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Briar Rose and Spider plan their escape from prison with the help of…a flock of cranes? Meanwhile Roop finds the right time to strike at his captors as well and search for Captain Bly. It finally seems like things are going their way, until Grendrid loses her patience and attempts to personally end their journey!
- Written by Christopher Cantwell
- Illustrated by Alex Lins
- Colors by Louis NCT & Mar Silvestre
- Letters by AndWorld Design
- Designer Madison Goyette
- Editor Allyson Gronowitz
- Publisher BOOM! Studios
Escape From Crane Island!
Briar Rose and Spider find themselves in dire straights and in chains at the Crane Island Prison. Just when it seems that their journey may be over, the cranes begin speaking to them. What unravels is a wild escape plan!
Elsewhere, Roop is trapped in an abusive home with his magic sealed away. Captain Bly is buried but still able to communicate with him. Once Roop gets fed up with his situation, he makes a break for it and finds Captain Bly’s grave.
Once everyone is free and in a way reunited, their off to fight Grendrid! She hasn’t made it easy for them thus far, and now she’s ramping up her attack by hitting them directly! But even with every obstacle, this party of friends and compatriots find themselves closer than ever with an unbreakable bond and a resilient spirit!
The Writing of Briar
Christopher Cantwell paces this issue extremely well. As we move back and forth from Crane Island to Thack Farm to follow our main characters, there’s never a lull in action, nor a loss of engagement. It moves like a well oiled machine.
We’ve been with these characters for 8 issues now and I still find myself intrigued by them. We learn some new detail about them, or see them make a leap in terms of development and it adds a new piece to their puzzle. I know there’s still more to discover, but never once does it feel like a slow burn.
Where did this new arc begin for Briar?
Cantwell does an excellent job of using the cranes in this issue to move the plot along and provide a bit of comedic relief. I definitely chuckled out loud a couple of times as they interact with the guards during the prison escape! The dialogue between each of them is so light and fun. They have a great gag about a “hidden jetty and dinghy” that took me back to Abbot and Costello’s “Who’s on First” skit.
Art and Color in the World of Briar
Alex Lin provides us with art that emphasis the characters current situations. Briar and Spider a noticeably weak and physically distraught from their time in the prison. The cranes are beautifully drawn and really steal the panels they are in. The action is dynamic and moves the story along in a great way.
Colors are phenomenal in this book. Luis NCT and Mar Silvestre use blue and orange heavily in this issue. Those colors go so well together, mimicking the way this party of adventurers meld so well together. Stand out pages include Roop setting his captors beard ablaze and Gendrid’s attack on the escaping ship at sea. The emotional roller coaster in the last act is handled so well with the appropriate color palettes.
Everything Points to 8.5/10
Briar has been a mainstay for my pull list since the beginning. Sleeping Beauty is a story that never really took off outside of Disney, but Briar is an excellent “What if?” version of the tale. It does seem to be taking them an awful long time to get to the focus of the journey, Grendrid, but I have enjoyed the story along the way. There were some emotional moments in this issue that felt earned and the cranes provided a delightfully fun plot device. All in all not a bad chapter to the story!
