Comics
[Comic Book Review] “The Names” # 2 Is Infectious As Hell
‘The Names,’ billed as “The Wolf of Wall Street meets Kill Bill,” is a radical thriller that’s both ruthlessly impassioned and viciously ruckus. It’s also cliffhanger city. The last page doesn’t come close to alleviating the built-up tension from 22-pages of sizzling mystery and bloody action…it only intensifies it. The juxtaposition of the widowed Katya and her stepson Philip really shines in issue two, adding the depth of a character study into the fast-paced, gruesome mixture.
WRITTEN BY: Peter Milligan
ART BY: Leandro Fernandez
PUBLISHER: Vertigo Comics
PRICE: $2.99
RELEASE: October 1, 2014
Reviewed By Bree Odgen
Issue two takes us international as Katya begins the hunt for clues that her late husband, Walker, sent her premortem (only to be useful postmortem). Don’t you worry, the international bashing of a man’s skull until he sings like a canary looks a lot like it does in America. And as with last issue’s beat-down, Katya loses her suspect—right before the critical information is revealed—to some kind of mysterious stroke that appears to be manufactured by The Names to silence the squeals of desperate men. But it’s Philip who puts this together because… it takes two (in this case) to make a thing go right. While Katya is the muscle, the fight, and the pure, unadulterated revenge, Philip is the brains; the Beautiful Mind, if you will. But together they make a deadly intelligent team. And although they dislike each other, on a level not quite understandable to the reader just yet, they share a deep love for Walker and will both cross any line to avenge his death.
Meanwhile, The Surgeon is causing terror of his own accord. He’s reminiscent of The Joker on a high dosage of PCP. He’s now got the cops under his scalpel and therefore anything that comes of their investigation is compromised. With the power of The Names behind him, his razor sharp scalpel, and his psychopathic nature, not a whole lot can stand in his way. Basically he’s an insanely powerful loose cannon and those are terrifying…truly, the scariest type of villain. Not to mention it’s beginning to look like his agenda might split from that of The Names, and then he’s not a loose cannon anymore but a D-40 shooting through the air straight for Katya and Philip. While The Names seem sure that Katya won’t become a problem, The Surgeon sees the situation for what it is and is poised to act.
‘The Names’ is insanely fast-paced, infectious as hell, and a shit ton of entertainment. The dynamics between the characters are incredible, and the only thing that rivals the perfect mystery that’s been set up to slowly unfold is the fire blazing inside Katya. As she follows Walker’s scavenger hunt for clues, she kills who needs to be killed and doesn’t look back. My personal favorite part of the series is the tenuous relationship between Katya and Philip. It’s either going to blossom into something kickass or implode in a mess of batshit futility. This comic is a keeper. It’s intelligent, highly stylized crime fiction with a deadly sexy broad and dangerous curves ahead.
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Bree Ogden is a literary agent at D4EO Literary Agency, a judge for the Ghastly Awards, and the managing editor of the macabre children’s magazine Underneath the Juniper Tree, which she co-founded in 2011 with artist Rebekah Joy Plett. When she’s not watching horror films, reading comics, hiding out at the Pacific Science Center, or killing off her bee colonies, she teaches graphic novel scripting at LitReactor.com. Twitter: @breeogden
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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