Review: Wilder #1 (of 5)

Normally, I am not a huge fan of comics with an overt agenda, but as some will know, I have a soft spot for animals. It seems that Blackbox Comics share my views with their latest mini-series.

Set in a near future San Francisco, Doctor Deja Wilder looks to save the last of the originals. These originals are genuine animals that have faced near extinction and being rare means there is a huge black market of poachers who deem that clones are not exclusive enough. Hot on the trail of a poached elephant, Deja and her team, along with their unique attributes and skills all come to the fore.

Rebecca Childs provides the story along with Brian Hawkins. The pair cast an interesting story, with characters that may seem a tad perfect in place. The first act of the book serves as an introduction to Deja and those closest to her before opening up the focus. Deja is the obvious lead with Childs and Hawkins ensuring she gets the best of lines, before taking the lead. As with any new world, there is a touch of exposition to get through; Childs and Hawkins mange the need to inform and entertain admirably.

Umberto Giampa produces strong artwork for the majority of the book. Deja is statuesque, though this does lead to some odd poses. Other characters are equally well services, though having the bad guys as weedy seems a step too far. There are a a couple of action scenes, one that is well played out whilst the second one is a little more chaotic and less well played out. Regarding the art, there is a slight tendency to leave backgrounds blanks, a trend within sone independent books. Colors are provided by Martina Rossi who gives the book a pseudo-futuristic look and feel. Letterer Saida Temofonte keeps things fresh with an easy going font and inverted coloured text boxes.

An interesting read with some relevance in todays eco sensitive world, which marries its message with action in a non preachy way. A good start!

Writing – 3.5 Stars
Art – 3 Stars
Colors – 3 Stars

Overall – 3 Stars

Story by; Rebecca Childs & Brian Hawkins
Written by; Brian Hawkins
Art by; Umberto Giampa
Colors by; Martina Rossi
Letters by; Saida Temofonte
Published by; Blackbox Comics

Author Profile

Johnny "The Machine" Hughes

I am a long time comic book fan, being first introduced to Batman in the mid to late 70's. This led to a appreciation of classic artists like Neal Adams and Jim Aparo. Moving through the decades that followed, I have a working knowledge of a huge raft of characters with a fondness for old school characters like JSA and The Shadow

Currently reading a slew of Bat Books, enjoying a mini Marvel revival, and the host of The Definative Crusade and Outside the Panels whilst also appearing on No-Prize Podcast on the Undercover Capes Podcast Network