Night of 1000 Wolves #2
Publisher: IDW Publishing
Writer: Bobby Curnow
Artist: Dave Wachter
As if you needed more than an army of wolves, axes, arrows, and fire, in this second issue we also get to see a little deeper into the history of why these vicious animals have gone berserk. A few of the neighbors come to help the family that was initially attacked, but one of them falls prey to a trio of wolves unexpectedly. The rest flee to a nearby fort that is run by another who knows the horrors of these beasts from years past. The family is very emotional, and the young boy, Rary, is obviously very upset about his sister being eaten alive. His father tells him that he did the best he could, but Rary thinks he didn’t do enough. The biggest part of the history lesson we get occurs when a couple of the elders are talking amongst themselves, and mention that the father of the family is connected to this plague by his father’s actions many years ago, or so they believe. For a time, all seems quiet, but then the night is violently disturbed by an attack of enormous proportions by another contingency of wolves, and this time will be bloodier than the last!
To say that this book is anything less than fascinating would be a crime. It has an original story, and one that’s not just surface material, but has a deep rooted history within it. It’s going to be amazing to see what happens with the “here and now,” but also to learn even more about the past, and that is how you can tell that this book is something special. Actually caring about a book from two different angles is something to marvel at in this day and age. Not to say there aren’t any good stories out there, but most entertain only on one level, rather than on multiple ones. It doesn’t sound like much, but it most certainly is. Depth of characters and story are what really drive this book to be one of the best out there right now.
Artist Dave Wachter pencils an excellent story. His double-page spread of the wolves coming towards the village, and then the very last page showing a giant wolf approaching the fort, are absolutely gorgeous. The wolves look insanely scary, but most of all, the werewolf and giant wolf that appear seem to be unstoppable because of their size and ferocity. The fort that the family escapes to is also a great piece of work, but even the characters themselves look as you’d expect if this was a novel. The people have a worn look to them, as if they’ve been fighting or doing some kind of tough manual labor all their lives. Even the children have that tough look that has been passed down through generations.
This mini-series is one issue away from wrapping up, and it’s definitely a sad feeling that that’s it. Personally, I won’t be satisfied, because there seems to be so much more story to tell. Hopefully, in the future we can get more from this creative team with this story, because they are presenting a masterpiece with it. Rating 4.5/5
Billy Dunleavy
billy@comicattack.net
