Nottingham Vol. 1: Death and Taxes (GN), # 6-8, 11

Title: Nottingham Vol. 1: Death and Taxes (GN)
Publisher: Mad Cave Studios
Writer: David Hazan
Artist: Shane Connery Volk
Colorist: Luca Romano
Letterer: Joamette Gil
Price: $ 14.99 US
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Website: www.madcavestudios.com
Comments: This book collects issues one to five. 
  Part One. The Merry Men of Sherwood Forest are shown as a viscious gang. Sheriff Everard Blackthorne and Captain Alan Dale find a dead tax collector. 
  The first illustrated castle you see is an amazing piece of art. 
  The Lady Marian has a strong will and she is tough. She is also a beautiful red head. Hood now he leads the Merry Men and he is also in a relationship with Marian. This is not your normal Robin Hood story. Many things are quite different then you will be used to. 
  Part Two. Will Scarlett has been murdered and the Sheriff is on the case. He wants to know who did it. The Sheriff does go about carrying out an investigation like a detective would questioning suspects and investigating the scene and evidence. The Sheriff does find his killer and they are illustrated in one hard fought battle. 
  Part Three. The scenery is so beautifully illustrated. The countryside is breathtaking. 
  Friair Tuck fights against the Sheriff until they join forces. Alan Dale is a man who loves his family above all else. The Sheriff is unrelenting as he carries on with his investigation. 
  Hood, Little John and his Merry Men along with Lady Marian have a plan yet that plan may be part of the Sheriff's plan. 
  Part Four. Lady Marian does seem to be playing both sides in this. 
  In Nottingham the Sheriff and his men find themselves in the fight of their lives as Hood and his Merry Men attack. They plan to take Nottingham. The Sheriff does not look overly intelligent yet he misses nothing. He does find a traitor in their midst. 
  The art on the characters does give them a slightly extended appearance. It is a bit different and it does work nicely. The outfits are perfect for the time period. The Sheriff is drawn with a dark side to him yet he is fighting on the side of good.
  Part Five. The battle comes down to the Sheriff and Hood. The Lady Marian shows up to join in as well. This is a hard fought fight. This battle is not the way you would expect the story to go. Things are way different then the traditional story of Robin Hood.
  The noir style and the twists to this tale you thought you knew make this a compelling read. 


Title: Nottingham # 6
Publisher: Mad Cave Studios
Writer: David Hazan
Artist: Shane Connery Volk
Colorist: Luca Romano
Letterer: Justin Birch
Price: $ 3.99 US
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Website: www.madcavestudios.com
Comments: In the year of our Lord 1193 in the town of Nottingham we see Sheriff Everard Blackthorne walking down the street. 
  The Sheriff faces Hood in the forest only the odds are in Hood's favor. Things do go the Sheriff's way yet the meeting here will lead to another meeting later. 
  Now King Richard has been kidnapped. A ransom is asked and the Sheriff and his men get the delivery duty. You know of course there is no way they will be left alone to deliver it in peace. 
  The Lady Marian now she is resourceful. Marian does make a huge move here. She is a woman who knows what she wants and goes after it with a passion. 
  The art does portray a beautiful Marian, Little John he looks big and toouch, the Merry Men are drawn as a rough looking group, the Sheriff is a dark soul that has a hard edge, Robin has loyalty to his King and is willing to fight to save him. 
  The characters here are very different from the ones you may have read about or heard of. Robin Hood, Little John, Lady Marian and Sheriff of Nothingham you will recognize them at first then as the story unfolds you will realize you do not know these characters who are a twisted version of the ones you know of. 
  Alliances are made, making for strange bedfellows. Everyone has an agenda here. They all want something. The question is who is willing to push the hardest to get it. 


Title: Nottingham # 7
Publisher: Mad Cave Studios
Writer: David Hazan
Artist: Shane Connery Volk
Colorist: Luca Romano
Letterer: Justin Birch
Price: $ 3.99 US
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Website: www.madcavestudios.com
Comments: The Sheiff and Hood are both off to France on a ship to rescue King Richard. This ship is a playground for untrust. 
  Lady Marian is one bloodthirsty woman. The art fully brings this fact across. Marian gets some allies in the Merry Men while Hood is away. Marian has a pretty face but her heart, her heart is black as the pit she is one evil creature. 
  The Sheriff does go all out to uncover the killer aboard ship. This leads to a brutal battle involving the Sheriff. Blood is drawn. The Sheriff is drawn as a dark flowing character whom you would expect to be a bad character yet here he is on the side of good. His methods are harsh though which fits in perfectly with this series and its atmosphere. 
  A Saracen Aya is found onboard. She just wants to go home. She is sure to add some excitement to the voyage. 
  This take on Robin Hood is way different then anything you have ever read. 


Title: Nottingham # 8
Publisher: Mad Cave Studios
Writer: David Hazan
Artist: Shane Connery Volk
Colorist: Luca Romano
Letterer: Justin Birch
Price: $ 3.99 US
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
Website: www.madcavestudios.com
Comments: The Sheriff and Robin Hood fight together here. They want to rescue their King. The Sheriff and Robin Hood along with their men are being picked off one by one. There is a traitor in their midst. The Sheriff does come up with a good idea on how to find out who it is. 
  Harald is a wild man and when confronted he fights like one. He is big and strong yet with numbers he can be beat. 
  Meanwhile back at Sherwook Forest Little John and Maid Marrian have their own plans to put forward. 
  The Sheriff is the main star of this book. He is a hard man with moral values and loyal to his King and country. 
  The story and the characters involved here in this issue are not written clear enough if you had not read any of the previous issues you would have very little idea about what is going on. A bit more information was needed. More on the relationships and why people are doing what they are. 
  The art brings across just how rough and tough these people are. It gives them a crude look that lets you know these people will fight and die if necessary. 


Title: Nottingham # 11
Publisher: Mad Cave Studios
Writer: David Hazan
Artist: Shane Connery Volk
Colorist: Luca Romano
Letterer: Justin Birch
Price: $ 4.99 US
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
Website: www.madcavestudios.com
Comments: The Sheriff of Nottingham has returned. He has a plan to save the city. The odds he faces are overwhelming yet he does not pause for a second. The Sheriff gets right to the task at hand. 
  The art lets you know this is a hard place where hard men live and die. When you see the faces in these pages you know they have had a rough life. 
  In a tavern a fight ensues and blood is spilled. These men Merry Men or Prince John's Men they all know how to fight and kill and so they do just that. 
  Marian sits upon the throne and she controls the city. She will not given up her control. 
  So with an army fast approaching will Marian's meager plans to get reay really help? King Richard and Rob in Hood along with thousands of men are coming. The tension is building to one huge battle. 
  What will the Sheriff's role in this battle be if any? Will Marian realise she needs help? Will King Richard slaughter everyone in Nottingham? This issue does set up for what is to come, and what is coming s a blood bath. 

Richard Vasseur