Zenescope’s modernized re-imagining of the age-old tale has arrived! You know the mermaid who dreamed of being human, but what happened after? After escaping the clutches of the Sea Witch, Erica finds herself captive to a far worse entity. Even if she embraces the dark power the Sea Witch bestowed upon her, it still may not be enough to grant her freedom. She needs both her parents to help her escape. But with the city of Atlantis at stake, the sacrifice might be too great.
Married to international, best-selling comic artist David Finch and mother to three boys, Meredith has been steeped in the world of comics since meeting Finch in November 2005.
Having written for both Zenescope and DC Comics, Meredith begins her first foray into creator-owned comics in 2017. Titled ROSE, this fantasy series combines her love of mythology with modern issues, and is sure to be a hit with her many fans.
Wait what? The Little Mermaid is by Hans Christian Andersen. It's not a classic folk tale as collected by the brothers Grimm! I see no ackn. of Andersen, and the blurb & reviews imply that this is a bad adaptation of the Disney movie, which was a bad adaptation of Andersen's heartwrencher. Read the original, people!
The story was too fast paced, the characters were flat, their back story was hastily dealt with and one of the plot points remained unresolved. Overall the graphic was magnificent and the story as a whole was good, also thanks to the gender bender and the blending of two sea creatures such as mermaid and siren which characterises the protagonist. While playing a back and forth game between the beginning of the story and 20 years later, this "modernized re-imagining" of a classic fairy tale presents different topics: love, rivalry, disputes, lost lovers, lost children, death of a parent, becoming king, becoming queen, genetic experiments, creating armies, murder, war, finding long lost loved ones, reunion, not easily accepting one's true identity, self discovery etc.. What it doesn't do is: - fit in the adoptive parents of the protagonist after the protagonist is freed from her imprisonment and made fully aware of her true identity; - make believable the instant acceptance that the protagonist displays towards her dying natural father immediately after meeting him; - explain how the hell does the protagonist's human mother breathe under water, in the Atlantis ocean-palace without an air bubble around her head/body after the Sea Witch leaved and her air bubble charm dissolves (Was there magic in the pearl necklace given to her by her lover the, merman king, after the Sea Witch left? If I remember well that was just a gift he meant to give her after their daughter would be born, 20 years prior to this moment when they are reunited, so that's not it either?); - explain the true intentions of the Sea Witch and the aftermath of the blessing she received making the ending of the story incomplete. Overall the story was cute for a fast (too fast) read, if one doesn't look too much in the detail.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
I think I'll rate this 2.5 stars. The story was alright, just...too fast. Seriously, we didn't really get a chance to get to know the characters, and I found it strange how quickly Erica accepted Issoro as her father. Like, a random man she's never seen before calls Erica by her name, and she says "Daddy!" And then he dies like two seconds later. At least the ending seemed slightly realistic--Erica doesn't automatically feel comfortable being queen, and is not willing to give up her freedom. Which, of course, makes sense.
On a side not, shouldn't Erica be a bit concerned about her adoptive parents? Like, you know, the people who raised her!!Shouldn't she want to be reunited with them, too? I think I would want that.
All in all, this story would have been better if it had been longer--if we had had more time to learn about the characters and see their pasts. Great artwork, though.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
I guess I have to rate this on two separate components.
The story itself was quick and entertaining, but hardly anything about it was impressive or impressionable. The ending was bad and the characters were flat. I would of liked this comic to be longer so nothing is left open ended as it was.
On a positive note, the artwork is beautiful which is why I even continued reading.
Une réécriture de la petite sirène moderne, mouvementer et cruelle. J'ai adoré les dessins, la colorisation est sublime ! Le scénario est un peu rapide mais efficace.
Le titre de cet ouvrage fait penser au célèbre conte, ou même à son adaptation par Disney. Mais ne vous attendez pas à une adaptation fidèle au texte d'origine, parce qu'ici, vous aurez plutôt une inspiration de ce récit.
On commence par découvrir une femme se trouvant sur un grand paquebot, qui cherche à faire affaire. Seulement, elle va vite déchanter, car le bateau va sombrer dans un naufrage. On assiste alors au sauvetage de cette femme par un homme sirène, nous rappelant la scène, mais en inversé, du sauvetage que l'on a dans le conte. A partir de là, épisodes du passé et du présent vont se succéder, afin de comprendre l'origine de la situation que nous découvrons, mais aussi la situation actuelle, où une autre femme, une hybride, est enfermée pour subir de sombres expérimentations.
L'histoire est vraiment intéressante, puisque l'autrice a choisi de s'approprier le conte à sa manière et d'une toute autre façon. On découvre ainsi une nouvelle histoire, que nous ne connaissons pas. En effet, dans cette intrigue, on a l'apparition de scientifiques qui modernisent le conte original. Il est entraînant de suivre l'histoire de cette jeune sirène, qui ne connaît que peu de choses sur le monde marin, et qui cherche à survivre et à échapper à ce qu'on lui fait subir. En même temps, on suit d'autres personnages, notamment dans le passé pour nous permettre de comprendre les origines de la situation de la jeune femme emprisonnée, qui sont liés à leur plus grand malheur à la sombre Sorcière des mers.
Tout cela nous est narré avec de sublimes illustrations, qui nous transportent à chaque instant, que ce soit dans le milieu terrestre ou sous-marin. Elles sont pleines de lumière, mais aussi sombres quand il faut, afin de chaque fois s'adapter à l'ambiance du récit. C'est typiquement le genre d'illustrations que j'adore, qui nous font rêver et nous immerger au mieux dans l'univers dans lequel nous voyageons. Les détails sont présents, et certains cases sont extrêmement travaillées et ont du nécessiter de nombreuses heures de travail tant elles comportent de petits détails.
Les personnages sont attachants, on prend plaisir à en apprendre plus sur leur histoire, sur ce qui va leur arriver. Nous voulons qu'ils s'en sortent, qu'ils arrivent à traverser les épreuves qui se mettent en travers de leur chemin. J'ai particulièrement aimé l'innocence et l'envie de liberté de la sirène Erica, mais aussi l'aura et la prestance de la Sorcière des mers. Malgré que ce soit un personnage dans le camp des "méchants", j'ai vraiment apprécié ce personnage, son apparence, ainsi que ce qu'elle dégageait rien que par sa présence. Et sa personnalité manipulatrice en ajoute encore dans ce personnage, qui malgré qu'elle ne fasse pas partie du "bon" camp, nous donne envie de la suivre et de l'avoir dans l'intrigue.
Dans l'ouvrage, on a aussi droit à différents bonus, pour en savoir plus sur l'univers créé. On a alors une interview de l'autrice, de l'illustrateur ainsi que du coloriste à propos de leur travail, mais aussi des croquis et de certaines planches, ou encore les différents couvertures qu'on eut les comics lorsqu'ils sont sortis en version originale (en effet, tout d'abord, les comics aux Etats-Unis sortent rarement en album comme chez nous, mais plutôt en petits livres d'une vingtaine de pages qui sortent régulièrement. De ce fait, il y a plus de couvertures puisqu'il y a plus de comics mais avec moins de pages).
A la fin de l'histoire de cet album, qui constitue un premier tome, on a alors envie de savoir ce que fera Erica du fait de la situation dans laquelle elle se retrouve dans les dernières pages, d'en savoir plus sur ses capacités, mais aussi de savoir ce que la Sorcière des mers trame à l'encontre du royaume des sirènes.
Pour conclure, je dirais que ce fut une bonne découverte, j'ai aimé découvrir sous une nouvelle forme le conte de la petite sirène. L'histoire est entraînante, et met en scène des personnages, bons comme mauvais, que nous apprécions suivre, et ce grâce à de superbes illustrations qui nous plonge encore plus dans cet univers. J'ai hâte de pouvoir lire la suite de ce tome, ainsi que les autres ouvrages faisant partie de la collection Grimm Fairy Tales de l'éditeur américain, qui n'ont pas encore été traduit en français, mais dans laquelle on peut notamment retrouver Cendrillon ou Alice aux pays des merveilles.
Un joli roman graphique porté par une colorisation et des dessins extrêmement recherchés et détaillés : un vrai régal pour les yeux ! Le papier utilisé rend vraiment bien les couleurs et la qualité des illustrations (oui, je sais c'est très rare que je commente le papier mais le livre est vraiment un très bel objet). Le scénario peut perdre au début car il y a beaucoup de références au passé donc il faut être concentrée pour comprendre. Cependant, l'histoire se met en place facilement et on suit avec plaisir les déboires d'Erica tout comme l'histoire de sa conception. La sorcière des mers est réellement impressionnante et s'impose comme une personnage très fort dans la narration. Sa tentacule est partout et les personnages sont ses jouets. Les humains, totalement déshumanisés dans cette version poussent jusqu'au bout la recherche génétique et j'aime beaucoup la manière dont ils considèrent Erica même si cette dernière finit par s'imposer. La réécriture de l'histoire est inventive et intéressante
Ce que j'aime : les dessins, les couleurs, le scénario inventif, les suppléments avec les magnifiques planches réalisées pour la couverture, un plaisir de voir les différentes versions
Ce que j'aime moins : le scénario compliqué au début avec les retours dans le passé
En bref : Une très beau roman graphique, servi par des dessins et une colorisation à la hauteur !
I read this years ago as individual issues, but it turns out I remembered very little of it. That's because it's kinda generic. Erica, the GFT version of the Little Mermaid, has been kidnapped by an mad scientist who wants to use her DNA to grow gill-man soldiers (Why? We don't know). He also want to kill Erica personally and painfully when he no longer needs her (Why? We don't know). Meanwhile, Erica's birth parents, the King of Atlantis and some land dweller, are finally getting close to finding her after searching for 19 years -- mainly because the Sea Witch is helping them now (Why? We don't really know yet, but that's because they are saving the Sea Witch's true plan for a future volume, not because they are half-assing it like they did with the mad scientist). In the end, the bad guy is defeated but not without a heavy price, and the Sea Witch may have set most of it up. The End but also To Be Continued...
The Little Mermaid is one of my favorite stories. It has been remained one of my favorite Disney films - well into adulthood. The beautiful thing about that story is that it can literally be molded into pretty much anything. I was very hesitant to read Meredith Finch's take on this iconic story because I was ultimately underwhelmed with her Wonder Woman a few years ago. While there isn't anything inherently groundbreaking about the story Finch tells here, it is an interesting take on the character. Much more rooted in our reality but ultimately ends up feeling kind of like an Aquaman story. I wish the relationships within it would have been a little more fleshed out and a little deeper.
This is a more modern take on the Little Mermaid story. I think part of this story was told in other books, so unfortunately I felt like I came in during the middle which did hurt the book somewhat. Plus the story, while not bad, wasn't anything out of the ordinary either. The art was very good, including some of the sexy art the Grimm Fairy Tales series is known for. Overall not bad, and if you're into the Little Mermaid and/or Grimm Fairy Tales comics this is worth a read.
I like that this unique take on the Little Mermaid story is different. However, the ideas are not fully realized. It needs alot more story development.
The story feels a bit disjointed with all the flashbacks and is an easily forgettable read with nice art work. A good book to check out from your local library when looking for something different, but easy to read.
Interesting take on the Little Mermaid tale. This one is the grown-up version and I wouldn't recommend it for younger readers due to the illustrations. The illustrations were very detailed and colorful, but adult in nature. Overall, I enjoyed this reimagining of a child's classic and look forward to reading more from this series of graphic novels.
Nothing spectacular, but definitely an enjoyable book for a few sunny afternoons, and the art was great. The backstory featured a gender-bent version of "The Little Mermaid" and included some nice beefcake :P
I absolutely loved this retelling! The characters were well-written; and the darker nature still stayed true to the original story (Hans Christian Andersen, not the Disney version which was far lighter).
Encore une adaptation de mon conte préféré. Des visuels vraiment réussis, quant à l'histoire, elle est un peu en deçà de ce que j'attendais, mais reste intéressante.
Lo primero que me saltó a la vista es que La sirenita es de Hans Christian Andersen y no de los hermanos Grimm. Y, pues... es lo más interesante, porque todo lo demás es un gran cero.
I was checking out Meredith Finch's other works as I quite liked what she has done with the Wonder Women new 52 run. The Little Mermaid title jumped out at me as I loved mermaids and Disney's Ariel was my favourite princess. I looked at reviews before reading this and many were negative.
Zenescope's brand generally seems to be more male-gazey type of art. It is definitely the case here as well. I wasn't a fan of that but the story was intriguing. I gathered that many reviewers did not like that this plot happens after the Little Mermaid story. The only similar things to the original is the Sea Witch and I liked what the artist did with her in terms of concept and personality.
The gender bender was pretty unique too. This really is a modern day retelling as well.
The writer does an interesting thing to make Erica not just a beautiful mermaid but being able to transform into a monstrous siren.
The theme on the beauty of mermaids and the idea that females need to be beautiful was a nice message. It also challenges the myth as most "sightings" in the past have been from males. Erica basically saves herself in this story!
I was confused with how abrupt the story ends and why it isn't revealed what the Sea Witch does with the King of Atlantis's blessing. There were a few plot points that just weren't explained too and the time jumps might cause the reader to not understand what is going on.
I was trying to see if there is a continuation to the story but only found what I think is the actual retelling when Erica meets the Sea Witch. That is in Grim's Fairy Tales Myths and Legends Vol 2.
I read this in ebook form and I would prefer to read it in a physical copy because it can be tough to see the overall page and the wording can be quite small.
You would enjoy this if you love a mermaid story but if you are expecting a retelling of the original story than be prepared!
Reread 30 April 2024
I think this is quite a different take on the classic.
I absolutely loved this graphic novel! It was positively refreshing! It was fortunately unlike the ridiculous comics you find currently full of equality, feminism, homosexuality and other libtard crap. There was no SJW agenda here! Thank the stars! If there had been I would’ve returned this comic directly. The characters were homogenous with beautifully chiseled, handsome Aryan features. Their bodies possessed that perfectly attractive muscular bulk. It was great fun admiring the graphics! If some find my review offensive, so be it. We are entitled to our values and visions of beauty. I am not alone. I will never be brainwashed by the toxic, anti-life system.
The creators of this comic did an excellent job! I only found the beginning to be a bit confusing however I caught on quickly and enjoyed the entirety immensely. I’m elated I own a copy! The only other merfolk comic I have found to be handsomely created is Elf~Fin Hyfus & Tilaweed. However their illustrator is a homosexual and so he included sodomite mermen in the illustrations. Very disappointing. :( The Disney Little Mermaid comics are also beautifully illustrated and worth collecting! I found a website awhile back which had full view uploads of each edition.
For me, the best thing about this book was the fact that the main character didn't need to be rescued. Erica saved herself, 100% BY herself. In fact, she turned down (and literally knocked out!) another character who was offering to help her escape, and instead trusted in her own strength and cleverness to get away. And a second time, her father comes to save her with his whole army in tow...and in the end, she ends up saving the army. It's a shame that her father dies in the battle--that felt pretty cliché, like the writer just wanted to get him out of the way and make Erica queen of Atlantis, so the parallel of 'being just as trapped as before' could be drawn. It would've been nice (and more surprising, really) to have a slightly happier ending, with the main character getting to be free, and having time to get to know her parents.
Bekah Rating: four stars, for having an ass-kicking female lead who doesn't need ANY supporting characters, male or female, to save herself.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
It is a very good comic, the story is much more interesting than the original story and it is more modernized, but it failed to talk about Erica's childhood and adolescence, the sea witch does not reveal her true intentions, Erica does not experience love with any human or merman and tells the story after he inherits the throne. Although the story of Elizabeth and Issoro was precious and I would have liked to see Issoro raise Erica as his successor. And above all, it was necessary to speak more about the city of Atlantis. Overall it was a good story but details are lacking and I could go on.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
I liked this one, but the storyline was a bit confusing. The art was amazing, but then I don't think I've ever disliked the art in a Zenescope comic before. I'd recommend this for fans of the Grimm Fairy Tales stories and just fans of Zenescope in general. However, I don't think this is a good place to start if you're looking to get into Zenescope comics (for that, I'd recommend going with the actual Grimm Fairy Tales line).
Otra manera de leer los cuentos de nuestra infancia, aunque con personajes diferentes e igual que la trama.
¡PERO ME ENCANTAN LAS SIRENAS, JODER!
No creo que me lo haya leído completo, mejor dicho, no creo que lo que yo tenga este completo, pero conté las paginas concuerda con el num de me indica goodreads.
Such gorgeous art! Cute story about searching and being reunited with her father. The Sea Witch was my favorite. The Ending seemed a bit rushed because so much happened, but I hope they make a second storyline to this series.