Since I reviewed the Out of the Past graphic novel yesterday, I thought why not immediately follow it with the other graphic novel they did, Shadow of the Queen, released back in 2013 and featuring the return of the beloved character the Huntsman (Graham in Storybrooke)!
The story in this sort of acts like a sequel to Child of the Moon episode as Regina enlists the help of Anita's wolf pack (who are out for revenge on Red for killing her) and threatens them with silver arrows if they don't help her kill Snow, causing chaos wherever they go. This also connects with the Huntsman as he was her slave at the time and he ends up siding with Red and Snow as they all try to get to Lake Onondaga to stop Regina & turn the werewolves into wolves permanantly to make them easier to defeat, giving him his heart back in the process which he managed to swipe from Regina during a fight against the werewolves. However, it doesn't last long though as he ends up sacrificing his heart and freedom in order to spare the lives of the werewolves, Snow and Red, being forced to say goodbye to her once more as Regina tries to find another way to get her revenge on Snow and destroy her.
I just want to start off by saying that the illustrations in this graphic novel are amazing, managing to have a stylized yet realisitic look to them so that the characters can easily be distinguished resembling their live action actors, especially when it comes to Snow & Regina! Given that each chapter is illustrated by different people, I love how they manage to show off their own styles and interpretations, but they all still seam well together overall. Seeing characters return, in particular the Huntsman, was so so nice to see given that he hasn't been heard from in quite a while & he was a very popular character (too bad Jamie Dornan is too busy with Fifty Shades of Shit as I like to call. it...) along with Anita's wolf pack and giving one of the background characters, Adair, a bit more personality and a story of his own by knowing the Huntsman.
If I had a massive problem though, it's honestly the story itself! Sure, I'm happy they brought back characters like the Huntsman & Anita's wolf pack, but the plot feels like a quintessential season 2 flashback: it's pointless in the main story in the grand scheme of things, does nothing to forward it & they go back to square one in the end with the Huntsman's heart! It's just the same 'Regina trying to kill Snow plot' despite it being painfully obvious she's not going to! And the third chapter involving the characters briefly going to Atlantis came right out of nowhere with the tone feeling disjointed & honestly, it would've been better for them to explore it in the show itself. It doesn't really help that we learn nothing new about the characters like Snow, Red or Regina other than that Red & the Huntsman flirted for a bit and Adair and the Huntsman knowing each other!
Anyway, there is bonus material at the back which was pretty cool like concept art for the novel, character models, sketches, background art and concept art for each scene. There's more, including a wanted poster of Snow, Charming's love letter to Snow and Snow's letter to Regina which caused the Huntsman to spare her life. There are even character descriptions which give some insight to them for those just starting out with the show below some costume design sketches, which are also nice to see!
Despite the weak story, pointlessness and dark tone, the bonus material and look of the novel kind of make up for it! I wouldn't say that it's bad at all and it is worth looking at, especially for those who love the character of the Huntsman or the friendship between Snow and Red! Given that it was their first attempt at a graphic novel, it's a pretty good effort along with giving something for fans who missed the Huntsman (would be better if he returned to the show somehow, but too bad Jamie Dornan is now too busy being fawned over by the world for playing an arrogant douchebag)
Rating: *** 1/2
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