You’re familiar with the Robin Hood stories right? He returns from fighting in the Crusades to find that his home is under the thumb of the Sheriff of Nottingham. He robs from the rich and gives to the poor. Well, what if Robin Hood didn’t come back from war, but from prison? What if the story was a noir? And what if the Sheriff was not really a sheriff but an organized crime lord?
It sounds so awesome, doesn’t it? It’s sad that the story doesn’t exist. Wait a second! Yes it does! On Kickstarter, Anthony Jones and Armin Ozdic have revamped the Robin Hood legend with a modern day twist. Now before you freak out, we should mention that ‘Hood’ is loosely based on Robin Hood. The names have been changed but the characters are there
The Story
Ex Mafia enforcer, Jackie Bianco, returns home after a long stretch in prison to find that his home district is being run into the ground by the iron hand of organized crime boss, Valentino. Using his intimate knowledge of the crime boss’ operations, Bianco decides to begin a personal war, tearing down Valentino’s empire from the inside by robbing the rich mafioso and arming the poor gangs of the city. Along the way, he buys the support of gang leader Lilbig and blackmails Father Peter, an ex member of the IRA.
Story writer Anthony Jones comments: “Hood isn’t just a modern remake of the Robin Hood legends. Instead, it takes its lead in tone from stories such as Sons of Anarchy – a story which takes inspiration from, but doesn’t just copy and dress up, its source material. This is an original story where there are no “heroes” or “villains” but instead multi-faceted characters with their own challenges, dark secrets and sacrifices. It’s a tale of life on the streets which follows Jackie’s transformation from master manipulator to urban folk hero, whether he likes it or not, until he is forced to decide between the power and opportunities his revenge affords him or the chance at true and lasting redemption for his transgressions. Ultimately, he will have to decide whether to remain the mafia soldier he has become, or take the step to become the hero people want him to be.”
The Team
The talented team to bring this amazing story to us is a small one but each person is brilliant in their own right. Armin Ozdic’s artwork is fantastic and does the excellent job of bringing the story and its characters to life. AsOne, the Graffiti artist, is a talented individual who pens mind blowing art for the team’s merchandise and limited edition covers. And finally, Anthony Jones completes this dream team with his words on paper that makes Robin Hood cool again. Yes!!
The Perks and Pledge
Their Kickstarter pledge is 4,500 GBP. At the time of this writing, they have 2,303 GBP under their belt, with 54 backers and 21 days left. The money gained through Kickstarter will be used help the team finish the work they’ve started including printing costs, merchandising and other things. Of course there are perks offered, such as a cameo within the pages of the comic, t-shirts, hoodies and the book in digital form. That is just a taste; there are tons more perks on their Kickstarter page.
So rob the rich and arm the poor by backing this crazy, fantastic, brilliant, imaginative new spin on the Robin Hood legend – “Hood.”