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Comic Book Review: “Wolf Moon” #3 – Is More Of The Same

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“Wolf Moon” #3 begins with one of the most haunting sequences a horror comic has ever put together. It establishes a break neck pace that Cullen Bunn and Jeremy Haun don’t let up until the final page, it may be scarce on story but it’s one helluva great ride.

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WRITTEN BY: Cullen Bunn

ART BY: Jeremy Haun

PUBLISHER:  Vertigo Comics

PRICE: $3.99

RELEASE: February 4, 2014

I can’t pinpoint where “Wolf Moon” staggers in the execution. On the one hand it’s a great premise that provides lots of action and on the other there doesn’t seem to be much depth outside the deaths on the page. We know that Dillon Chase is driven by vengeance, but we don’t know much else. Every interaction he shares with another person is driven by that vengeance.

In the off chance Cullen Bunn wanted to humanize Dillon he had many opportunities here and really only one of them work. There is a fleeting interaction with the exotic dancer, but he just presses for information. Later, though we see Dillon actually caring about the innocent bystanders in the mall it gives him some personality even as the werewolf tears the place to shreds.

There is a visceral beauty to “Wolf Moon.” Jeremy Huan takes death very seriously, and you can tell. His dizzying assortments of panels depicting death are the highlight of any issue, and he doesn’t really let up here. From the hallucinatory beginning to the final showdown in the mall, the ugly face of dismemberment seems to be a great home for Huan’s art. His clear and expressive work make death a total joy to behold, and I seriously couldn’t imagine anyone better suited for this series.

Every time I pick up an issue of “Wolf Moon” I’m excited. The premise is brilliant, the characters are well motivated, but I’m now starting to see some repetition at three issues in. I haven’t noted any growth in the characters, and there hasn’t really been any major surprises that compel me to keep reading, It’s a shame but the series has told the same story three times over, now.

I hope that the way this issue concludes provides a stage for a shocking turn of events at the midpoint of the series. I’m dying for some progression or reversal of expectations that will challenge everything I thought I knew.

For now, it’s giving me everything I know and love: the visceral action of a werewolf action movie but its forgetting the elements of any good horror story. A character needs to be compelling, challenging, and monstrous for okay horror to become something great. As it stands, “Wolf Moon” relies far too heavily on shock value to tell any sort of compelling story about the nature of man and beast.

It’s a missed opportunity, but not one that has to decide the fate of the entire series. Luckily we’re only three issues in, and the pacing might be the stuff of legend. I’ll stick around for a while yet; I just hope we dig a little deeper next month.

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‘The Wicked Trinity’ – Preview New Archie Comics One-Shot Inspired by ‘The Craft’ [Exclusive]

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From Sabrina’s Magical World, Bloody Disgusting has learned this afternoon that Archie Comics will be releasing brand new one-shot comic The Wicked Trinity this coming June.

You’ll be able to meet The Wicked Trinity in the 32-page comic on June 12, 2024.

In The Wicked Trinity, “Sabrina’s magical nemesis Amber Nightstone and her sidekicks, Jade Kazane and Sapphire Gill, are intent on becoming the most powerful witches in the world. Isolated from so many around them, the three have formed a coven based on their individual needs for vengeance and true freedom.

“But when there is some dissent among the ranks, their small coven is threatened to be obliterated from within.”

The Wicked Trinity features a script by Sam Maggs, art by Lisa Sterle, colors by Ellie Wright, letters by Jack Morelli, main cover by Lisa Sterle, and variant cover by Soo Lee.

Archie Comics Senior Director of Editorial Jamie L. Rotante tells Bloody Disgusting, “When Editor-In-Chief Mike Pellerito came up with the idea of the Wicked Trinity—Amber Nightstone, Jade Kazane, and Sapphire Gill—I was immediately intrigued. I even had the good fortune to work on the script for Jade and Sapphire’s first appearance in last year’s SABRINA ANNUAL SPECTACULAR comic for younger readers. What I especially loved about these magical teens is that they could seamlessly transcend from classic-Archie stories into more mature, even horror stories. I was eager to start developing their world with a modern sensibility, taking cues from the great work of Kelly Thompson and Veronica Fish on our SABRINA THE TEENAGE WITCH series, and Sarah Kuhn and Carola Borelli on our recent DARKLING one-shot. Inspired by series like Charmed and films like The Craft, I knew there was so much potential to build up this coven in a story that beautifully blends magical fantasy with horror.”

Writer Sam Maggs previews, “Real witches writing real witches—that’s how we do things over at Archie Comics! I was named after a famous witch—Samantha from Bewitched—and so I grew up absolutely obsessed with everything witchcraft, devouring every book series I could about teen witches. That makes WICKED TRINITY a dream project for me. The power and energy of teen girls is absolutely unmatched (just look at the engine behind fandom culture) and being able to harness that metaphorically for a story like this is such a delight. Everything I write focuses on the power of female friendship, and this story is no exception. And what’s better than a morally grey female character? I struggle to think of anything. Cat familiars, maybe? Also, I’m totally a practicing witch now. So maybe if you read this, you’ll find yourself imbued with magical powers, too.*

Artist Lisa Sterle adds, “I can’t wait for people to be re-introduced to The Wicked Trinity! Witches, fashion, and Archie Comics; this is truly a magical trifecta and I’m so happy to have the opportunity to put my own personal stamp on this. I love to create stories in which girls find their own power, both from within themselves and through their friendships and coven. If you’re a fan of my Modern Witch tarot, you’ll find this comic just as magical.”

Exclusively check out the two covers for The Wicked Trinity one-shot comic below!

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