Wayward #1

Wayward #1 cover

written by Jim Zub; art by Steve Cummings

I’ve been turned off, a bit, from this series launch because of how hard they’re pushing it as “Buffy the Vampire Slayer for a new generation”. I feared that we’d be getting a watered-down version of someone else’s property — and there are better ways to say “monster-fighting girls”. Or just tell the story without having to catchphrase it.

Wayward #1 cover

I was relieved to see that this wasn’t as much of a copy as I feared it might be. It’s the story of Rori, daughter of a divorced Japanese mother and Irish father who’s just moved in with mom. She starts seeing directions, an odd but useful little ability, particularly in a new place. And visual, well-suited to comics.

The art, particularly in establishing the foreign city setting, is terrific. And I admire Rori’s initiative in exploring Tokyo on her own, even if it does lead her into a scary situation. Then a crazy blue-haired fighter jumps into the fray, and the bad guys turn out to be turtle demons. That’s the Buffy part, I guess. I’m curious to see where this goes, and if we get as much of the characterization in future, which I like, as of the monster-fighting, which I could take or leave.



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