Werewolf the Apocalypse: Bone Gnawers

    (Moonstone, 2001)
™ and ©2002

A serum has been created that supposedly can rid the world of werewolves. The serum is stolen and, like a briefcase full of untraceable cash, ends up being the object of a wild scavenger hunt.

Who’s after this stuff? Well, there are The Bone Gnawers, a tribe of werewolves. Then there’s the mysterious organization that invented the serum but for some reason hasn’t deployed it. Then there’s the other mysterious organization that has stolen it, yet is allied with—more werewolves?

Ooo-kay.

The publisher claims that this is a Done in One story, but there are so many unanswered questions crammed into this introductory issue, written by Joe Gentile and drawn by Steve Ellis, that readers will feel as though they’ve walked into the middle of a gang war. Why did the one agency develop the serum but not use it? Why do the operatives from both look similar? And who is this second tribe of werewolves?

There may be legitimate answers to these questions, but it’s unlikely they’ll ever be explored, since future volumes will focus on other stories. Consequently, the reader is left feeling empty. It’s kind of the literary equivalent of eating a bucket of popcorn: There’s a lot to swallow, but it’s still not very satisfying.

The art is well done but is marred in many places by confusing placement of word balloons. Fans of werewolf stories may want to pick this up, if they plan on following the series, but overall this issue is a little more confusing than it’s worth.

— Jim Johnson
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#1

May, 1998
Cover Price: $5.95
4 copies available from $5.95 		Joe GentileSteve Ellis