Everyone’s heard the old saying about two wolves and the stronger one being whomever you feed, but Universal Monsters: Blood of the Wolf Man #2 takes it to a truly intense level. Following the massacre in the debut issue, Adam Jaeger is determined to learn more about the events that took place – especially since he coughed up a bloody eyeball. Nothing, not the money his father slings a therapist way or even his father’s dismissive tone, will stop him. What Adam doesn’t know is that a pair of detectives are investigating the murders and consider him to be a key suspect.
Joshua Williamson and Leomacs take the time to delve deep into Adam’s past, revealing an event that shaped his childhood and hinting at the nature of the beast within. In the process, the duo raises even more questions: how did Adam become a werewolf? What exactly happened to his brother? What fate befell his mother? And why is his father so determined to cover it up? These questions, rather than stalling the narrative, supercharge it. It also lets Williamson take a different approach to the werewolf story by having the protagonist be proactive, rather than sitting scared and waiting to change again.
This dynamic also highlights the difference between Adam and his father. The younger Jaeger is determined to discover what happened to him, no matter the cost. His father, on the other hand, takes every chance he can to cover things up. It’s here that Williamson shows Adam’s inner strength; while others might write him off as “weak” or “sickly,” it takes a great deal of strength to delve into a murder that you might be at the center of, and even more to learn some harsh truths others don’t want you to hear. That, more than his struggle with becoming a werewolf, is the key draw to Blood of the Wolf Man.
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Leomacs’ artwork heightens the horror aspects of Blood of the Wolf Man #2, especially when Adam recounts a dream he has. In the dream, he’s being chased by a pack of wolves, who eventually rip him apart. It’s not the violence that’s so shocking, especially since it takes place off-screen, but the way that Leomacs structures it. Throughout these splash pages, certain panels focus on Adam, whose face is frozen in fear, and the wolves, who seem to blend into the shadows until nothing’s left but their glowing golden eyes. It’s an unsettling image, and it’s far from the only one in this comic.
What really makes these things unsettling is the color art that Pip Martin chooses to use. Most of the issue is shrouded in cold blues, giving off the appearance of perpetual night. It’s punctuated by flashes of blood red whenever gore is displayed, and far warmer tones whenever Adam’s on the page. Color helps set the stage in a comic, and it’s clear that Martin wants readers to be prepared for future issues to scare the hell out of them.
Universal Monsters: Blood of the Wolf Man #2 delivers a surprisingly deep sophomore issue, showcasing that its protagonist is far stronger than expected. The question is: is he fully strong enough to triumph over the wolf within?
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