"Werewolf by Night #3" Comic Review

Red Wolf finally tracks down Jake Gomez, the new Werewolf by Night. After a brief battle, the two have a conversation about the history of the curse that turns Jake into a werewolf. All the while, the folks at Life Pharmaceuticals are manipulating Jake for their own needs.

We're now in the penultimate chapter of Werewolf by Night and writers Taboo & B. Earl are still establishing this mythos and these characters. This is a foundation that should have been laid in the first chapter. Unfortunately, this kills any momentum the story had left and pushes the Life Pharmaceuticals angle to a distant B plot.

This is unfortunate, as the origin is pretty interesting. It helps that it's illustrated in a beautiful double-page spread by Jeffrey Veregge. It shows how the Indigenous people have chronicled this curse as “The Song of the Wolf.” It was a little jarring when I first saw this bullet pointed list in the middle of the comic, however it works well with the image. It also contributing to the loss of momentum, as the story isn't so much told as taught. It's like we're in a museum and we're reading the cards on an exhibit. As fascinating as this is, it's not really a plot.

Click images to enlarge

The narration shifts from Jake to Red Wolf with this issue. Letterer Joe Sabino distinguishes this with caption boxes that have a red outline to them. It's a nice touch, although I'm thrown off a little by the switch between characters.

Since so much time has been spent building this mythos, you'd think there would be more investment with the characters. Instead, they're all surface level. It's hard to care about what's going on just yet, even after everything we've seen so far. The cliffhanger ending should be shocking, but instead, I'm left feeling a little confused and frankly, bored.

Scot Eaton's artwork is a highlight of Werewolf by Night, particularly the scenes with Jake's other form. He's huge and every bit a monster, striking fear in all but Red Wolf who tackles him with ease. It's amazing to see how Jake goes from this rabid beast to a humbled creature in a few panels. Despite his massive size and power, he can still look weak and vulnerable. Scott Hanna's inks highlight the impressive detail work here too.

Click images to enlarge

Colorist Miroslav Mrva sets the tone of each scene in Werewolf by Night. We start with the cool night with a more muted palette with blues and greys. This gives way to the bright light of the day in the desert as Red Wolf and Jake catch up. When Life's creatures attack, things pop with yellows and oranges as the battle begins.

Werewolf by Night was a highly anticipated relaunch with a ton of potential. With one chapter left, I have to wonder how the creative team is going to tie any of this together or at least leave the characters on a more solid footing with more stories to tell. Instead, it's more of a ho-hum, forgettable tale.