Review – Wild’s End – First Light Volume 1 (BOOM! Studios)

October 20, 2015

2–3 minutes

Publisher: BOOM! Studios
Writer: Dan Abnett
Artist: I.N.J. Culbard
Release Date: 21st October, 2015

Wild’s End First Light is one of the best omnibus’ I’ve read in a long time, due in no part to terrific world building, a host of strong characters and imaginative, absorbing storytelling that’s a joy to read. It’s a genre bending anthropomorphic adventure reminiscent of Kenneth Grahame’s ‘The Wind in the Willows’, if it was merged with an alien invasion straight out of H.G. Wells War of the Worlds. If that sounds like something that appeals to you, then just know it lives up to the premise.

Set in 1930’s England, it revolves around an unlikely group of heroes who must band together to save their rural, peaceful community from extra-terrestrial lamp posts that are hell bent on zapping every living creature they come into contact with. That’s right, the unwelcome visitors are street lights, with bulbs that shoot rays of bright combustion. As for our protagonists, they consist of Clive – a level headed dog with a mysterious military past; Gilbert – an uppity rabbit of wealth and prestige. Then there’s Peter – a journalist and Gilbert’s right hand mink. However the star of the show is Faukes – a drunkard fox and resident, trigger happy loony.

The characters, despite being animals, are very human in their mannerisms and traits, and it doesn’t take long to develop a connection with them. Their individual backstories are merely hinted at throughout the series, but you can tell we’ll get to learn more about them in future instalments. There’s an air of mystery about all of them, especially Clive the old navy dog who claims to have ‘’seen some things.’’

My one minor complaint with First Light – and it is minor – is that the flow of the story is occasionally disrupted with filler such as newspaper clippings, diary entries and letters. Granted, they do bare significance to the story and add some substance, but they arose at times where I didn’t want to be distracted from the main narrative. However, it is well written entertaining filler still and I’ll probably appreciate it with future reading. I felt the same way about Tales of the Black Freight when I read Watchmen initially; it just felt like it being interrupted with commercials.

All in all, Wild’s End First Light is an outstanding introduction to a saga. It’s enthralling to read, and when it’s over you want to pick it back up and read it again. It’s a perfect blend of action, drama, adventure, horror and humour, ticking all of the boxes when it comes to building a universe and filling it with life. And the best part is that it has the potential to get even better.

Rating: 5/5.

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