Bifulco, Maria Laura Sanapo, Eric J
Publisher: Zenescope Entertainment
Release Date: February 4, 2015
Cover Price: $3.99