Definitely wanted this comic to come back, and if you think for a moment that Wild’s End has missed a beat then you are dead wrong. This comic is better than ever! I really didn’t think a story with anthropomorphic animals and aliens would be a big hit, but damn... I am obsessed. I can’t even control myself, so let’s dive right in. We don’t get to see Clive and his gang for a while which made me suspicious as to where this comic was headed, but then I remembered the cover art and we know they are somehow locked up. So instead we follow a set of new characters for a tad bit. Meet Herbert Runciman and Lewis Cornfelt. These two are brought into the mix by the military and you soon start to realize the military is doing more harm than good. But back to the new characters, I think it is important that Dan Abnett introduced some new characters. The problem is bigger than just this small town, so it needed to be done. But what Abnett has shined with in this issue, that I hadn’t seen in the first round involved Clive. This dude is suspicious, not in a bad way, but still all the same. He starts to have some problems that we get some foreshadowing about. I love this new characterization that Abnett has added. I feel like the first series was an introduction and now we’re diving in deep.
After the introduction of the two new guys, we finally get deeper into Clive and everyone. Luckily they are still together but in a terrible place. The military is involved and I find their reasoning to be lackluster for locking these guys up, but it is good to see everyone.
Then there is the art. Once again the animals chosen for each character are spot on. I mentioned that when reading the last the mini-series. But Clive and strong character seems like a bloodhound and Fawkes, a drunk croak, fits this fox stereotype, and so on. Well Lewis and Herbert are perfect. I would assume this is a combination of Abnett and Culbard picking animals and drawing them up. Either way, they are making some good choices. Every character comes to life and I have to say that these new two really shine. Herbert is a fat cat, which makes me love him right away. He is sassy and quick witted, which again adds to the cat stereotype. Lewis is a tad harder to see what he is, not being a dog expert and all, but to me he looks like a Weimaraner with more hair on his ears. He is a level headed all around nice guy.
This comic has proven itself over and over again, but with these new characters and bigger problem, I think Wild’s End will prove that it is top dog without a doubt. I am still wondering what will happen next and I want to see more of Clive and everything he has gone through. Every character seems to have a story, but most of them play out onscreen expect Clive and Susan. Seeing these two unfold could bring in some great plot on top of this alien invasion.
Score: 4/5
Wild’s End: The Enemy Within #1 Writer: Dan Abnett Artist: I.N.J. Culbard Publisher: BOOM! Studios Price: $3.99 Release Date: 9/23/15 Format: Mini-Series; Print/Digital