Nottingham #1
Mad Cave
Written by David Hazan
Art by Shane Connery Volk
Colors by Luca Romano
Letters by Joamette Gil
A series of grisly murders in the area around Sherwood Forest brings in Sheriff Blackthorne to investigate. While the murders look like they are attributed to Hood and his Merry Men, Blackthorne sees that there is something different about this latest murder. Something personal that will take him from Sherwood Forest to Nottingham castle to speak to Lady Marian. After a contentious back and forth with the lady, Blackthorne is given a clue to the identity of the culprit and he and his men fight to root out the villain.
When the killer reveals himself, he is taken by the Sheriff who wants answers. Answers that will be dangerous to the Merry Men. Answers that will require the killer to be silenced before he can talk.
Hazan has crafted a dark, brutal take on the Robin Hood mythology in this first issue. While the story elements remain the same, the issue takes them to some dark, gritty places in how it portrays the characters, especially Marian. There is an interesting depth to the characters that I found refreshing and the plot itself is well done. What is equally refreshing is how there are no heroes in this story. Every character has a darkness either under the surface or plain as day. It’s difficult to connect with any one character in the story, but that doesn’t take away from the more interesting developments in the plot.
Shane Connery Volk perfectly complements the dark, gritty elements of the story with the art. The art is brilliantly stylized, full of action and brutal in its depictions of violence.