WAYWARD #1 Review

Does this new property hold quality storytelling? Or is it just a waste of your time? Read on to find out.

The official description from Image:

BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER FOR A NEW GENERATION!

Rori Lane is trying to start a new life when she reunites with her mother in Japan, but ancient creatures lurking in the shadows of Tokyo sense something hidden deep within her, threatening everything she holds dear. Can Rori unlock the secrets of her power before it’s too late? JIM ZUB (SKULLKICKERS, Samurai Jack), STEVE CUMMINGS (Legends of the Dark Knight, Deadshot), and JOHN RAUCH (INVINCIBLE) team up to create an all-new Image supernatural spectacle that combines the camaraderie and emotion of Buffy the Vampire Slayer with the action and mystery of Hellboy. Don’t miss it!

I had absolutely no idea what to expect from this little jaunt but I should have known that a writer who’s kept the torch burning for Samurai Jack and an artist who’s worked within the world of Batman would come up with something compelling. As it stands I can honestly say that Wayward #1 is a release that surprised me and that doesn’t happen often enough.

Jim Zub is the maestro behind the beginning adventures of Rori Lane, a woman with the unique genetic crossing of Irish and Japanese parentage. She’s been given a life of “rice an’ potatoes” as the character’s father would remark, but now’s the time for some supernatural elements, mysterious cats and a new ally in something that both the audience and our heroine fail to understand. What makes what could have easily been an awkward creative misfire compelling is the quality of the dialogue therein, and thanks to the author behind it the title carries personality from beginning to end.

The illustrations handed in by Steve Cummings echo a near perfect combination of differing styles and sensibilities. The talent gives us characters that look like they belong on a currently running anime, but maintains some core details that will no doubt be familiar to those that have been reading Western comics for most of their lives. It’s in that intersection where the colors by John Rauch and Jim Zub fully cement the display found in between these pages.

Wayward #1 is an engaging start to a title that looks to be something different than the norm, which is exactly what Image Comics represents and promotes. Highly recommended.