Review: WAYWARD #5

WAYWARD #5
IMAGE COMICS – @ImageComics

STORY: Jim Zub – @jimzub
ART: Steve Cummings – @stekichikun
COLORS: Tamra Bonvillain – @TBonvillain
LETTERS: Marshall Dillon – @MarshallDillon
COVER: Steve Cummings with Tamra Bonvillain
VARIANT COVER: Marguerite Sauvage
28pp, Color, $3.50 U.S.

Wayward #5 arrives in comic book shops today (Wednesday, December 17, 2017).  It is the conclusion of the series' first story arc (“String Theory”).  Wayward is the creation of writer Jim Zub and penciller Steve Cummings.  Published by Image Comics, Wayward focuses on Rori Lane, a half-Irish/half-Japanese teen girl.  Rori is trying to start a new life in Japan with her mother, Sanae, only to find herself connected to the magic and ancient creatures that lurk in the shadows of Tokyo.

Wayward #5 (“Chapter Five”) opens after the battle in the decommissioned subway tunnels beneath Ueno Park.  Rori and her “gang” of fellow supernatural types, Ayane, Shirai, and Nikaido narrowly defeated a band of monsters.  Rori discovered, however, from the leader of their attackers, that all was not what it seemed.  Now, Rori races home, sensing that her mother, Sanae, is in danger.  It is actually worse and more complicated that she imagines.

As with previous issues, the ComicBookBin received an advanced review PDF copy of Wayward #5 that writer Jim Zub sent to reviewers.  This fifth issue is also the close of the series' first story arc.  Wayward is going on a two-month hiatus and will return in March 2015.

Zub and Cummings leave us with a beautifully drawn and exceptionally told series, and while they leave us with many questions, they also leave us caught in the weave.  We want to be Wayward.  With each new issue, Wayward expands its scope without losing its great sense of mystery.  With similarities to Buffy the Vampire Slayer, yokai manga, and Harry Potter, Wayward is that amazing new fantasy series we've been waiting for DC Comics' Vertigo imprint to give us.  Instead, Jim Zub, Steve Cummings, and Image Comics have given it to us.  Gimme more.

A

[Wayward #5 contains another engrossing essay, “Hyakki Yagyo and the Yokai Invasion,” by Zack Davisson (@ZackDavisson), with art by Steve Cummings.]

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux


The text is copyright © 2014 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog for syndication rights and fees.

Review: WAYWARD #4

WAYWARD #4
IMAGE COMICS – @ImageComics

STORY: Jim Zub – @jimzub
ART: Steve Cummings – @stekichikun
COLORS: Josh Perez and Tamra Bonvillain – @dyemooch and @TBonvillain
LETTERS: Marshall Dillon – @MarshallDillon
COVER: Steve Cummings and Ross A. Campbell
VARIANT COVER: Philip Tan
28pp, Color, $3.50 U.S.

Arriving in comic book stores today, Wednesday, November 26, 2014, is the fourth issue of Wayward.  This is the fascinating new fantasy comic book series from writer Jim Zub (Skullkickers) and penciller Steve Cummings and published by Image Comics.  Wayward focuses on Rori Lane, a half-Irish/half-Japanese teen girl.  Rori is trying to start a new life in Japan with her mother, Sanae, only to find herself connected to the magic and ancient creatures that lurk in the shadows of Tokyo.

As Wayward #4 (“Chapter Four”) opens, Rori is trying to keep doing the mundane things in life (like attending school), even after experiencing so much of the supernatural.  She gathers her “gang” of fellow supernatural types:  Ayane, Shirai, and Nikaido for a supernatural pow-wow.  Their meeting is centered around answering the question, “What does each of us know about the supernatural?”  In the decommissioned subway tunnels beneath Ueno Park, Rori finds the kind of answers that are really just more questions.

The ComicBookBin received the advanced review PDF copy of Wayward #4 that writer Jim Zub sent to reviewers.  It's much appreciated, but do I feel obligated to give Wayward a good review because Zub gives me a chance to read one of my favorite comic books a little early?  Actually, I feel obligated to break into Zub's house or into the Image Comics offices, whichever one allows me to read future issues of Wayward now.

Seriously, I like Wayward... a lot.  Instead of comparing it to Buffy the Vampire Slayer, I compare it to Harry Potter in the following way.  Potter was essentially a series of mystery novels, in which the hero and his allies traveled to unknown, but fantastic places; they dealt with a growing cast of characters, each character having shifting alliances and secretive motivations.  The endgame was not just to discover a villain, but to also unravel a far-reaching conspiracy that was born in the past and could determine the future, as well as the fate of countless people.

Wayward offers a mystery that is as unknown as it is alluring.  Like Rori following the glowing threads that guide (or lead) her, we don't know where this mystery will take us, but let's follow!  Rori is not so much Buffy fighting monsters as she is like Harry Potter guiding us into a fantastic labyrinth of conspiracies and old secrets.  Let's keep going Wayward.

A

[Wayward #4 contains the engrossing essay, “Tokyo Underground,” by Zack Davisson (@ZackDavisson), with art by Steve Cummings.]

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux


The text is copyright © 2014 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog for syndication rights and fees.