Written and Illustrated by BECKY CLOONAN
One of the greatest challenges I experienced as an English major in my undergraduate and graduate studies was writing the condensed paper. The condensed paper required me to cover the most significant subject matter from a text, and yet, I would only have two to three pages at most to cover everything while still providing sufficient detail. It's a lot harder than it sounds when done well. Yet, Becky Cloonan does something of the same sort as both writer and artist of the stand-alone comic Wolves exceedingly well. It was a curious challenge she laid before herself in publishing a single, one-shot story; however, given her aptitude at doing so, I hope she continues to push herself as both an artist and writer.
Before I review the work, I think it's worth pointing out that I am cheap when it comes to buying comics. If I'm dropping $3.99 on a comic, I want a lot of story. I grew up when comics had more story, less adverts, and cost far less than they do now. Times change, but my expectations for quality have not. So, I happened to see Becky Cloonan posting on her twitter account about a $.99 cent sale on Amazon.com for a book she was self-publishing. Having reviewed and enjoyed her work with Brian Wood on Conan: The Barbarian, I figured it was worth a shot. So I downloaded her book to my Kindle Fire and sat back to read it. And what a treat my eyes were in for when I started.
Normally, I talk story first and art second when I review a book—it's just the approach I typically prefer. In this instance, however, I want to focus on the art. Perhaps one of the highest compliments I can pay an artist after reading his or her work is that I never even needed the dialogue or textbooks to get the narrative. This is one of the reasons why Steve Ditko is—in my mind—an absolute artistic genius. If you are unsure as to the veracity of my claim, do yourself a favor and read The Amazing Spider-Man #33. It is one of the premier examples of the artist as storyteller. Cloonan makes use of text boxes and some dialogue, but the story is truly carried through the gray tone art. But she avoids simply telling readers how her characters feel; instead, the simple expression conveyed in the glance of a warrior's eye shows readers the remorse and worn soul housed within them. This is what graphic storytelling is all about. Further, it is a smart and calculating artist who thinks about panel shape and size to convey emotion to readers, and one set of examples can be seen when Cloonan adapts soft, rounded panels to frame the lovers while sharp, angular panels fittingly portray the warrior's battle with the wolf. The sad truth is that I've read some comics where the artist is clearly dialing it in when I've paid four times more than I did for this single issue; yet, Cloonan makes a hauntingly beautiful comic for so much less while containing so much more.
Love, loss, warriors, and werewolves—what more could possibly be included in this single issue? Yet, I found myself lingering over each page, soaking up the details Cloonan painstakingly shares with her readers, and asking myself questions about the warriors true motivations behind his hunt, particularly towards the end of the issue. Between my exposure to her artistic work on Conan: The Barbarian and now independent efforts with Wolves, I will be keeping an even closer eye on her work in and out of the fantasy genre.
My only disappointment is Wolves ended after the first issue; otherwise, she'd have at least one more customer queuing this book up in his Amazon store for a regular subscription. But I am really impressed with her ability to draft such a compelling short story in such a limited space and still thoroughly engage her readers with a beautiful and yet tragic comic. And I should point out that I do not believe all comics are worth a full-five star rating. I gave one to this book because I don't feel it's often a comic leaves me wanting more story to read and continuing to dwell on the imagery well after having finished the reading. To have been able to accomplish this in such a compressed time frame, however, is what makes Wolves a truly stand out story.
WRITING: 5/5
ART: 5/5
OVERALL: 5/5
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