Writer Robert Kirkman is such a superstar in the comic book world that he could write a series about anything and it'd get published. Case in point: this series, which has just ended, is about a superhero that's also a werewolf. Lame? That's kind of, sort of the point. I do enjoy Kirkman's three monthly books, Haunt, The Walking Dead, and Invincible, but he's always seemed like the type of comic book writer that anyone could simulate. When I read a book by Alan Moore or Neil Gaiman or even Joe Hill I'm often astonished and realize how great they are and how I could never write as good as them. With Kirkman, his writing is akin to an everyman approach. That's part of the appeal I suppose, but it's also a bit of a curse. This book ends here with #25, a big finale of sorts, although the obvious problem is that it wraps up two major plots but introduces two more. This book was terrific early on because of the non-stop cliffhangers, double-crosses, and major characters biting the dust. The last dozen issues merely went through the paces, and this last issue is simply standard when it certainly deserved to be special. Gary, the werewolf, finally escapes both The Elder and his vampire nemesis. Gary ends up taking over the horde of werewolves, training them to become a part of a superhero group that go after bad guys like Grog. The best thing about this issue is the art. Jason Howard can never draw a serious comic book, but his cartoon style art works great in this over-the-top world of superhero werewolves, ninja-clad daughters, villainous vampires, and Pentagon dudes in suits. It was never a masterpiece of a series, but it was gory and fun and felt like an old-fashioned romp, which is what comic books were always supposed to be. Now if only it had ended as wild as it started. **
No comments:
Post a Comment