Arcana/Dynamite Entertainment 2016
Written by Max Marks
Illustrated by Allan Otero
Coloured by Arcana Studios
Lettered by Chris Barrett
After a brutal run-in with black magic leaves him alone and wolfed-out full time, WolfCop has to turn tail back to Woodhaven for a reunion with old friends. But Lou Garou's hometown is even less welcoming than it was when he left it, and some unfamiliar faces have planned one hell of a surprise party for him, one where home field advantage might just not be enough…
Hot diggity damn am I really enjoying this series! There’s this just complete and utter silliness to this that’s presented to us in this serious way that shouldn’t work but does. Lou’s alcoholic nature seems to fuel the beast and make him more formidable and since we’ve rarely see him without a drink he should be darn well near impossible to beat. There’s something about Max’s characterisation here that kind of makes him that much more interesting than the premise behind him is and that i’m thoroughly enjoying it is great.
Coming back to Woodhaven may not have been the smartest move he’s made but as we see it’s kind of necessary. Though honestly that he’s such a large known figure and the locals are more than happy to take their chances going up against him is fun to see. Last we saw he left after Willie had his head chopped off and I wasn’t sure what he was going to do. So it’s nice to see that whatever it is that made him the WolfCop he is also affected Willie too. Immortality can be a bitch I suppose if you resurrect back in this town!
So for those of us who haven’t seen the movies this is stand alone fun and the introduction of Tina, Lou’s old partner is great to see. This leads into some extremely interesting stuff going on. At first I thought that perhaps that Lou was kind of an anomaly in this world but the more we see the more we realise that this world is all kinds of messed up and it needs a hero like this unlikely one it’s got in WolfCop.
Allan’s interiors here are so much fun and show off his creativity and imagination beautifully. Not only in making Lou as the WolfCop seem so natural in his appearance but in showing us those that he gets to go up against as well. From robotic or cyborg opponents to this otherworldly creature, that Willie describes as some Japanese Porn reject, what is able to bring to the page is utterly delightful. The use of page layouts with their angles and perspective are utilised extremely well.
The dialogue and characterisation here is simply marvelous. The humour injected throughout is a great foil for the seriousness of the situation or the absurdity of the foe they face. It’s got all these great “B” movie elements that elevate it from that to a seriously badass franchise.
Creative, imaginative and completely kooky and off the wall this is the definition of fun!