Review: Virgin Wolf #1 Or Who’s Afraid?

Previously…

Some time ago, I reviewed One Nation # 1, a comic written by Jason Reeves and Alverne Ball. It's a book I think everyone should read and it introduced me to the undiscovered talent Ball possessed. I later learned that he was working on a solo series called Virgin Wolf and figured it'd make a great follow-up to ON.

 

Situation

The story opens with our main character, Virgin, making her way through a hive of scum and villainy. Here, she has a sword to heart talk with the guards of a notorious noble, who is spending some ‘quality time’ with a woman of the evening.  Of course the noble, named Louie ‘The loon’ Granville, doesn’t take too kindly to this interruption, and responds by transforming into a werewolf before attacking Virgin. Unshaken by this, our heroine confronts him head on, effectively removing his (head) from his shoulders during their exchange. What follows is a manhunt, for his killer and reveals Virgin’s quest for vengeance. 

Story

While not a fan of medieval setting, I do like the fact that Ball used the common misconceptions of women in that era to Virgin's advantage. In the eyes of any man, a woman would be incapable of hurting anyone let alone killing Louie, allowing her to get away with it. Virgin however, proves that she is a forced to be reckoned with, conjuring images of Frank Miller's Electra in her prime. We're also introduced to the son of the area's duke, who while still unnamed, seems like he'll have a bit of emotional depth to him. The brief exchanges with his father are enough to paint a sympathetic portrait of a young man hungry for admiration. It's also interesting that the roles in the comic, at least in my eyes seem to be a bit reversed. Virgin is the take no prisoners bad ass and the duke's son is compassionate, uncommon for something from this time period. My only problem is that I feel that more could have been done in this issue. The ending could’ve had more impact and the reason for Virgin’s crusade could’ve been made clearer.

Pictures

Max Bartomucci’s pencil’s and inks add something of a rustic look to the piece. It’s exactly how I imagine medieval France should look and feel like. The bar at the beginning of the story looks unsanitary in an authentic way. Adriana De Los Santos’ coloring is a great compliment to the illustrations. They are vivid when they need to be, like in the case of Virgin’s golden hair and subdued like in the brick work of the buildings.

The Real

This was a great showing from writer Alverne Ball and his creative team. The villains were despicable, the heroes likable, and the action was fast paced. I look forward to seeing more of this series and more from its writer. You can find Virgin Wolf # 1 on: ariondmg.com

Rating 4.5/5