Zenescope Hits Zeitgeist With New Grimm Fairy Tales

by Vince Brusio

In this PREVIEWSworld Exclusive interview, we talked to Zenescope Entertainment stalwarts Joe Brusha and Ralph Tedesco to learn more about their long-standing flagship title which was just given a reboot. It seems the “reset” button was hit for Grimm Fairy Tales #1 (OCT162102), and in the process another book has been introduced to add to the women reporting for active duty: Cinderella: Serial Killer Princess #1 (OCT162109)! Who would have thought that Cinderella would turn out to be psycho? Well...us! You heard right. Now read all about it!

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PREVIEWSworld: Zenescope Entertainment is turning a corner. Your flagship title is relaunching with Grimm Fairy Tales #1 (OCT162102), and a new chapter begins for both of you in publishing. So why the relaunch? Why are you closing the book on past continuity for Zenescope’s vast library of titles? Or is this new direction for the company some sort of untested hybrid in maniacal myth making?

Joe Brusha: I wouldn’t say that we’re closing the book on anything that has come before with Grimm Fairy Tales or the Grimm Universe. For me, I felt that with all of the books we have put out over the last eleven years connected to Grimm, the Universe had started to become a little convoluted. We’ve developed hundreds of characters and published a lot of books, so we just wanted to reign things back in a bit and refocus the direction of both Grimm Fairy Tales and our overall universe.

Ralph Tedesco: We want new fans to be able jump on board and without having to worry about knowing everything that’s happened in our universe for the last decade. This way existing fans can still enjoy following the characters they know but new fans can very easily get into our new titles without feeling lost.

PREVIEWSworld: Let’s start with the new Grimm Fairy Tales book you are both working on together. Who does what? Who instigates the arguments most of the time? What are you both trying to do with this new book, and how will the chemistry be the same or different than from previous stories we’ve come to expect in Grimm Fairy Tales?

Joe Brusha: We both brainstorm the idea for the issues, and then for issue #1 I’ll be writing it. There are very few arguments because I am always right and after eleven years Ralph has finally come to realize that.

Ralph Tedesco: He thinks he is at least. But as far as arguments, that hasn’t happened in the creative process that I can really ever think of.  I do think we’ve been pretty respectful of one another’s abilities as creators and our story-telling chemistry has been there since the beginning. It’s always come easy to us as far as working together and developing our titles together.

Joe Brusha: Yeah. Basically Ralph and I outline the idea for an issue or a series and then we usually hand off the outline to another writer. Sometimes we’ll write it ourselves or it’s a staff writer such as Pat, or a freelance writer.

Ralph Tedesco: Right. Our development, I believe, is different than most other independents. A majority of everything is done with Joe and I in-house, and now we also have our staff writer, Pat Shand, and Dave Franchini in the room at times to assist in that process.

Joe Brusha: And as far as this this new series goes, we’re trying to go back to the roots of the early Grimm Fairy Tales issues. Many of the new titles we’re publishing right now will allow anyone to pick up a single issue and get an immediate payoff from just that book. There is a thorough line story, but that doesn’t bog down the main story in the issue.

PREVIEWSworld: Will the past still work with the present? Will storylines and/or characters from previous books be carried over into this new machine? Can you tell us if there are any additional titles coming out soon?

Joe Brusha: Most of the universe is still intact, so almost all of the characters from previous books are still in existence after the relaunch. Some of them will definitely make an appearance in the new GFT title as well as in other series. One of the books I’m most excited about is Day of the Dead which will feature Mary Medina from the Arcane Acre story arc. That story will introduce a new threat to the Grimm Universe: The Order of Tarot.

Ralph Tedesco: As a creator and writer, the fun thing to do with a relaunch like this is to take these established characters that already have dynamic backstories and well-rendered personality traits and then put them in brand new stories so new readers can get to know them and fall in love with them without having to play catch-up all the way from the beginning.

PREVIEWSworld: Cinderella: Serial Killer Princess #1 (OCT162109) is being solicited alongside Grimm Fairy Tales #1 this month. As Cinderella is being twisted into a tantalizing terror with a taste for blood, there’s little doubt that the old school feel of Zenescope horror is still alive and well. What can you tell us about the characters and storyline for this initial story arc? 

Joe Brusha: Almost every character in the Grimm Universe will make a brief appearance in this series. It’s very much Cindy’s story and explores her adversarial relationship with Robyn. I would call it a satire, and it’s just a fun book that doesn’t take itself very seriously.

Ralph Tedesco: It doesn’t always fit, but I think a lot of our titles have some elements of levity or campiness. I personally love when a horror story has those fun moments that break the tension, even for just a second. And also when you create these worlds that include so many fantastical elements, it’s important to sort of wink at the audience every now and then. I think Marvel does a phenomenal job of this in its films.

PREVIEWSworld: So essentially, you guys have changed vehicles. You’re still heading out to the highway, and freewheel burning, but it’s time to get out of the Cadillac, and step inside the DeLorean. As you can now look behind you and see that open stretch of road that you’ve been travelling— and see where you’ve been as opposed to where you see yourselves going today — what would you like the legacy to be for the previous published works prior to the company’s relaunch? How would you summarize Zenescope’s past prior to turning to the page which promises new pandemonium?

Joe Brusha: As far as the legacy for what we’ve published before I just hope the original Grimm Fairy Tales series continues to be read and enjoyed by a lot of fans. We still sell a lot of copies of the trade paperback collections at comic conventions. I think we had a very successful run with the initial series. There’s not many independent books that make it to #125. And if you look around at some of the films and television shows that have come out and become popular just a few years after we started publishing the series, I think our series has influenced some of that, which is pretty cool. I hope that as we move forward with both Grimm and our other titles we can have even more success over the next decade.

Ralph Tedesco: For me it’s satisfying to know we’ve left an imprint on this industry for more than a decade. That’s something nobody can take away from us. We’re proud to have written and developed as many titles as we have. Obviously we owe a lot to the fans and readers who’ve accepted and enjoyed our work over the years. But I feel we’ve only scratched the surface of our potential, and the best is still to come.