Comics

[Comic Book Review] “Wolf Moon” #1 Offers Wonderful Werewolf Bloodlust

Published

9 years ago

December 3, 2014

A heart-pounding rollercoaster ride, “Wolf Moon” #1 lets loose on the bloodlust found in the lycanthropy lore. This is an unflinching look at the hairy creatures who howl at the full moon. The “Wolf Moon” series delivers a promising introduction with such intensity, I cannot wait to get my hands on the second issue.

WRITTEN BY: Cullen Bunn

ART BY: Jeremy Haun

PUBLISHER: Vertigo Comics

PRICE: $3.99

RELEASE: December 3, 2014

Reviewed By Jorge Solis

Dillon has been haunted every night by the deaths of his hunter pack. Though they were well-armed, nothing could have prepared them for the bloodthirsty and savage beast waiting for them. Though Dillon survived, he has been scarred physically and must always live with that reminder that he failed his friends. Because the lunar cycle is almost coming to an end, Dillon is up against time itself to find his friend’s murderer.

Writer Cullen Bunn takes an interesting twist on the werewolf mythology, removing the “curse” aspect. Instead, the werewolf is a more of a symptom to an ever-spreading disease. Dillon, the hunter, is more interested in finding a cure to the disease, than putting the monster out of its misery. Bunn uses Dillon’s narration to voice the everyman’s internal conflict to explain the extraordinary.

The werewolf transformation is still painful to the human host before and after. Bunn portrays the host as a victim and the wolf itself as thrill-seeker. Plus the human host has to vomit the people he ate as a werewolf afterwards. Those gagging scenes are jaw-dropping, but I’m really glad that Bunn explained that course of actio;, instead of being gross for gore’s sake.

Artist Jeremy Haun goes to the max when it comes down to graphic violence. In an extreme close-up, Haun illustrates the wolf’s claws going through the man’s cheeks. Haun then kicks it up a notch, by drawing the fingers in the wolf’s fanged mouth. Notice how Haun also follows continuity, making sure there are always three marks on the side of Dillon’s face.

I enjoyed the vivid colors by Lee Loughridge in each panel. In a striking scene, Dillon attempts to run over the werewolf with his jeep. The tones are brightly yellow because the headlights are the main source. We then see the shape of the creature through its silhouette.

Off to a great start, “Wolf Moon” #1 oozes with bloody goodness. I really hope the second issue holds up to this intensity.

Related Topics:Comic Book Review comics Cullen Bunn DC Comics Jeremy Haun jorge solis Vertigo Comics Wolf Moon

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Comics

‘Witchblade’ is Getting Resurrected This Summer in New Comic Series from Top Cow and Image Comics

Published

6 days ago

April 18, 2024

Meagan Navarro

Witchblade, the popular comic series that initially ran from 1995 to 2015 and launched a TV series, is getting resurrected in a new comic series from Top Cow and Image Comics. It’s set to unleash heavy metal, black magic and blood this summer.

Look for the new Witchblade series to launch on July 17, 2024.

In Witchblade #1, “New York City Police Detective Sara Pezzini’s life was forever fractured by her father’s murder. Cold, cunning, and hellbent on revenge, Sara now stalks a vicious criminal cabal beneath the city, where an ancient power collides and transforms her into something wild, magnificent, and beyond her darkest imaginings. How will Sara use this ancient power, or will she be consumed by it?”

The series is penned by NYT Best-Selling writer Marguerite Bennett (Animosity, Batwoman, DC Bombshells) and visualized by artist Giuseppe Cafaro (Suicide Squad, Power Rangers, Red Sonja). The creative duo is working with original co-creator Marc Silvestri, who is the CEO of Top Cow Productions Inc. and one of the founders of Image Comics. They are set to reintroduce the series to Witchblade’s enduring fans with “a reimagined origin with contemporary takes on familiar characters and new story arcs that will hook new readers and rekindle the energy and excitement that fueled the 90’s Image Revolution that shaped generations of top creators.”

Bennett said in a statement, “The ability to tell a ferocious story full of monsters, sexuality, vision, and history was irresistible.” She adds, “Our saga is sleek, vicious, ferocious, and has a lot to say about power in the 21st century and will be the first time that we are stopping the roller coaster to let more people on. I’ve loved Witchblade since I was a child, and there is truly no other heroine like Sara with such an iconic legacy and such a rich, brutal relationship to her own body.”

“The Witchblade universe is being modernized to reflect how Marguerite beautifully explores the extreme sides of Sara through memories, her personal thoughts, like desire and hunger, in her solitude and when she is possessed by the Witchblade. So, I had to visually intersect a noir True Detective-like world with a supernatural, horror world that is a fantastic mix between Berserk and Zodiac,” Cafaro stated.

Marc Silvestri notes, “This is brand new mythology around Sara, and I can’t wait for you to fall in love with her and all the twists and turns. Discover Witchblade reimagined this summer, and join us as we bring all the fun of the 90s to the modern age and see how exciting comics can be. I can’t wait for you to read this new series.”

Witchblade#1 will be available at comic book shops on Wednesday, July 17th, for $4.99 for 48 pages. And it’ll come with multiple cover variants.