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.

Reads: WAYWARD #3

WAYWARD #3
IMAGE COMICS – @ImageComics

STORY: Jim Zub – @jimzub
ART: Steve Cummings – @stekichikun
COLORS: John Rauch and Jim Zub with Tamra Bonvillain – @John_Rauch and @TBonvillain
LETTERS: Marshall Dillon – @MarshallDillon
COVER: Steve Cummings and Ross A. Campbell
VARIANT COVER: Jorge Molina
28pp, Color, $3.50 U.S.

Additional material by Zack Davisson (@ZackDavisson) and Steve Cummings

Writer Jim Zub sent an advanced review PDF copy of the third issue of Wayward to comics media people, and the ComicBookBin was one of the recipients.  I decided to also share the good news about Wayward with you, dear reader.  I really appreciate the chance to read advanced comics, but when the comic book is something as good as Wayward, I almost feel honored to receive it.

Wayward is the intriguing new fantasy comic book series from Zub and penciller Steve Cummings.  Published by Image Comics, Wayward focuses on Rori Lane, a half-Irish/half-Japanese teen girl who is trying to start a new life in Japan, only to find herself connected to the magic and ancient creatures that lurk in the shadows of Tokyo.

As Wayward #3 (“Chapter Three”) opens, Rori can sense a storm is brewing – both naturally and supernaturally.  She still isn't fitting in at school, but she's found a homeboy, of sorts, in Shirai, a teenaged boy who can “eat ghosts.”  Meanwhile, somewhere else in Tokyo, a stranger man senses a “rogue weaver.”  Also, enter Nikaido, and someone whom Rori knows has a secret.

Clearly, Wayward is attracting readers, and I think that is because Jim Zub is slowly introducing readers to a world of magic and intrigue.  Perhaps, it is a really big world, and the only way for Zub to do right by his creation is to work through the characters.  They confront the magic in bits and pieces, rather than having to face an epic, wide-ranging magical conspiracy all at once.  Zub knows that if we buy into the characters first, we will also accept the supernatural that they encounter as they encounter it.

Yes, someone says the word, “magic,” in this chapter, but artist Steve Cummings perfectly blends the magical, the supernatural, and the otherness into a solidly real world of mundane tasks and ordinary living.  Cummings is going to make us invest in this world, by recognizing its relationship to ours.  Cummings' art is kind of teaching our imaginations to feel the difference between an ordinary world in which magic just might be as legitimate a part of the world as anything else.

Yeah, it's not fluke.  Wayward is one of the best new titles of the year.  Plus,  Zack Davisson offers another hugely informative essay on the mythology of Japan in “The Magical Foxes of Japan.”

A

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux


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

Review: WAYWARD #2

WAYWARD #2
IMAGE COMICS – @ImageComics

STORY: Jim Zub – @jimzub
ART: Steve Cummings @stekichikun
COLORS: John Rauch @John_Rauch and Jim Zub
LETTERS: Marshall Dillon @MarshallDillon
COVER: Steve Cummings and Ross A. Campbell
VARIANT COVER:  Riley Rossmo
28pp, Color, $3.50 U.S.

Additional material by Zack Davisson (@ZackDavisson)

The second issue of Wayward, the intriguing new fantasy comic book series from Image Comics, was just published.  Written by Jim Zub (Skullkickers) and drawn by Steve Cummings, Wayward focuses on Rori Lane, a half-Irish/half-Japanese teen girl who is trying to start a new life in Japan, only to find herself confronted by the ancient creatures that lurk in the shadows of Tokyo.

As Wayward #2 (“Chapter Two”) opens, Rori arrives home late, after a night of craziness in Tokyo, in which she encountered monsters with swords and a warrior-girl.  Now, she has to get ready for her first day at school, which she knows will be difficult.  How difficult will that first day be?  One of her classmates has a secret for which he is willing to kill.

After praising Wayward #1 around the beginning of August, I was a bit concerned that I would be disappointed in Wayward #2.  Writer Jim Zub sent a PDF copy of #2 to the ComicBookBin, and I approached it with trepidation.  I didn't need to worry because #2 kept #1 from being a fluke.  So far, Wayward does indeed look to be one of the year's best new comic book series and one of the best fantasy comic books period.

Advertising copy and promotional material describe Wayward as Buffy the Vampire Slayer for a new generation.  That may be true, but it is certainly a damn good comic book for any generation that can read.  It has the kind of intrigue and sense of mystery that permeate Mike Mignola's Hellboy universe, and it crackles with the kind of magic that fills Harry Potter.  I imagine that quite a few comic book readers will be eagerly awaiting each new issue.

A

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux


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

Review: WAYWARD #1

WAYWARD #1
IMAGE COMICS – @ImageComics

STORY: Jim Zub – @jimzub
ART: Steve Cummings
COLORS: John Rauch and Jim Zub
LETTERS: Marshall Dillon
COVER: Steve Cummings and Ross A. Campbell
VARIANT COVER:  Alina Urusov; Jeff “Chamba” Cruz; Adam Warren and John Rauch
28pp, Color, $3.50 U.S.

Additional material by Zack Davisson and Kalman Andrasofszky

Jim Zub sent the ComicBookBin a PDF copy of the first issue of his new comic book series, Wayward, published by Image Comics.  I reviewed it for the Bin and am now posting a slightly altered version of that review for you, dear readers, on I Reads You.

Wayward is an intriguing new fantasy comic book series from writer Jim Zub (Skullkickers, Suicide Squad: Amanda Waller) and penciller Steve Cummings (Legends of the Dark Knight, Deadshot) and published by Image Comics.  The upcoming series focuses on a teen girl trying to start a new life only to find herself confronted by the ancient creatures that lurk in the shadows of Tokyo.

Wayward #1 (“Chapter One”) opens as Rori Lane arrives in Japan from Ireland.  She is the child of a Japanese mother and an Irish father.  Her parents divorced, and although she initially stayed in Ireland, she is now moving to Japan to live with her mother.

Moving halfway across the world from Ireland to make a new home means that Rori will have to make some cultural adjustments, but she is game.  Things are going well, and it seems as if she and her mother can live together.  However, things take a turn for the weird when Rori begins glimpsing signs, creatures, and other things that no one else can see.  Then, there is Ayane...

It seems as if the selling point of Wayward is to compare it to Buffy the Vampire Slayer.  I received a PDF copy for review from series writer, Jim Zub, and on one page of the PDF is the tagline, “Buffy the Vampire Slayer for a new generation.”  On the same page, Hellboy is referenced.  With the comparisons/references to Buffy and Hellboy, you might think Wayward is a Dark Horse Comics title.  In truth, Wayward's first issue makes a good first step towards being the long-running fantasy franchise that both Buffy and Hellboy are.

However, Wayward does also resemble, to one extent or another, urban fantasy comics published by DC Comics' imprint, Vertigo (particularly Crossing Midnight), and by VIZ Media (the sublime Natsume's Book of Friends).  In fact, the manga and Japanese comparisons are appropriate as Wayward's pencil artist, Steve Cummings, drew the OEL manga (American manga) titles, Pantheon High and Star Trek: The Manga, for TOKYOPOP.

Whether the creators hope for their new comic book to inherit the mantle of Buffy the Vampire Slayer or not, we can keep discussing in the future.  What I can say is that Wayward is a series with promise and with a promising lead character.  Rori Lane is the kind of misfit who isn't afraid of the big, mean world.  She doesn't seem like a young woman ready to run away, and in that, she is like Buffy.  Zub uses internal dialogue (via caption boxes) both to endear her to us and to make her journey of discovery our journey also.  I can tell by this winning first issue that some readers will be glad to be Rori's Scooby gang, and, if need be, her BPRD.  I am one of them.

The art by Steve Cummings, John Rauch, and Jim Zub is colorful and vibrant.  Wayward's Tokyo might be a crowded modern city, but it isn't drab or dull; the monsters in the shadows will make sure of that.  Cummings' storytelling is clean and straight-forward, which makes the magic and mystery stand out.

I think that Wayward will be different from the other titles that Image is publishing, and that's a good thing.  I think the Young Adult novel has finally made it to comics in the form of Wayward, and I think it will be one of the standout new titles of the year.

A-

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux


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