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The Pack #3 (of 3)
Publisher: Th3rd World Studios
Writer: Mike Raicht
Artist: Daniel Faccilongo
Finally! At long last we have the conclusion to The Pack! In this final issue, we find out how many werewolves have been hiding in this seemingly quiet little town! Also, who was the first to start spreading the disease among all the kids! After last issue, when Greg and Nancy found out that David was involved somehow, we’re shown a little history of David and his family that was previously missing, and it explains a lot about the here and now. David explains that Blake is the “bad” werewolf, but he is the “good” one. He also informs them that Blake has infected a few others, and that he wants revenge for having to take a backseat to Greg around school and on the football team. All this is leading to a final confrontation between Blake and his group of werewolves, and David, Greg, and Nancy. One thing that may turn the tables, though, is the fact that David knows the weakness of the werewolf, and he’s got a gun and some silver bullets to stop not only Blake and his pack, but himself, as well!
This book, although running a little late, is definitely worth the time to grab. In an interview I did with Mike a while back, he stated that he wanted this story to be similar to the horror and teen-drama movies from the eighties, and it certainly did read that way. The interaction between the kids was great, and definitely mirrored those types of flicks. There were moments of emotion, and also of humor and sarcasm, that were perfect. Unfortunately, it does feel a little rushed. The story would have benefited from another issue or two for sure. In any case, this should be a starting point for more books of this nature from Raicht (he has alluded to such things for the future). He clearly loves the genre and has an unmistakeably keen eye for such things.
The artist, Faccilongo, has a style that fits a horror book of this nature. His work is gritty and dark, as expected from a book about werewolves. His best work in the book is surely with the characters themselves. His portrayal of the character Nancy is excellent. Her face, hair, and overall looks were exactly on point with her attitude and what anyone would picture a girl in high school would look like. His werewolves were pretty good, too, but some of the fight scenes were slightly awkward. Nothing terrible or anything, but just slightly unclear as far as who was who. The covers throughout the whole series were great and really should grab people’s attention when they see it on the shelf. Overall, the series was solid, but would have been even better if it was four or five issues long. Rating 3.5/5
Billy Dunleavy
billy@comicattack.net