Comics
Review: ‘Curse’ # 1
“Curse” # 1 will get under your skin with a story of a man pushed so far to the edge that he must hunt a terrifying creature just to pay for his dying son’s medical expenses. Writers Michael Moreci & Tim Daniel are no strangers to telling a good horror story. Colin Lorimer does a lot of the heavy lifting with his incredibly dark and moody artwork and Riley Rossmo swoops in adding his horrifying touch to create own of the most finely crafted horror books I’ve had the pleasure of reading.
WRITTEN BY: Michael Moreci & Tim Daniel
ART BY: Colin Lorimer & Riley Rossmo
PUBLISHER: BOOM! Studios
PRICE: $3.99
RELEASE: January 15, 2014
Creative teams like these don’t come around very often. From the opening page of “Curse” you know that you’re in good hands. Lorimer treats you to the dark, shadowy style that permeates the book. You feel the words “cold” in your bones and that chill doesn’t go away until the last page.
Moreci and Daniel take the time to give Laney Griffen a robust introduction. We’re treated to his past, his present, and his future here. No moment is wasted, and by the end of the issue we fully understand what drives him. He’s a desperate and determined father.
The script is incredibly tight in its character development, but doesn’t skimp in the plot department either. Rossmo steps in and treats the reader to visceral displays of brute force as the beast is alluded to through police reports. Rossmo’s primal style compliments Lorimer’s hard edges and heavy shadows to show a wilder more dangerous side of the book.
Although when Laney chases the beast out into the cold wilderness it’s Lorimer’s jagged edges that will creep under your skin. The thorn like trees that surround Laney scream danger while the dark colors against bleak white backgrounds make the smattering splashes of red stand out in the final pages.
“Curse” doesn’t have an ounce of warmth to it. Even Laney’s love for his son feels misguided and troubled. A man, who loves his dying son with relentless conviction, probably wouldn’t go traipsing out into the night searching for a werewolf. This bodes well for the reader as hints of everything to come seem scattered throughout this first issue. Everything is only going to get worse.
So far the story fails to do anything new with the werewolf as a genre, or concept. We’re treated to some incredibly familiar elements that fail to bring anything new to the premise of a werewolf stalking a small town. However, Moerci and Daniel have crafted a script that is paced with a certain urgency that will leave you wanting more and still manage to find time for great character moments. The visual style is cold and unrelenting. Creating one of the most finely crafted first issues of horror that you’ll find on the stands.
Rating: 4.5/5 Skulls
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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