War Wolf #1: Existential Action Romp

War Wolf #1’s first five pages come off as borderline serious. While Orlando does infuse the opening sequence with a measure of humor, he also details a nonstop existential crisis for main character Tommy. It’s very well-done. And in a comic that, on conclusion of these five pages, transforms into something else entirely, this sequence actually imparts a good amount of character development. It also serves as very effective misdirection.

Transitioning from this opening sequence to the meat of War Wolf #1 is a little whiplash inducing. The aliens transport in with no preamble, and it essentially halts the deeper introduction of Tommy as a character. What pretense the issue did have toward seriousness drops away almost immediately.

Tommy quickly becomes an action hero, fighting off the aliens who have invaded the construction site he works as security for. At first his efforts are hapless and accidental, but it’s not long before he morphs into a full blown action hero. Orlando unapologetically leans into the ridiculous in War Wolf #1’s final pages. The comic becomes a borderline action comedy, made funny both by dialogue and Tommy’s actions–the character is deadly serious in his efforts.

Key to Tommy’s success as a character is Perugini’s depiction of him. Almost all of Tommy’s expressions derive from his eyes. Whether wide or narrowed (it’s the former for much of the issue), they are a key focal point. Tommy’s eye shape is accentuated by very expressive eyebrows. One could cover up the lower half of Tommy’s face and still know his mood from his eyes and eyebrows alone.

The aliens’ design offers a stark contrast to the frequently wide-eyed, ill-prepared Tommy. Perugini draws them in heavy armor with only their faces visible. Those faces wear almost perpetual scowls, punctuated by a mouthful of jagged, sharp teeth. Their appearance radiates greater power than all the human characters. The contrast helps reinforce the humorous action elements.

Tora’s coloring doesn’t do Tommy any favors early in the issue. The colors are rich but not overly bright. There is little contrast between characters, objects, and surroundings for much of the issue. They don’t blend together, but nothing pops off the page or announces its importance. This changes during the action sequences in War Wolf #1’s second half. The night time setting puts all the characters against either black or dim purple. The aliens’ blue-gray armor stands out. Tommy, with his lighter colored uniform and face, especially pops off the page.

Gattoni’s lettering choices are in keeping with the excessive action quality in War Wolf #1’s second half. Emphasized words aren’t merely in bold, they are huge, sometimes forcing the dialogue bubble to stretch asymmetrically around them. When enlarged font isn’t enough, Gattoni outlines the already larger words in a yellow-orange. And when even that isn’t enough, Gattoni puts them in all red. There is no shortage of intensity in anything Tommy says.