IDW Publishing 2017
Written by Beau Smith
Illustrated by Angel Hernandez
Coloured by Jay Fotos
Lettered by Christa Miesner
Well after the events at Black Rock that was part of the last arc we are opening up with the gang back in Pugatory where Wynonna’s past is about to crash the relaxation party. So get ready for look at a time when Wynonna was just starting out after having left Purgatory for the first time.
As the girls have a chance to talk at the homestead over at Shorty’s we see Val and Doc get to run the joint. Also it’s nice to see that Dolls is also stationed here now in Purgatory whether he wants to be or not. Also there’s a new addition to the team whom we met at Black Rock and she’s here as a Deputy to Deputy Dolls.
I like what Beau is doing here. While we’re getting a more indepth look into Wynonna’s past that doesn’t mean what we are learning isn’t also happening in the present. The way he structures a story is great to see, easy to follow and this issue is completely new reader friendly. We get enough backstory to flesh out what happened last to keep us moving forward with the characters in their current roles. Plus the charac terisation here is simply wonderful to see. Val and Doc look, feel and act like they should totally be a couple but let’s face it each of them is much too hot headed for anything to really work out and the tension between Doc and Wynonna well that’s too delicious to ignore.
Angel’s interiors here are really nice to see. I like the way his linework looks and feels on the page. The attention to detail here is really nice as well and while it is definitely a comic book style art it still shows enough to really be impressive. The way page layouts are used through the utilisation of angles, perspective and backgrounds make the flow of the book really nice to see. Also the resemblence of the characters on the page to the actors in the show is immediately recognizable and yet there’s still room for the interpretation that is needed in this medium.
Well it’s too bad that Lost Dave was found only to be lost again so soon. I know he’s the catalyst for what is going to happen in this arc but he’s surly, ornery and all kinds of interesting so hopefully we’ll see him still in flashbacks as this story moves forward. Again its a great example of what Beau is able to do with his characterisation to get us invested in a charac ter quickly and is able to leave a really strong impression. Plus what happens to and with him here makes sense since it’s something that is guaranteed to make Wynonna angry and able to go off half-cocked and ready to rumble.
So with a solid story in place and a lot of growth still to come we get to learn more about Wynonna’s past and how her “team” or current “family” feel about her. Fun for fans of Wynonna before the SyFy series and after as things are about to more real than anyone’s prepared for! This is why she’s been able to transcend one medium and branch out, she’s personable, interesting and let’s face it the kind of badass that we love to see.