Review – Wynonna Earp #1 (IDW Publishing)

Publisher: IDW Publishing
Writer: Beau Smith
Artist: Lora Innes
Release Date: 24th February, 2016

It’s been nearly five years since the last Wynonna Earp story. However, with the imminent arrival of the television show set to air on Syfy this spring, it’s a perfect time to resurrect her. However, with comic companion pieces to TV shows and movies, sometimes they’re merely used as cash-ins rather than genuine works with franchise aspirations; whether Wynonna Earp has longevity in the world comics again time will only tell, but as a series being used to generate excitement for a small screen adaptation, it does a fairly good job of re-integrating itself and setting the foundations for a new lease of life.

Wynonna Earp, demon hunter detective and descendant of the legendary Old West lawman Wyatt is back in action, and it is business as usual as she investigates a new supernatural case, covered in the guts of an undead beast previously slain. It picks up again as if it’d never been gone for so long, with the same witty dialogue and popcorn entertainment that made it so enjoyable before. The process is a fairly procedural police investigation story, coupled with the tropes of neo-westerns and horror action. It doesn’t do anything ground breaking, but it’s precisely the mindless entertainment you want it to be, set in a world tailor-made to appeal to the sensibilities of horror fans who like to be smeared in blood and guts, with a good ol’ splattering of fun.

As mentioned, the writing is top notch and entertaining. It’s also perfectly paced, well-constructed doesn’t overcompensate with unnecessary exposition. The artwork by Lora Innes is in-depth, with filled with subtle details that go a long way. Between the art and the writing, we get a good sense of the characters and the world they inhabit right away; old fans will find it familiar, whereas newbies can jump on without prior knowledge.

Overall, Wynonna Earp is off to a solid start and accomplishes a few feats. As preparation for a television series to get viewers excited, it does the job. As a comic book series with a potential future, it lays the groundwork to expand upon. Fans will be pleased to have Wynonna back, and newcomers have a perfecting starting point to get acquainted with her. All in all, a generic but most enjoyable success.

Rating: 3.5/5.

PREVIEW ARTWORK
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