This was an interpretation of Robin Hood like none that I have ever seen before. And I have to honestly say that it actually works quite well.

My one main criticism is that I honestly would have liked to have a little more at the end in the "Queer History of England." Rodi piques readers' interest in LGBTQ figures and LGBTQ relationships, and their place in medieval England, but doesn't offer readers anything else beyond a few brief descriptions of a couple figures. Are there books on this topic that go into greater detail? Articles that discuss these themes using the primary sources from the era? Rodi had to get his information from somewhere in order to craft these miniature historical biographies, and of course to confidently craft his entire speculative take on the Merry Men and their famous leader. Perhaps it's the librarian in me that's going a bit too hard. But I still would like to see options for those who wish to learn more.

Otherwise, this is a solid work, and it's definitely the kind of graphic novel I'd love to include in my own library (along with any sequels, of course).

I'm always a sucker for Robin Hood retellings, and this was no exception. I love how Robin's place as being between the margins of society is expanded to include a fascinating look at the UK's queer history (added to with the brilliant postscript of historical queer figures in English history). It works so well and adds an extra edge to the story, with Robin and his friends being persecuted over who they love just to serve a political end, rather than because the religious authorities actually think passages like the one in Leviticus is important. The Merry Men themselves did feel a bit indistinct at times, but that's what happens sometimes with a large ensemble cast in a graphic novel like this one and it didn't take away much from the story. I especially loved Scarlet's story and Alan and Arthur's romance. Guy of Gisbourne also makes a fantastic villain in this incarnation. Can't wait for the next installment!

I liked this take on Robin Hood mythos well enough. I did not like all the female characters being drawn like big-jawed males with extra bosoms. It was proper for the character of (Will) Scarlett, but not for the ones who were actually biologically feminine.

Problems with underage sex were glossed over however. Ditto for the 'historical afterword' regarding the Catholic Church. The main premise that this COULD have been the way it was, goes forward smoothly and is acceptable.

Queer. Robin. Hood.

First things first - this is not a romance, but it is a very queer story.. The story pulls from both the folklore of Robin Hood and from historical record and speculation about King Richard the Lionhearted and his seneschal. There's a lot to be said for revisiting history through a modern lens and realizing that a lot of the men we think we know were more complex and more queer than we've been taught. This graphic novel has many content warnings, however, please head to the bottom of this review for a list.

Merry Men follows Robin and his group of Merry Men (queer men) as they move from hiding out in Sherwood Forest to actively pushing back against Prince John and the Sheriff of Nottingham. Prince John has been giving control of five counties while King Richard is away, but he must remain in France during this time, a decision that limits John's ability to take over England while his brother is absent. John and a corrupt clergyman hatch a plan to ruin Robin's life (Robin being the favorite of Richard) and thus begins a campaign of raids and taxes and imprisonments that ultimately send Robin and his friends to the forest. You see, no one cared that men slept with men until now. It was seen as a behavior not an identity (so says the epilogue) and not a big deal as it would later be.

We learn through flashbacks that Robin was the lover and companion of King Richard during the crusades and sent Robin home with a generous pension when he was injured. We also learn of the terrible Guy of Gisborne, who shows up in flashback and then in present day as a villain sent by the Sheriff.

One day, a young trans woman named Scarlet shows up in the forest, looking for Robin and his Merry Men. She brings word that her lover, Daniel, has been imprisoned, and pleads with Robin to free them. After deliberation, the group sets out and liberates the nearby town of Elton. When they get to the prisoners, however, Daniel isn't among them. They later find out why when they receive Daniel's hand in a sack.

This is the part of the story where the action picks up, with Guy of Gisborne back to get revenge on Robin by dismembering his friends. It's really gross and Guy is an over-the-top villain. I think we could have gotten the point without so much on-page horror, to be honest.

Before everything is wrapped up, the Sheriff of Nottingham arrives to take the Merry Men off to jail, with hostages to get them to comply. He brings one young man's homophobic father, another's wife and children, another's sister, and another's wife... as the Sheriff's bride-to-be. I was disappointed in this part of the book - women are literally used as props. It's bad enough that queer women are largely left out of the narrative (with the exception of Scarlet, who does have a good arc), but to bring in the wives and children that these "good" men left behind to fend for themselves, only as hostages? Hmm. Then we're supposed to believe that these women still take the side of the men in their lives. I'm not sure how the writer could have better negotiated this, since it's clear that he wanted to make the point that a lot of queer men had families because it was the done thing, but to bring them in at the end felt icky to me.

The "queer history" epilogue is also disappointing as the only woman mentioned is Joan of Arc, who is thought to be queer because she cut her hair short and wore armor into battle. There are so many other examples of queer women throughout history and this is all they could come up with? *sad face*

Let's move on to the content warnings, since there are many.
***

Content Warnings: Homophobia, transphobia (Scarlet's parents, not on page but mentioned), murder, the Crusades... and now let's talk about Guy of Gisborne.

Guy is set up as the most evil of evil men. He takes a young Saracen boy as his "page" so that he can sexually abuse him. (Robin takes the boy in and he becomes part of the group of Merry Men as an adult.) The abuse is not depicted on page but will be triggering to some.

Guy dismembers people and enjoys torture. It's suggested that he also rapes his captives during the torture. He makes a leather outfit out of Daniel's skin. Again, why was this necessary? I got that he was evil just from the dismembering.

***

If you've made it this far, you're probably waiting for me to tell you whether you should read this or not. I think that, if you can stomach the content mentioned above, that you should. I've read a lot of Robin Hood retellings and this was a fresh but familiar story, full of queer men and their love. The illustration was perfect for the setting, and I think the price point is reasonable as well. It's just not as fluffy as I was expecting it to be.

I’ve always <i>loved</i> Robin Hood. There’s a reason I was pretty desperate to read <i>Sherwood</i> when I first learned that it was going to be published. There’s simply something so amazing about his story that leaves me with an unshakable feeling of adoration. So, naturally, the very moment I stumbled across <i>Merry Men</i> by Robert Rodi and illustrated by Jackie Lewis, Marissa Louise, and Shari Chankhamma I simply knew I needed to read it.

This is a graphic novel reimagining the wonderful character of Robin as the former lover of King Richard and my god, it was brilliant. I adored the story from the very first moment I began reading, fell in love with many of the fantastic characters, and the artwork simply blew me away. My initial reaction to a gay Robin Hood was curiosity and admittedly a bit of worry that the story might not turn out well. But Rodi weaves a magically captivating tale that immediately impresses.

As far as the characters go, I truly have a hard time determining my favorite. Each was wonderfully unique, the names easily recognizable as the beloved men of Robin’s merry band. There’s a lovely amount of gay representation, naturally, as the men are persecuted for their sexuality by Prince John and there is also trans representation as well. I think, for me, it was truly Little John who stole the show. A quiet, somewhat brooding sort, John is gentile in nature and fiercely protective of his friends. I specifically recall marking out one of his scenes as one of the best parts of the entire novel.

Now, I’ll say this for the book, it is pretty dark and does include some rather disturbing events and images. I myself was shocked at the degree of violence I saw from Guy of Gisborne, specifically. This is something to keep in mind when picking up this book, though I will say that blood was kept to a minimum in the actual illustrations. It is perhaps that which made me feel less squeamish about the whole oredeal.

I don’t personally feel that this Robin is truly an amazing representation of the characater we all know and deeply love, but he is definitely a wonderful character regardless. I did not feel upset at all about his portrayal, but rather see that he doesn’t quite match the rambunctious and over-confident character oftentimes portrayed. He’s much more cautious than I would have imagined a true Robin. That said, I was quite fond of this graphic novel and would certainly love to have it on my shelf.

With a fantastic plot that leaves you eager for more, I can’t wait for the next installment of this wonderfully impressive tale. And this particular graphic novel hasn’t even hit shelves yet! <i>Merry Men </i>will be available on December 4th of this year and <i>definitely</i> one you all should consider getting for your shelf. I know I will.

<i>I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. </i>

Merry Men is enjoyable as a graphic novel; moreover, it is an eye-catching adventure. The book takes a new approach to a classic story with positive results.

As interesting as I thought an unabashfully queer Robin Hood telling would be, the execution is severely lacking to the point where I just didn't find myself enjoying the novel. The art style is interesting, and I liked the use of bold and blocky designs. It sort of gave all the merry men as masculine quality to them that I thought was super interesting, but the dialogue was just so dense and dull that there are parts of the novel that are almost unreadable. There seemed to be more of an effort put into political intrigue instead of building characters. So many of the Merry Men are just blended together without an distinct character traits. I think the graphic novel medium hindered the story more then it did to help them. Maybe if it was a regular novel then the story could have been allowed to grow. As it stands, the story is constrained by the medium, putting a focus on the visual aspects instead of using them to help grow an interesting story.

Merry Men is just a boring, dense read. I appreciated the representation of LGBT people, as well as the historical aspects Rodi incorporated. But that's about it.

I enjoyed it in a way that I didn't expect to. Queer as hell, this is Robin Hood in a way that you've never seen before. I enjoyed it once I got into the swing of things. Robin Hood is more human than I've ever seen him. Less the brooding hero just waiting to lead a nation and more a resourceful man who leads as best he can.