Written by David Hazan
Art Shane Connery Volk
Published by Mad Cave Studios
As a youngster, one of my favorite books was the story of Robin Hood.
Robin Hood, of course, lived in Sherwood Forest with a band of “Merry Men” that included Friar Tuck, Alan A’ Dale, and big ol’ Little John. He was loyal to his King, Richard the Lionhearted, and in love with Maid Marian. He and his men were constant thorns in the side of the corrupt Prince John and his enforcer, the Sheriff of Nottingham.
In recent years, I’ve been collecting Robin Hood movies (not the Kevin Costner one, though). Did you know there’s a real movie called Robin Hood: Arrows, Beans, and Karate?
But I digress. Today, I’ve just finished reading the 550-page Nottingham Omnibus from Mad Cave and I have to say, this is NOT, in any way, the traditional Robin Hood!
In fact, right out of the gate, what it reminded me most of was the controversial 2000AD strip Nemesis the Warlock, by Pat Mills and Kevin O’Neill. Nottingham, though, is written by David Hazen, with art by Shane Connery Volk.
Initially, I was undecided as to whether the artist’s inconsistent depictions of the various characters’ anatomies was a stylistic choice or if he’s just not very good with anatomy.
That reminds me of artist Kevin O’Neill, as well, with his purposely, sometimes insanely, exaggerated anatomy. As the story grabs you, you come to just accept its oddly drawn characters. Don’t get me wrong. Overall, the art here is quite good, at times amazing, with a number of impressive tableaus of crowds, war, tournaments, and castles.
The story is, for the most part but not entirely, the classic Robin Hood legend turned on its head, with the canny Sheriff of Nottingham (drawn in a way that reminds me of a taller Al Pacino as Shakespeare’s Richard III) essentially the war-weary hero, whilst Robin and his Merry Men are murderous anarchists. It’s all perspective.
Well, it’s not ALL just perspective. There are some major changes, too, not the least of which is the badass portrayal of the desperate Maid Marian. The entire story takes on epic proportions as we are introduced to characters with familiar names in not-so-familiar roles.
But at the heart of it all is the Sheriff, one Everard Blackthorne, the tragic but determined figure, so well thought out that we empathize and sympathize with him early on, and so relentless that we’re never sure, in this clearly perverted version of the beloved legends of Sherwood Forest, how he will turn out. A violent man in a violent time, caught between his duties, public opinion, and the politics of the day, he struggles on to fulfill what he sees as what’s right.
The main story plays out over 374 dark, gory, well-paced pages, with the remainder of the book collecting various one-off stories and mini-series peripheral to it. In fact, it gets a bit confusing in the actual story when characters show up that it feels like we should know… only they were from the mini-series, apparently originally published concurrently.
As enjoyably an alternate history as it all is, I had to laugh when we get to what is arguably the single most important scene in the plot (SPOILER!), when the Sheriff discovers the true identity of Hood, leader of the anarchist Merry Men. At the moment of recognition, he calls out his name… only it’s mis-spelled!! “Locklsey?!” he yells.
All of the additional stories at the end are of varying quality in both writing and art. While they do provide background that adds more depth to the main story—such as a twisted version of how Robin first met Little John—they aren’t 100 percent necessary overall. The main story of Nottingham is very readable, and has a beginning, a middle, and an oddly satisfying ending.
Booksteve recommends.
