Comic Review: The Astounding Wolf-Man #6

[jakebe]

Most people probably haven’t heard of this title, which is a shame, because it’s a really good one. It’s taken a little bit to get all of the pieces in order, but now that we know who everyone is and what secrets they’re carrying with them, things are starting to rumble along at a really good clip.

Here, I’ll summarize: Gary Hampton is a wealthy CEO who was bitten by a werewolf, and is now under the effects of the curse. He has trouble dealing with it until he meets Zechariah, a vampire who helps Gary control his transformation and start fighting crime as the Astounding Wolf-Man. There are a few bumps along the way; during the full moon, Gary’s transformation takes on its worst form and he becomes a slavering beast with no reasoning whatsoever. He finds this out in the worst possible way; during one of these spells, he kills the leader of a superhero team in cold blood. He’s genuinely repentant for his actions, but the team is calling for his head now.

Gary’s also been evicted from his house, thrown out of his own company due to a hostile takeover, and his family life is in shambles. He’s ‘outed’ himself to his wife, Rebeccah, and daughter, Chloe, and while his wife is coping his daughter is absolutely not. What’s more, there’s a pack of werewolves who tells him Zechariah isn’t to be trusted because of his vampiric nature, and his mentor himself has a secret or two. It turns our Captain Superior isn’t dead after all, but held in the vampire’s lair for unknown reasons.

In this issue, we see the effects of Gary’s misfortunes on Chloe; they’ve moved into an underground lair beneath a mall for now, but it’s gotten out at school that her family’s fallen on hard times. She’s been mocked and alienated for months now, and she’s finally at the breaking point. This leads to an argument between Gary and Rebecca, straining their marriage further.

This storyline has been playing out for a few issues now, and writer Kirkman has been careful to devote at least a few pages to it. They’ve been progressing things bit by bit, and we’re finally starting to see pay-off here; Chloe’s resentment, Rebecca’s stoic but troubled acceptance, the steadily sinking fortunes of the Hampton clan. Things have to break at some point, and I like the way Kirkman has decided to let things slide naturally, so that things aren’t happening all at once. Not only is it really efficient, but it really gives you a lingering sense of unhappiness. Things aren’t well, but the only thing Gary can do is press on.

Meanwhile, the Wolf-Man stops a scientist being pursued by the cops, thinking the guy must have done something wrong. It turns out he’s running from some escaped experiment, a guy who acts as a living battery, absorbing kinetic energy and using it to make him stronger. You know, I really like the superheroes that populate this universe.

Anyway, the superhero team pops up to help apprehend the guy, and while they’re there, take out the Wolf-Man. The typical superpowered bad-ass fight ensues, but it’s stopped by the good Captain himself, who reveals that even though he’s walking around, he’s not really alive.

I love it when long-building plots come together. There seems to be a bit of rumbling amongst fans that the comic started out really slowly, but I don’t feel that way at all. Maybe I just have a higher tolerance for writers figuring themselves out before really clicking with everything, or maybe I was too distracted by the sheer awesomeness of a werewolf superhero to notice that things might be a tad boring.

This title is really starting to gel well, and everything – from the writing to the great art by Jason Howard – is coming into its own. Astounding is one of those hidden gems that should be getting a bit more attention than it does, so I think I might have to become an evangelist for it. Go and buy it!

Rating: 8/10