Briar Rose's storybook life becomes a living nightmare in this dark and violent Sleeping Beauty retelling. Briar #1 is written by Christopher Cantwell, illustrated by Germán García, colored by Matheus Lopes, and lettered by AndWorld Design. 

Instead of receiving true love's kiss and living "happily ever after," Briar Rose sleeps for thousands of years when her knight in shining armor decides he wants her Kingdom and not her. Her "Prince Charming" decides to marry her without waking her so he can rule without her input. And while Briar Rose sleeps, the men of the Kingdom, led by her father and the prince, wage war after war until the Kingdom begins to crumble. 

When Briar Rose wakes, the world she knows is gone. There are no more fairy godmothers, no more servants and courtiers, no more kingdom. She's awoken to a decimated and cruel world where she'll have to become ruthless to survive. 

Briar #1 is a lesson on how to do a fairytale-inspired tale. It takes the core elements of the story, the cursed spinning wheel causing Briar Rose to fall into an enchanted sleep, and then subverts the rest of the narrative. There is no happy ending here, no riding off into the sunset. 

Briar #1 opens with Briar Rose explaining to the reader that her story once had a narrator who would tell her tale with a happy ending. She quickly informs the reader that this narrator died a horrible death. Cantwell shows readers just enough about Briar Rose's past to set up the plot and her character. Briar Rose never lacked anything: friends, resources, support, protection. And she never had to work to survive. She is as unprepared for her cruel new reality as one could get. And that's what makes her story so interesting. 

Briar Rose has to save herself despite lacking the skills to do so. Shortly after she wakes, Briar Rose kills a giant rat that attacks her. Unfortunately, her fighting is unskilled and clumsy. She killed the rat because she got lucky. She'll have to learn how to defend herself and learn quickly, or she won't live long. Luck doesn't last forever. 

Another thing that stuck out to me about this story is the details that keep the fantasy grounded. For example, when Briar Rose wakes, she can't speak. She hasn't had a drink in thousands of years, her throat too dry to form words. 

García and Lopes enhance the story with beautiful art. As Briar Rose's life goes from dreamlike to a living nightmare, the art shifts as well. The world becomes bloodier and harsher. Colors go from bright to dark to fit the story's tone as Briar Rose is captured by a group of thieves. And García captures movement expertly, the action flowing across the page.

With its unique take on the Sleeping Beauty story, Briar #1 is a perfect fairy tale retelling for people that typically don't enjoy them.