‘Wolves of Summer’ Comic Review

Writer Tony Keaton and artist Andrew Herbst have created an incredible tale of redemption set in the war-torn 1940s and the gritty violence of the 1970s. John (born Hans) is constantly tortured by his past during which he was a member of the Hitler Youth brigade called Werewolves. The character is tormented by the immoral decisions he made in the name of the Third Reich, including killing members of the American military as well as his fellow Nazi brethren because they were weak.

The graphic novel Wolves of Summer is an uncomfortable yet necessary story, one that is based on true events as evidenced by the dated prologue introducing the themes, history, and present focus. Prior to the tale, Minister of Propaganda Dr. Joseph Goebbels has launched Werewolf Radio, which calls all able-bodied Germans to arms. Adolf Hitler is last seen above ground awarding his loyal boy soldiers with Iron Crosses, and a troop of these boys have escaped into the Harz Mountains. Unfortunately, some of them don’t get too far.

Writer Tony Keaton is clearly not presenting a cookie-cutter version of the actions performed by and against these youth. Keaton makes that obvious to the reader within the explosive and violent opening panels. The panels are originally made to look like a playful jaunt through the grass with young boys glancing behind them with smiles on their faces, but the smiles cease in a spray of gunfire and explosions.

One lone boy looks back amongst this group, but his appearance is unusual. He is masked like the gimp from Pulp Fiction, and there are no smiles; there is only fear in his eyes. This masked boy is Hans and those running alongside him are Werewolves, fallen brothers-in-arms.

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The Werewolves was once a larger group but now only consists of four young men: Hartschen, Meyer, and two brothers, Hans and Rudi. Hans is the self-appointed leader of the group. After the hierarchy is declared, what unfolds feels like a mix of Lord of the Flies and Inglourious Basterds. There’s a lot of external and internal conflict present in this unorthodox group of boys, and with the aged and beaten John/Hans. Herbst does an excellent job capturing this broken character both in the future and the past.

In fact, Herbst’s art is phenomenal throughout the graphic novel. He is clearly an expert at telling a story visually, and unsurprisingly, Herbst prescribes to the sequential art teachings of Will Eisner. The art of Wolves of Summer is intense and raw throughout, from the heavy-duty battles on the ground to a graphic subway fight. But Herbst succeeds most in his use of the supernatural. In fact, both creators rejoice in the supernatural in Wolves of Summer.

The best moment in the book is Goebbels speech to never bow to the enemy. It’s a powerful piece of writing, but what takes it to the next level is Herbst inclusion of the violent transformation of Goebbels from man to werewolf. These supernatural choices are used later in the graphic novel as well. Hatschen is chased by demons and interacts with talking corpses while Hans is followed by the embodiment of death. Wolves of Summer is an effective comic story without the supernatural elements, but the inclusion of these devices makes the book that much more engaging.

The storytelling and art aren’t the only feature of this collected edition, though. It is filled with plenty of extras for anyone interested in a background of independent comic publishing. The book starts with a well written foreword by Dan Hill, an editor of Headspace and a former columnist at The Weekly Crisis. It ends with an essay by Keaton about the secret history of Wolves of Summer, an interview with Andrew Herbst, variant covers, and character sketches and designs.

Another of the many highlights of this book are the bonus comics by Andrew Herbst about young people who see monsters and creatures others can’t see. Herbst says in the introduction to these pieces that, “With any luck, sometime in the future, you’ll get to see a fully realized book.” I certainly hope we do, because his two short comics are thrilling, engaging stories.

I also hope this comic duo continues to tell stories, because they are an incredible team. You sense with every page the blood, sweat, and tears poured into the book by Keaton and Herbst. It’s not glossy, perfect, or colorful. It’s raw, dirty, and broken like souls at war.

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