In a new title from BOOM! Studios, Wild’s End #1 is a marked departure from our regular comic fare; this one is English, as in the UK. Its timeframe is the 1930’s before we were all born. Its characters are animals, not humans.
Okay then, all aboard. Bring your lifejackets, your mug of tea, and your wellies. The captain is prepping to depart on a fishing trip from Lower Crowchurch, on the coast of England. His crew is a mismatched bunch of animals, and they are not all delighted to be sharing the boat with a newcomer, an unwelcome addition. A bloody landlubber.
The story burbles along slowly, building its rhythm, chugging along. Author Dan Abnett gives us plenty of ship-to-shore weather commentary, plenty of dialogue, and character-building. The suspense is there alright, just being low-key. Comics about fishing demand patience. Artist I.N.J. Culbard contributes beautifully crafted, carefully considered panels, coloured in subdued ultramarines and cobalt blue. Culbard’s lettering is clean and crisp, the word balloons nicely positioned.
It’s a slowly perking, slowly steeping read, this first one. But there is something peaceful and yet unsettling when the plot takes a strong change to starboard. The ship compass misleads us, our sealegs are wobbly, and something very strange is going on here.
The first issue is clearly an intro, an elongated prologue to the real deal, coming in July’s issue 2. Worth the time investment, get this one fresh on ice today from your local shop!
BOOM! Studios, Wild’s End #1, $3.99 for 26 pages of content plus support materials
Newsdesk