Brandon Borzelli's Geek Goggle Reviews
Wayward #1
Image Comics
Zub, Cummings, Rauch & Dillon
Wayward is the latest Image launch, but this one with Jim Zub's name attached to it. The comic is a fun read but doesn't quite stand out from a very busy crowd of creator-owned comics that sport the fun mixed real-life type super powered type genre. This is worth checking out, but may not resonate with every reader.
The comic is fairly straight forward as the first few pages are in strict narration as the lead character and her origin are introduced. After we get the general setup as to her background and why she's in Japan we get some further character development as she interacts with her mother. The pair has a fairly normal relationship and we learn that her mother is of the supportive and understanding type.
The lead character eventually finds herself alone and she gets attacked. However, it's not that she's jumped by some thugs, but she's attacked by some creatures that belong in a Hellboy comic book. Help comes from an unexpected place.
The comic has two oddities, one is a technique used to express the super power and the other is super powered element itself. The strange technique is that we see the power that Rori possess but it isn't really explained. This leaves a bit of room for your imagination to go to work as to what the power actually is. The other oddity is that her power is that she can see a clear path (a red line) through two points but it seems to trigger randomly. This definitely sets the book apart from anything else out there it would seem.
The artwork is very good and definitely helps to elevate the book. The pages have muted tones but have lively pencils. However, at key points in the story the coloring takes a vibrant and sharp turn to set the mood better and draw the reader's attention in interesting directions. Hair color, for example, is one of the components of the book that really stand out and it's with multiple characters. Overall, the comic book looks great artistically.
Wayward is the kind of fish-out-of-water comic book that puts a character in a strange land and confronts them with strange things. In that vain it would have made more sense that she couldn't speak Japanese but there may be a reason for that to be revealed later. This book has an all-ages feel but seems to be more directed at the teenaged reader. It's a good comic but not one that I can see myself sticking with unless the story takes some unexpected turns.
2.5 out of 5 Geek Goggles
