Writer: Bobby Curnow
Artist: Dave Wachter
Letters: Chris Mowry
IDW
From the get-go, Night of 1,000 Wolves proves to be a simple, yet highly grizzly and terrifying tale about a small family on their farm, pitted against 1000 f**king wolves! It’s a bit more complicated than that, of course, but it’s base appeal is the brutality and paralysing fear these wolves cause not only to the characters but, reader as well. Curnow and Wachter don’t ease you into this brutal tale, killing children and packs of wolves alike within moments. With that quick slap to the face of terror and gore, I found myself greatly involved and fascinated in the back story behind these attacks and just how the hell it is these people will survive. Zombies? Survivable. Crossed? Survivable. Vampires? Survivable. 1000 Wolves? No freaking way!
Sophia finds herself in a tough position, seemingly more often then not, when her elderly, lore-obsessed father and closed minded husband cross swords on just about any given topic. Jonus has made it more than clear that he does not approve of the way Harrick has run his family and that he didn’t deserve the presence of his daughter. After witnessing the full moon under Jupiter in the sky Jonus realized the vengeful, gigantic wolf, Nagbre was on her way alongside her many, equally as freaky, children. This was bad news bears and in order to prevent it he makes a quick attempt at sacrificing a goat – Damn, Harrick interrupts though, setting off a hellish whirl-wind of death and flesh-devouring wolves.
Although obviously present and pleasantly crafted, the writing and dialogue of this issue sit on the sidelines, serving little more purpose than to accompany the incredible and moving story presented in the art. Not that it’s a bad thing, I think it’s great when writers allow artists plot driving control throughout their panels. It adds a certain first-hand feeling that an overly narrated, wordy writer may have destroyed. The eerie silence of the farm carries from page to page, haunting you as you make your way through the issue expecting an attack at every turn but, ultimately calling it wrong and greatly misunderstanding the wolves ability to dig into a house. (Yeah, they do that too.) These are some scary looking wolves, no fluff and cuddles here. Just teethy, growling, life destroying, monsters with a vendetta on man-kind.
I don’t often purchase IDW comics (for no particular reason) but, after reading Night of 1,000 Wolves I can say I will be checking out a lot more of their line. This ones a real charmer and change of pace in the horror genre and I can’t wait to see what else they have to offer in other themes! I’ve thoroughly enjoyed this issue several times over now and I honestly cannot wait for the next instalment. I recommend you pick this bad boy up, it’s well worth the $3.99 price tag!
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