Review: Curse of the Wendigo

CURSE OF THE WENDIGO (Dynamite, 2011; Softcover; Actually released in 2012)

Original graphic novel originally published in France in 2009

Writer: Mathieu Missoffe

Artist: Charlie Adlard

This was one of those off the cuff, quasi-impulse buys and reads. It sounded cool from descriptions online and in Previews, and was cheap enough (MSRP $7.99) and short enough (48 pages) where no significant investment of time or money were involved. A read-it-in-one-sitting scenario for sure.

It's funny, I didn't realize that Adlard was the artist for The Walking Dead until I read the cover blurb. I am like the only person who has read The Walking Dead that didn't become obsessed with it. Indeed, it was Adlard's artwork which helped put me off on that title, so it's kind of funny that I enjoyed it so much here. Maybe I liked it because it was colored here, or maybe I should go back and give TWD a second look. Or not.

The gist: This story takes place during World War I. Something is killing soldiers on both sides of the battlefield. A truce is called between the warring French and Germans to find out what it is. Anyone who has read The Uncanny X-Men or The Incredible Hulk issues from the mid-70s to early '80s should know what a Wendigo is, and if you have not read those classic issues, then use the Google button on your Internet machine and find out for yourself, because I'm not telling you. Needless to say, this is Horror tinged goodness.

There are interviews in the back of the book with the creators, which explained a few things for me. For one, these are graphic novels, but in Europe, where these 48+ page skinnier books are prevalent, they are called albums. So I am guessing that all of these “albums” that I have been buying from creators (i.e. Untouchable, H20, etc.), are all English language translations. Interesting.

The OCD zone- This book has super thick paper and smells wonderful. I was surprised to see that this has sewn binding. It only has one signature, but to see sewn binding for a 48 page book like this was still a shock.