Review: Wynonna Earp #8
*Warning Spoilers Below*
In issue #8 of Beau Smith‘s Wynonna Earp we get a look into the Black Badge witness protection service. We meet Ibob a mixed breed werewolf who skimmed some cash from a purebred werewolves criminal enterprise. The first page is filled with panels of well-written backstory. Not so much that you get too much information and feel overwhelmed, but enough that you feel invested in the story from the beginning.
After a brief showdown with a wolf pack at a diner, Ibob is rescued by Smitty and we get into the chase portion of the story. Dolls, Wynonna, Smitty and Ibob hit the road to keep Ibob’s family safe and relocate them somewhere new. Despite the trio of Bad Asses on this mission, things are going to a little more complicated than expected because, the White Wolf clan that’s after Ibob own the dark web and they’re nothing to mess with.
After narrowly escaping members of the White Wolf pack during the car chase, they arrive at Ibob’s WITSEC home we meet his family. They are safe and sound thanks to Deputy Haught, Val, and Doc. After revealing that keeping Ibob safe was a Smitty decision and not necessarily a Black Badge one we learn that Ibob stole the money, as dangerous as it was, so he could strip the werewolf gene from his wife and kids using dark magic. The warm and fuzzies that this moment evokes is short lived because there are literal wolves at the gate.
Of course a fight breaks out and our team is outmanned/wolfed, regular bullets don’t really cut it against a clan of White Wolves. Just when things seem helpless Ibob near fatally wounds Michael, the White Wolf leader , and Wynonna finishes him off with her peacemaker.
With Haught only slightly wounded in the fight and the Ibob’s wife and kids safe and sound there is peace so, the episode gets to end on a happy note. Smitty has things worked out and the reformed wolf is going to be working in the Black Badge IT department helping shut down the Dark Web.
The comic book is obviously hella different from the TV show, even with the art changes to make Wynonna look more like her SyFy counterpart but, it’s still as awesome a comic book as it was before. There are some slight changes that occur in the chronology for the comic timeline vs the TV one. I find these changes refreshing and it feels like a true reboot of the story and I love seeing where this new timeline will go. Issue #8 doesn’t disappoint, it’s a great touching story within a tight package that reads well as a complete package or single issue.
Chris Evenhuis’ artwork is nice, it’s a lot crisper and more realistic than the original version of Wynonna Earp. The panels read like a storyboard for a really cool B-movie action flick. There’s so much attention to detail and it complements the story perfectly.
Overall, I really enjoyed this issue. There was no cliffhanger or catching up to do in the beginning. Everything was contained in this one issue making it a fun read.
Story: Beau Smith Art: Chris Evenhuis
Story: 9.5 Art: 8.9 Overall: 9.2 Recommendation: Buy
IDW Publishing provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review
I’ve been a Wynonna Earp fan since before it became a TV show (if you haven’t seen it yet, it’s time to get your binge watch on because it has been renewed for a second season.) This was a time before Wynonna got the make-under and went from a blond sex bomb to the more realistic brunette bad ass she is today. The recent reboot style update that IDW Publishing put out to match the TV show and bring newer fans into the Wynonna Earp fold has kept all of the good stuff and added a little bit more awesome.
