Comics
Review: “The Woods” #3
“The Woods” #3 fish-out-of-water cosmic horror story continues to chug along at a decent pace this month. All of the conflicts set up in the first two issues are beginning to take shape now. We’ve got two distinct storylines; Maria and her struggle against the oppressive and clueless school faculty juxtaposed against Adrian’s ragtag adventure group exploring “The Woods” in search of answers.
WRITTEN BY: James Tynion IV
ART BY: Michael Dialynas
PUBLISHER: BOOM! Studios
PRICE: $3.99
RELEASE: July 2, 2014
Reviewed By: Torbin Chimners
Now incarcerated within her very own school, Marie has her hands full. The principal is just a puppet preaching the gospel of Coach Clay. He’s aiming to rule this school like a totalitarian regime with the jocks as his personal army. His true motivations are still fuzzy at this point; it seems he making this power play now because of a twisted ideal of what’s right or to capture a glory he never could in his past life on Earth. Either way brutality is already creeping its way into the school, which is sure to become a warzone in coming issues.
On the opposite side of the spectrum are the free kids comprising Adrian’s expedition. They’ve got much more immediate, life threatening, concerns. Their story picks up promptly in the middle of the chase that started last issue. The kids are close to being torn limb from limb by the fluorescent green alien bear-dog and if that wasn’t enough Calder’s arm isn’t looking much better.
Both of these groups are heading in such different directions. The school is clearly the stronger plotline right now with Coach Clay in a position to do some real damage. It’s the ultimate high school nightmare of your teacher’s suddenly and forcefully taking real charge of your life. It’s tense and unsettling even more so than the group in the woods. Sure, Adrian’s group in the woods have a fair amount of physical threats but those aren’t as engaging to read about as the sociological and political threats Maria is facing.
The art is at its best with Adrian’s group. Michael Dialynas really gets to let go on this fantastical and florescent other world. The perfect blend of familiar and alien bring the woods to life in a way the school just can’t compare. Not to say the school looks bad, far from it. It’s just by virtue of being a familiar setting that it’s not as spectacular.
The Woods #3 is going through some growing pains but the overall creative concept is still incredibly promising. This is a book that’s either going to blossom or putter out in the next few issues. I’d like to see where it’s going but at this point I’m still not 100% sold.
Torbin Chimners AKA Torin Chambers is a rad dude from the nineties who does film stuff or something. Thomas the Tank Engine is his favorite transformer. Find him on Twitter@Vulgar_Rhombus
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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