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I, of the Wolf preview

By Dan Horn
June 3, 2010 - 09:19

Lycanthropes, better known as werewolves, have lurked in the inky black forests of man's darkest nightmares for centuries. Made a cultural phenomenon by Lon Chaney, Jr.'s portrayal in George Waggner's 1941 Wolfman, the pack has since fallen on hard times and gone from ferocious to feeble. Chalk it up to tepid Underworld sequels, the ever shirtless Calvin Klein models of New Moon, or bad remakes of classic films, but whatever the case, the werewolf genre has gone stagnant after 1981's terrifying take on the wolfman mythos, An American Werewolf in London. With several recent cinematic missteps in ushering werewolves into the 21st century of horror preceding it, will Any Aisle Entertainment's graphic novel I, of the Wolf succeed where others have failed?

In many ways, yes.

Writer and creator Neil Kaplan and editor/co-writer Derek Maki offer up a no-holds-barred version of the American werewolf saga, complimented by JK Woodward and J. Zoe Frasure's visceral and grisly artwork. Putting a twist on the well-known curse by incorporating a werewolf that turns into a man when the full moon looms in the night sky but is bound in his wolf form at any other time, I, of the Wolf follows the central character Tom from his first encounter as a young boy with the werewolf to adulthood. The book delves into very dark subject matter from the very beginning and continues down those shadowy paths throughout. Kaplan and company's bleak view of the inherent darkness that abides within us all is strikingly effective.

At times, though, the interiors of this preview to the graphic novel were a bit of a visual quagmire and were difficult to follow. The lettering is also not one of the book's highlights and leaves much to be desired. Aside from a few touch-ups that need to be applied to the aesthetics, there were a few scripting lapses as well. Tom's character is really pretty dull to be quite honest, and though Kaplan tries early on to establish a sort of Stand By Me dynamic to his group of childhood friends, the pacing of the story ultimately steamrolls over any character development in the works. I'm also wondering if the "twist" on the werewolf curse is all that significant. The wolfman is ripping people to shreds even as a man, so how pertinent is it that he turns into a man during the full moon as opposed to his traditional counterparts?

I, of the Wolf is full of gorgeous artwork, interesting story-telling, and enough gore to appease any horror buff. With a little polishing, this book could be a fantastic addition to the werewolf legend.

Rating: 7 /10

Last Updated: August 31, 2023 - 08:12