Comics
Review: ‘The Crow’ #1
James O’Barr and Brandon Lee just rolled over in their graves. From quality of content, all the way to artistic style, this book is a dismal let down; a story line that doesn’t know its ass from its elbow, dialogue that is unintentionally comedic, and art like an acid flashback.
WRITTEN BY: John Shirley
ART BY: Kevin Colden
PUBLISHER: IDW
RELEASE: July 11th
Starting at the core, the structure of the story is weak. It constantly jumps around making it hard to know who we are following, and more importantly why this has anything to do with the Crow himself. As the story/acid trip continues it’s a further trip down the rabbit hole, and it’s easy to get lost in the fray with additional characters thrown in all over the place, with little to know explanation of who/what they are. The story jumps around from panel to panel without explanation, and perhaps a narrator would have been useful.
I know it’s the first issue, and I know this sounds harsh, but something has to be there to draw the reader back in. Unfortunately, there are just way too many unanswered questions, but not the good kind. Specifically, who the hell is this guy in the grave yard and why is he being affiliated with the spirit-crows? Even the ending is anti climatic. Finally when there is going to be action of some kind it is a let-down.
Once again, this book looks like a bad drug trip. Swirling art with no definitive outline makes some panels indistinguishable, and combined with light pastels, it makes it even worse. The sketchiness of the art is far too over the top, many of the panels look like there was a lack of effort, or more likely, Colden was in a rush to meet a deadline. There is very little to no effort is put into the backgrounds of half the panels, just some light shading of what could be buildings or a wall? It’s hard to tell. The extreme sketchiness of the art coupled with the over use of light shading at times and extremely dark at others adds to the acid -like nature of the comic.
IDW needs to go back to the drawing board for this book. It has the potential to be something huge, but with its erratic layout, and lack of quality art, it is definitely not a book I can recommend, which is disappointing because I’m a big fan of the original story.
1.5/5 Skulls
Review by- GreenBasterd
Comics
‘Curse of the Where Wolf’ Bites Into August Release With Trio of Werewolf Theatrical Screenings [Exclusive Preview]
Larry Chaney‘s hairy misadventures are continuing in the sequel graphic novel Curse of the Where Wolf from creative team Rob Saucedo, Debora Lancianese, and Jack Morelli, and its author is celebrating with a trio of horror’s greatest werewolf films.
The Curse of the Where Wolf hits shelves on August 7 from Encyclopocalypse Publications.
That coincides with the launch of a theatrical screening event in Houston, Texas, featuring a trio of seminal werewolf flicks turning 45 this year: The Howling on August 7, Wolfen on August 14, and An American Werewolf in London on August 21.
Each screening features a “werewolf in film” presentation as well as a book signing from Where Wolf author and River Oaks Theatre artistic director Rob Saucedo.
In the new graphic novel, “Being a werewolf sucks. Reporter Larry Chaney wanted to be a hero. Instead, he became a werewolf. Now, caught between incredible new powers and a desire to eat everything (and everyone) in sight, Larry must find a cure for his curse. Or die trying.”
“With Where Wolf, I wanted to tell a whodunit set in a furry convention, so the story was pretty contained within a very specific setting and genre. With Curse of the Where Wolf, I wanted to celebrate everything I love about the possibility of comic books. Curse of the Where Wolf is a funny book, in every sense of the phrase, but it’s also an earnest look at a person’s struggle to become a better version of themselves, especially when the alternative is to become a literal monster,” Saucedo says of Curse.
The original graphic novel was previously serialized as the first webcomic hosted on Fangoria before being collected by Encyclopocalypse Publications in 2023 and has already been optioned for film, podcast, and television development ahead of launch by producers James Fino (“The Freak Brothers” for Tubi, “Rick and Morty” for Adult Swim) and Charles Horak (First Date for Magnolia Pictures).
Expect Larry to find himself in even weirder situations in the 362-page full color sequel; Saucedo has provided Bloody Disgusting with exclusive art pages from the upcoming graphic novel that showcase lupine humor.
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