Written by: Ales Kot
Art by: Ricardo Ortiz and Lee Loughridge
Publisher: Image
Despite my complaints and nitpicks, I really like the cut of Wolf’s jib. There’s something very compelling and charming about the package, and while the comic has some shortcomings—and there are a good handful in Issue 6—I still find it a pleasure to read.
Now onto the bad news.
The real problem with Issue 6 is one of exposition. It’s almost the entire comic. The first eight or so pages are Anita meeting with Freddie and some vampire and telling her side of the story, of what happened on that day in Issue 4. It’s mostly old information, and what is new isn’t all that important.
And it goes on for what feels like forever.
It’s made worse in how it’s structured. The left half of the page is pure white with text while the right half has the comic portion, but I found myself paying little attention to the artwork as I sped through the text, waiting for it to end so the narrative could resume.
When her story is complete, Freddie gives his, and it lasts almost just as long, though at least his information is new.
I like the characters in this comic, and I really liked the revelations we do get in Issue 6, but holy hell are they delivered in the most dull way possible. I do not require action in every issue—far from it—but I do want more than characters sitting in a dirty apartment havin’ a jaw.
Wolfe is still in prison, after all. A prison run by vampires. There are places this comic should be speeding towards!
Whether the comic needs such bouts of exposition is up for debate, but if you’re going to have it in there, just toss it in as one, big set of paragraphs on page one and get it over with. Recaps are like ripping off a band-aid. Do it quickly or it hurts.
The rest of the issue—though there sadly isn’t much left—is great and why I like this comic. The world gets a bit richer, Freddie gets more Freddie, and the ending panel promises a great show in Issue 7. The artwork is also quite nice. It’s mostly why I like the cut of this comic’s jib.
But the big promise in Issue 7 could have realistically started in this issue, I think. Instead, we have to wait another month.
