"Fairy Quest: Outcasts" (2 of 2)

Second installment from the first issue—a twist on the original Little Red Riding Hood story!

This is the last installment of Fairy Quest making it the first comic book series completed and reviewed here on KCU Network. Despite the minor short-comings we talked about in the first issue, this second issue finally explained the goal behind Red's and Mister Woof's journey. Starting off from the cave from whence they left off, readers are imemediately introduced to a few new characters while learning about the cave itself.

The map maker introduced himself to the duo: Andersen, who kindly gave some sound advice for our duo wanting to venture into Realworld to escape the Think Police. Because getting away from Mr. Grimm and his crew is the obvious goal, we then learn of the statues inside and who they are: They were real people who used to be alive living out their stories but never recalling them. It's a bit startling to know that some time, or some day, one will get stuck with the fantasies of their own stories despite people not being able to hear them nor the storyteller themselves not remembering them. Anyway, that entire scene taught both Red and Mister Woof a lesson: Live in the moment and don't get stuck in another fictional story (that what it seems to come off as). After that long scene, which included an introduction of Mouse and the Clockmaker, Andersen went on to show the map and its paths that Red and Mister Woof must follow in order to reach their destination.

Meanwhile, Mr. Grimm and his army were ready to brute force their way into the caves trying to surpass the Troll. Pushing and pushing into wanting to stop Red and Mister Woof on their tracks, Andersen stops by and has an exchange with Mr. Grimm. Andersen remained realistic: The duo are off to do whatever it is they want and not to succumb to the way Mr. Grimm himself wants to. Sounded like a strong and honest message regardless of the negative word-of-mouth he received from Grimm.

"I know exactly what I've done. I've given them a chance to decide what's best for themselves.

A chance to follow their own path. Not just the one you decide is right for them."
— Andersen, Map Maker

Red and Mister Woof followed Andersen's advice and continued on their journey with the map they received. While there were some dramatic parts during their journey, things got a little suspenseful. Some ups and downs happened as our heroes both strolled through but eventually were able to continue on. There were some things and people that stopped the duo on their tracks but recalled what Andersen told them about such encounters and went on with their business. As things settled, they both reached their destination...in the most abrupt ending ever read.

This second and last issue turned out better in comparison to the first one. We now had a better understanding of what Red and Mister Woof's goal was in regards to being chased by Mr. Grimm. The thought-provoking part was about the cave statues in contrast with telling stories or forgetting about them. This wasn't just another scene but had a deeper meaning behind it: Live in the moment but never forget the stories/memories you want to tell. That sounds debatable, but honestly, we find that to be a great underlying message. The story itself did present some intense moments though it was more dialogue based; The first issue presented more action compared to this one. Other than that, this is a great supplement to the first issue. The illustrations and dialogue were good, though despite the long talking scene with the map maker, it was able to explain the entire situation in the goings-on overall in Fablewood.

Due to the abrupt ending, we wanted more! We now feel this story has potential to expand and continue on—the fate of Mr. Grimm, where Red and Mister Woof would end up after continuing their journey, the statues in the caves coming to life and much more. We'll go as far as to say that this comic series is a great story to produce an animated film! We think it'd be perfect for kids and young teenagers while enjoying a fun and simple story. Nevertheless, this second issue in the series was a great read and summed up the entire scenario nicely.

We may have favored this issue better than the previous, but makes a great supplement to the first. In terms of the story itself, all those doubts we had from the first issue were cleared with this one, and at this point, we were hoping for more as the story would be great to expand more on. It was fun reading this mini series and had a great time reading it; Something different that isn't in relation to the usual superhero genre. We think kids will enjoy this.

Highly recommended!

Kris Caballero

Founder of KCU Network and KCU Plus, Kris has been writing since he managed a personal blog made back in late 2005. Officially back to doing computer programming (software development) and video production, Kris enjoys reading books on Mathematics, Quantum Computing, Philosophy, playing old video/DOS games, digital video archiving, and listening to sports, public radio and classical music.

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