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 approaches their camp asking for aid to a nearby town under siege by the Sheriff of Nottingham. Robert-nicknamed Robin-is reluctant to help, but equally eager to get 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.
Merry Men #1 has all the thrilling heroics and swashbuckling of an Errol Flynn (Not a Russell Crowe or Kevin Costner.) film with a fun cast of gay, bi, and trans characters, who have different body types and attitudes to the world around him. It is a book that as a bisexual man, who grew up reading the stories of King Arthur, Robin Hood, and Greco-Roman mythology before I ever picked up a comic book have been waiting for my entire life. As an added bonus, there is a two prose story about the real LGBT people of the Middle Ages starting with Alcuin, a scholar in Emperor Charlemagne's court, who was a part ofthe (Carolingian) Renaissance way before it was cool. Read Full Review
I feel like this is a book that you could give to younger people. I'm not saying just throw the book at small kids because I wouldn't recommend PDA to any kids. However, this book could be classified as friendly enough for younger audiences. Perhaps pre-teens? This book is very LGBT heavy, and I believe that's a good thing. With all the hetero-normative books we have, why not decide to change it up a bit. Again, I don't know how realistic this time period would have been with the LGBT themes, but its a comic book. Not everything has to be realistic. Plus, it might take away from the good story that is unfolding, and that would be boring. Read Full Review
A clever take on an old legend. Read Full Review
I’m waiting for Robin to go head to head with the Sheriff of Nottingham. There isn’t too much suspense just yet, so I’m really hoping that Rodi gives us a reason to be interested in these characters. I want to want them to win. This is a modern story set in an older time period. It’s a really great concept, and I can’t wait to read more! Read Full Review
Merry Men isn’t as important as it thinks it is and it’s not as fun as it should be. Perhaps later issues will pick up, but this one fell flat. Read Full Review
In conclusion, I truly hope that in the future this story slows down and begins to develop the characters beyond that of a camp caricature as I really want to enjoy this tale. I started reading this story hoping for a “Prince of Thieves” Robin Hood who happens to be gay but I wound up with Robin Hood: A Gay Prince who might be thief. Read Full Review
While the confrontation and battle between Robin and the Sheriff of Nottingham is inevitable, Rodi still fails to build up interest in the characters and tension about the eventual outcome of the story. "Merry Men" #1 relies too much on its concept to generate interest in the plot and the characters. Read Full Review
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