The Good
WOLF MOON manages to take a legend at least as old as old Hollywood in the conscience of the country, and of course much, much older in point of fact, and do something truly novel with it. And not anything that fundamentally changes or alters what the legend is or does something so drastic that it might as well be a whole new story, it’s a change that’s as subtle as it is unique: what if the curse of the werewolf jumped from person-to-person, seemingly at random? Last issue gave us a glimpse at a former holder of the curse who now seeks to put a permanent stop to it after it’s taken control of, and ruined, his life though he no longer transforms. Dillon Chase is a fairly standard protagonist, but he’s written with a certain grim flair that stops him from being boring. And Cullen Bunn has given him a decent support network of more interesting, certainly weirder, characters. These naturally introduce us to some backstory, not just for the Chase, but for the wolf itself. This can be a tricky proposition as it can seem ridiculous that someone’s explaining what the main character should already know, but since this one seemingly went off mostly on his own, barely half-cocked, it makes sense that he wouldn’t know what’s true and what isn’t. It even gives a decent nod to the werewolf’s most well-known weakness and while the explanation for the wolf itself isn’t exactly a grounded explanation, it’s an interesting, somewhat novel one. It’s also intercut with imagery that seems to be of Chase’s transformation, but could be a more recent one as well and here’s where the visuals really take off.
Last issue Jeremy Haun showed us some next-level horror gore and this issue goes even farther with it. It’s certainly graphic, but I’d hesitate to call it gratuitous or unnecessary as this is a book about humanity and savagery, and frankly werewolves have always needed a certain amount of gore to be truly effective on that viseral level. The intercuts help keep the reader guessing and are spaced out enough that the entire book gains a great pace and sense of terror. Just as the conversation lulls, we see more startling, vicious imagery that serves to help us exactly why Chase lives the way he does and why he suffers the way he does. Lee Loughridge’s colors are muddy, dark, and completely apropos for the story being told. They serve to understate what we’re seeing and bring a sense of horrific realness to it by not being so over-the-top that the violence is simply dismissible as exploitation.
The Bad
There are a couple of times when the pace, rather than the enhancing the grim, despondent tone of the book, becomes flat and almost uninteresting. This is never when the wolf hunt is on, and I can clearly see why that was included, but ultimately this is a book about two, eventually three, men having a conversation after only one issue.
The Verdict
Even mini-series need some establishment, and this one works most, if not all, the time. Maybe it’s because werewolves never seem to get a fair shake in pop culture so they haven't become tiresome, but seeing something truly interesting and novel done with an underappreciated, long-running monster is a true breath of fresh air to the genre and the medium of comics. The mythology getting established is a fascinating one, though I have no clue how much will actually be filled in by the end, and I’m not positive I WANT all of it to be cut-and-dry. Whatever happens, this issue is a tremendously enjoyable ride and helps cement this book as one well worth checking out if you’re at all interested in seeing a new approach to an old favorite.