Comics
Review: ‘Furious’ #2
“Furious” #2 sets out to expose the mystery surrounding Cadence Lark through exploration of her backstory in a sequence of well–placed flashbacks. But as “Furious” #1 set the bar impossibly high, I found myself wanting more depth in both storyline and character evaluation. Though a bit superficial, “Furious” #2 eventually comes out swinging with several revealing scenes and high-octane art.
WRITTEN BY: Bryan J. L. Glass
ART BY: Victor Santos
PUBLISHER: Dark Horse Comics
PRICE: $3.99
RELEASE: February 26, 2014
The Beacon is on a warpath. With police scanner in tow, she dons her disguise and sets out to mess up some bad guys. While the present-day plot is commonplace in superhero terms, it’s subversively so. It’s not the present-day plot that we are meant to pay attention to. It’s the flashback scenes that aim to steal the show. We are allowed a detailed peek into the life of Lark, from early childhood to late teens, from losing her mother and sisters to losing her independence to losing her innocent niavety.
In the present-day plotline, we get a lot of action and a good amount of violence. We are guided through this plot by The Beacon’s inner monologue, detailing her personal issues with absolution. She can’t kick her guilty conscience so she kicks ass instead. She purposefully targets those who are running away from their past by committing crimes because she relates to them, except that she’s turned to vigilantism instead of crime—which in this comic, as in most, draws a blurry line. Her lesson to criminals is that ‘you can’t escape your past’ even though this is her modus operandi in life, also a goal she realizes she’ll never achieve.
Though we are treated to a fairly comprehensive slide show of her life pre-superhero, I found it to ere on the side of emotionally superficial. I would have loved to feel a greater emotional connection with Lark and her present incarnation as The Beacon aka Furious, but instead I was drawing comparisons between her and stars like Lindsay Lohan or Paris Hilton. I wasn’t quite pulled into the warm cocoon of compassion for the character. It’s quite possible that Glass is taking the scenic route. There are a lot of open endings that leave us unsure of the character’s motives. We’ve only seen her past life up until she is eighteen-years-old, so there is still much to explore.
How did she become The Beacon? What “come to jesus” moment brought her to this reckless place of no return? What happened to Lark, emotionally and physically, to allow her to take on this superhero persona? Though lacking in depth it’s certainly not lacking in intrigue. Therefore, issue #2 proves to be a solid jumping off point for the rest of the series.
“Furious” has grand potential. The writing is tough and existential, while the art is electrifying. The meta-like structure that breaks the proverbial 4th wall combined with hyper-real elements of the 21st century give some genuine thrills and make this a comic to keep your eye on.
3/5 Skulls
Reviewed by – Bree Ogden
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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