Publisher: Image Comics
Writer: Ales Kot
Artist: Mat Taylor
Colourist: Lee Loughridge
Release date: OUT NOW!!
Price: $3.50

Dirty supernatural politics take centre stage in Wolf #3. The story references Jean Genet’s first book The Lady of the Flowers, which explored the Parisian underworld, mostly concerning homosexuals living on society’s fringes. And so it is with the vampires, werewolves, demons and demi-gods on Earth, and their existential journey.

Wolf #3 follows hard-boiled paranormal detective and unwillingly immortal werewolf Antoine Wolfe. Wolfe has become responsible for Anita Christ, an orphan who is also the Antichrist. Anita’s coming has all the supernaturals in a tizzy, and vampire Frederic Azimuth warns Wolfe that winds of change are coming. Freddy Chtonic, a Lovecraftian creature with a tentacled face, calls the plot “Raymond Chandler convoluted.”

Mat Taylor’s artwork on Wolf #3 is stylish and loose and detailed backgrounds are scarce but then not distracting. But it’s the writing and its multiple layers of meaning that make the comic special. Ales Kot’s dialogue is refreshing. “I’m the Antichrist. I get that I have to be sacrificed so the world can live on. Women bleed; it’s our fate,” says. Anita. And when Wolfe visits Freddy’s landlord Azimuth their banter comes Hollywood screwball comedy-fast. “I prefer my relations the old-fashioned way,” says Wolfe. “Three dates and a missionary?” asks Azimuth. “Consensual,” Wolfe responds.

Wolf #3 takes the supernatural genre and gives it a noir edge. It’s entertaining, presents interesting characters and is chock full of philosophy, making Wolf a standout as immortal beings act in corrupt human ways. This ride is just starting in Wolf #3 and the trip is as exciting as we expect the destination to be.

Reviewer: Joe Lovece
Reviews Editor: Steve Hooker