- Buzzard #1
- Wolf Cave Comics
- Created & Written by Andrea Wolf
- Illustrated by Ezequiel Assis
- Cover art by Samuele Zardinoni
- Cover graphics by Rob Jones
What’s a lad to do when his skill set involves a heavy use of knees & elbows and very little by way of self-control? One option, he could follow in the honored footsteps of Vinnie Jones, spending his days terrorizing ballers all across the UK. Or, if his temperament and underage status prevented such arguably legitimate endeavors, he could always hire out to a local crime boss as muscle for cash. I’m gonna give you three guesses as to which direction our title character strides, with all of the cheek and confidence of a bloke half again his age and twice his size…
The other day, I posted a preview to a Kickstarter for the second in this indie series from the UK. Today we’re throwing up a review for the first chapter in this very British tale of violence & wit.
Back me into a corner and ask me what I think of Buzzard, bastard brainchild of Andrea Wolf, and the first thought that comes to mind is “bonkers”. The second thought is “what the hell did I just read?” and the third is “no, seriously… what the hell?” Described by Wolf as a “whacky action comedy”, this is a story about a London thug who kicks the shite out of folks for money (that’s issue 1) on his way to becoming a high paid international assassin (and that’s issue 2, currently live & fully funded on Kickstarter). Honestly, after reading through the first issue there really isn’t much by way of description I can give beyond that. What I can promise you is that if everyone reading this review were to put in for their very own Kickstarter copy, 1 in 5 is liable to find something to be offended over.
Adding his own brand of insanity to this particular cauldron of chaos, Ezequiel Assis brings the brutality with enthusiasm. As a black & white comic, Buzzard works pretty well, due to Assis’s ability to keep his panels clean, uncluttered by unnecessary flotsam. The action is brutal, and the characters all seem to have something going on. Assis manages to keep things moving through an introductory issue with a lot of ground to cover.
There may be moments where action gets lost between panels, but with everything Wolf is trying to establish in the first chapter this isn’t too surprising. As the story moves along, it would be nice to see things slow down a little, as issue one could have easily been a two or three issue arc on its own. Any fault with the pacing could just come down to the eagerness of a storytelling team to get all their ideas onto the page. It’s not always easy to let go of a gem of an idea, and that’s part of the discipline earned with time and experience.
Hop over the Buzzard #2’s Kickstarter page and look around. The first issue is available for anyone ready to dip into the seedier side of London proper, and as the current campaign has been fully funded with plenty of time to spare this indie gem could be picking up steam.
Final Score: 8.5/13
