Hundred Wolves #1 is due out May 13, 2020. — **Hundred Wolves #1** is due out May 13, 2020.

By Jarred A. Luján — I want to preface this by saying that going into this review, I knew very little about Hundred Wolves. The thing about books from publisher Vault Comics, however, is that it’s pretty rare for me to dislike one. My shop preorders them for me automatically, so I really don’t read much about their books in advance aside from a Tweet here or there.

So, if you’re like me, and haven’t really read much about Hundred Wolves, but you’re curious, let me just say: holy shit, this is awesome. I have a lot of thoughts on this book, so let’s get going.

First off, the dialogue is perfect. It flows so well together, it all makes sense. It just feels so genuine and so poetic that it easily stands out as you read the issue. Good dialogue translates into incredible interactions with other characters, so you get these really dramatic and intense moments that feel better on the page. In particular, I thought Yulia’s dialogue (and big credit to letterer Jim Campbell who translates it visually super well) fit that of being a child perfectly. The interactions really help cement each character as their own unique voice while elevating their relationships with the others. One of the things I worry about when novelists like Myke Cole move to comics is that their books are going to be too dialogue heavy, and while Hundred Wolves #1 does have a lot of text, it never feels heavy. The feel of it flows so well that I would have never guessed this was Cole’s first comic.

This story is paced incredibly well. The flow of the book as we shift between memories and the present, the transition from scene to scene, all of it works. I think managing internal dialogue with maintaining the visuals on the page is difficult, but it’s handled really well by Cole and artist Tony Akins. Furthermore, I think the way the story is paced gives us an adequate amount of time with each of the major players in the story. We really get to see some of the major groups, individuals, and understand enough of the strands in this story web to know what we need to. It checks all the boxes you need for a new #1 comic.

Art-wise, I think everything speaks for itself. I really love Akins work here. I think one of the best things Akins does is build tension on the page. There’s a couple moments in the flashback scene where each panel is sort of a microsecond going by and it makes that final panel in the sequence really hit with surprise and drama. With a script with so much dialogue, Akins manages to present panels in a way that still lets us get visually invested into what’s going on, rather than relying entirely on what’s said. Along with the solid dialogue writing, Akins’ ability to manage the art well on the page makes us still maintain the visual part of the storytelling.

After coloring the flashback scene, I like to think Vladimir Popov pulled a Thanos in Infinity Gauntlet (or Infinity War for the MCU folks) where he just disappeared to a farm, retired, watched the sun rise upon a grateful universe. The way that Popov differs the coloring style in the flashback versus the entire book is just amazing. It makes it so much better, and it would’ve already been good! I think this is the entire testament to colorists’ work in comics: the levels they elevate the black and white art.

Overall: This is one of my favorite Vault Comics #1s ever. This may be one of my favorite #1s of any publisher ever. Listen, it’s good. Just go buy it when it eventually gets to us...and then talk to me about the flashback scene. 10/10

Hundred Wolves #1
Writer: Myke Cole
Artist: Tony Akins
Colorist: Vladimir Popov
Letterer: Jim Campbell
Publisher: Vault Comics
Price: $3.99
Solicit: The Hundred Wolves are bloody-handed terrors of the steppe. Andrei and Oksana have left the Cossack band to raise their daughter on a farm they hold from the noble Count Ostoja, but the raiding life isn't done with them. Both the Hundred Wolves and the couple's new liege lord wish to employ their deadly skills-and neither will take no for an answer. From celebrated author Myke Cole (The Sacred Throne Trilogy, The Shadow Ops Trilogy) and venerable artist Tony Akins (Fables, Hellblazer, Wonder Woman) comes a story of war and family, blending historical fiction with a touch of fantasy.
Release Date: May 13, 2020 (but this is likely in flux given the current coronavirus situation and resultant changes at comic distributor Diamond)

Read more great comic book reviews here!

Jarred A. Luján makes comics, studies existential philosophy, and listens to hip-hop too loudly. For bad jokes and dog pictures, you can follow him on Twitter.