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REVIEW: Nottingham #1
Book Title: Nottingham #1
Book Description: We’re all familiar with the tale of Robin Hood and his Merry Men. They robbed from the rich and gave to the poor while King Richard was fighting in the Crusades.
Nottingham retells this story with a slightly different take on things. Robin Hood and his Merry Men are far more brutal in this version. They don’t simply steal from tax collectors and give the money back to the poor. They kill the tax collectors. They have been so efficient that by the end of the first issue Nottingham has no tax collectors left.
When they’re not making life difficult for the greedy, immoral, and corrupt, the Merry Men live their lives as ordinary citizens in Nottingham. Sheriff Blackthorne has the dubious task of probing the town on a fact-finding mission.
He will get answers. The only question that remains is who will he get the information from? Will it be Maiden Marian, who has a legacy built on a house of cards after her father’s attempted assassination of Prince John?
Will Scarlet could be a great source of information, especially since he went on a murderous spree not too long ago. Sheriff Blackthorne already has Scarlet in for questioning. Will Robin Hood and his Merry Men be able to stop the flow of information in time?
Book Author: David Hazan
Book Format: Paperback
Publisher - Orgnization: Mad Cave Studios
Publisher Logo:
Illustrator: Shane Connery Volk
- Story(4.3)
- Interior Art(3.8)
- Cover Art(4.1)
- Dialogue(4)
- Mechanics(4.3)
- Editing(3.9)
Summary
There have been many Robin Hood stories over the years. Some have been better than others. It has been quite some time since we’ve had one that clearly separates itself from the pack. “Nottingham” does just that.
While it’s far and away from the darkest version of the story I have come across, it’s also one of the best. I loved how much more depth we got about Maid Marian and other characters. We get to see what life was like in the 12th century in a way that puts your boots on the ground in Nottingham.
I was very fond of this cover. The way Robin’s mask is depicted reminds me of a Guy Fawkes mask, even though he won’t be around for another four hundred years. It’s very intriguing and made me add the book to my stack at the local comic book store.
I was very impressed with the interior artwork. The nuances that separate good from great are prevalent here. It wasn’t anything big that caught my attention. It was little things like coloring the mud in a manner that makes one think that if they step in it they’re losing a boot. It goes a long way in creating a feel for the story.
The thing that truly surprised me is that the book I picked up is the fifth printing of this issue. Don’t get me wrong. It’s a great story and it’s definitely worthy of that many trips back to the printers. What shocked me is how something this good seemed to stay under the radar.
This geek on a budget is here to say that won’t be the case for “Nottingham” going forward. I’m late to the party, but I assure you that I will be spending a lot of time in Nottingham!
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