Review: The Howling: Revenge of the Werewolf Queen #1
This issue opens with our protagonist reminiscing about what happened in the first Howling movie. Chris is contacted by Lew Landers, Anchorman for KDHB-TV. They agree to a meeting, but when Chris arrives, Lew has committed suicide, or so it seems. A woman named Marsha arrives in Vera’s office and decides she wants a little dish best served cold… revenge!
Mickey Nielson brings us a good first issue and yes, he captures the feel for the movie quite nicely. The chills are there and the suspense builds throughout this issue. It is gory and not for the kiddies. It’s a straightforward horror/gore fest in the tradition of Joe Dante. Not too much of the plot is revealed in issue number one, but the reader will definitely have his/her interest peaked with what happens inside. A nice first issue.
Jason Johnson captures an understanding of the first Howling movie with his layout for the story. The panels bring Nielson’s words to life and His Werewolf is frightening. He has what it takes to bring this franchise to life in the world of comic books, an asset to Nielson’s words, I enjoyed the flow of this issue a lot. Great stuff.
In Conclusion
This issue picks up where the 1981 movie left off. 1981 was a good year for werewolf fans, not only did they get The Howling, they got An American Werewolf in London and Wolfen as well. But the Howling was the only one that led to an ongoing franchise with about 6 sequels (s0 far. Yes, I know that An American Werewolf in Paris was a sort of sequel to An American Werewolf in London, but the characters were different, so it wasn’t on going from the original film).
SPG does a great job in bringing the franchise to the medium of comic books and I’m sure issue two will be more of a story reveal. I love what they’ve done so far and I can’t wait for the next issue. ***1/2 (8.7 rating.)
The Howling: Revenge of the Werewolf Queen #1
Writer – Mickey Nielson
Art – Jason Johnson
Colors – Milen Parvanov
Letters – Taylor Esposito
Publisher – SPG Comics
Publication Date – May 2017