Merry Men
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- $14.99
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- $14.99
Publisher Description
13th-Century England. Robert Godwinson, former lover of King Richard, lives with his band of Merry Men in Sherwood Forest, away from the watchful eye of Prince John, who has outlawed homosexuality. Though isolated, the men live in peace -- that is, until a stranger enters their camp seeking aid for a nearby town besieged by the Sheriff of Nottingham. Robert, nicknamed Robin, is reluctant to hlep, but equally eager to be rid of this perplexing stranger... and to put his formidable bow-and-arrow to use. It's Robin Hood like you've never seen him before, based on scholarly speculation about what's really behind the outlaw's legend.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
This unremarkable collection of 12 issues puts a queer spin on Robin Hood. With Robin's former lover, King Richard the Lionheart, off on crusade, usurper Prince John and the Bishop of Hereford conspire to outlaw homosexual acts, targeting Richard's supporters and leading Robin and his gay Merry Men to take refuge in the Sherwood Forest. A young woman named Scarlet seeks them out to beg aid in finding her missing friend Daniel. Her presence sparks jealousy between Arthur and Alan, two lovers among the Merry Men, and frustration from others. A gruesome discovery of Daniel's amputated hand lets Robin know they're up against Guy of Gisbourne, an extremely sadistic agent of Prince John's who's allied with the Sheriff of Nottingham. Hunting and confronting him only leads to more crises for the much beleaguered troop. Flashbacks explore the forming and training of the Merry Men amid homophobic violence. Sharply lined characters reminiscent of superhero comics often stand still against solid-color backgrounds, giving the work a somewhat unfinished and text-heavy feel. The art is just short of explicit in its bloody violence and raw eroticism. The work stumbles over somewhat stilted language and arguments over gay identity ("Is Kenneth not a Merry Man? ...How, then, came he by a wife?"). This middling take on the Robin Hood legend will find its most enthusiastic audience among LGBTQ readers.
