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Is It Good? Edward Scissorhands #1 Review

Comic Books

Is It Good? Edward Scissorhands #1 Review

Edward carved away at his ice sculpture and snow descended upon the small suburban village as the credits began to roll…

This was the last we saw of Edward Scissorhands and now, twenty four years later, the film is a cult classic, the character has an entire fandom, and Johnny Depp has made a career on playing bizarre characters. A few months ago, IDW announced that they would be publishing a five-part miniseries that continues the Tim Burton tale, an announcement that made grown men cry with joy. Now with Halloween just a week away, we’re given the first issue in the Scissorhands saga. So is it good?

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Edward Scissorhands #1 (IDW Publishing)


edward-scissorhands-1-cover

The movie ends with Kim Boggs (Winona Ryder) relating the tale of Edward to her granddaughter, Meg. The story picks up with Meg (now in high school) and Edward still living a reclusive life up in the castle. What Edward’s been up to for the past decade, we’re not sure, but the issue begins with the revelation that Kim has passed away and there’s a somber moment where Edward gazes as at a newspaper clipping from the obituaries about Kimberly Boggs.

It’s a moment that will surely make any reader a bit misty-eyed. Edward begins browsing through the Inventor’s book and spots a schematic for another creation left unfinished or abandoned. Edward conducts a search of the castle to find this creation in search of some desperately needed companionship.

The other half of the issue surrounds Meg who grew up with a childhood of tales about a mysterious man who lived up in the castle on top of the hill (which is just at the end of her grandmother’s old cult-de-sac. It isn’t that far away, I’m sure teenagers go up there and throw empty bottles and practice crappy graffiti, but I’m not about to argue with the logic of the story). These stories have developed a rift between Meg and her mother especially in the wake of her grandmother’s death. Meg’s mother attempts to convince her daughter that Edward was simply a murderer while her daughter argues his innocence and the validity of her grandmother’s bed time stories. It’s these discussions that persuade Meg to discover the the truth for herself and send her on a personal investigation.

ESH

The art in this issue completely encapsulates the whimsical and melancholy nature of the 90’s film. Having just watched the movie to prep for this review, it’s easy to recognize a number of Edward’s idiosyncrasies featured in the comic such as the pursing of the lips or the crossing of the arms. Drew Rausch has an appropriate style of art for the comic and he is able to create light-hearted panels that are still able to tug at our heart strings with nostalgia. I can’t imagine how much time was spent watching footage so as to reproduce the youthful essence you see in Edward’s actions and expressions, but it was executed nicely.

As for the writing, Kate Leth allows us plenty of opportunities for Edward to be…Edward. He’s the same person we saw over two decades ago and I suspect she’ll stay loyal to the empathetic nature of the character. As for Meg, I like how the plot line of the optimistic adolescent, though it’s almost a little too reminiscent of How the Grinch Stole Christmas, and shares some similar themes. However, the inclusion of Edward’s new companion should shake things up and bring some life back to the dusty suburban town.

Is It Good?

Leth has breathed life back into our favorite little invention and for that we are eternally grateful. You can’t help but smile when seeing Edward back on the pages. The amount of detail that went into this comic is impressive and you’ll be able to recognize the same newsclipping-covered mantle, staircase gargoyle and weathered rooftop hole. It’s a cute issue to say the least and I’m already disappointed there are only four left.

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