Comics
Review: ‘Pariah’ #1
An interesting new story comes out of Dark Horse this week. The tale infuses some subtle mystery with a large dose of science fiction to produce “Pariah”. There is a ton of space-related material already in circulation, but rarely in recent years is humanity the primary scope of the story. I’m not surprised to see the market flooding with material like this after Gravity, and I’m sure we’ll see even more grounded-in-reality sci-fi stories in the near future. “Pariah” #1 offers a decent start, but it offers little in the way of story or character development.
WRITTEN BY: Aron Warner and Philip Gelatt
ART BY: Brett Weldele
PUBLISHER: Dark Horse Comics
RELEASE DATE: February 26
PRICE: 3.99
The book follows a group of people in Earth’s future who have volunteered to live on a space station. The individuals call themselves Vitros and each have certain skills or knowledge that give them a role within the team. Already things are going wrong with the mission. What exactly is wrong isn’t clear, and by the end book the situation isn’t completely hopeless, but not much has changed.
I have to admit at the onset of this book there is so much information thrown in your face in an effort to world build it took me more than one read of the first few pages to get the facts straight. Essentially all of the questions that popped up throughout the book remained unanswered by its end. I get that the mystery should entice the reader, but some more clear direction would have helped to bring me into the story. This left me a tad disgruntled, but the the book does pique my interest enough to find out just who these group of Vitros are and why exactly they find themselves on an out of date space station that’s not as safe as it seems.
The script is clever, with a lot a whit infused in the narrative that adds both comedic relief and insight some into the other characters, though not enough. As the story rolls on however, the plot draws me in and the events at the end of the book help to solidify my interest in the book.
The art is a bit of a miss, but, like the writing, it grew on me towards the end. It has a very cartoony look that lacks significant details. With a story that’s meant to reflect a futuristic time I would have liked the art to have more clean crisp lines and the colour pallet more vibrant than the softness that is offered. When the story takes place on the exterior of the station, it’s the only time I find myself satisfied. Unfortunately, there are a lot more panels inside the station than out.
“Pariah” has a lot of potential and even though the first issue leaves some to be desired. There’s something about the book that makes me want more, I’m just not sure what it is yet.
3/5 Skulls
Reviewed 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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