Sneak Peak at Wynonna Earp: The Yeti Wars

I recently got my hands on a PDF of the first chapter of Beau Smith's upcoming graphic novel, Wynonna Earp: The Yeti Wars.

The first chapter starts out with some strange happenings near Mount McKinley in Alaska, as two US Marshalls meet gruesome, bloody deaths in the snow. The only clue of the killer is a giant footprint in the snow.

Meanwhile back in California, US Marshall, Wynonna Earp leads a strike force against a secret lab that is creating human/animal beasts. The science lab is run by the slippery Dr. Robidoux, a man with connections to the mysterious Immortals Consortium, and, who of course, manages to escape to the icy safety of Alaska.

Thanks to the data from the sting, Earp gets the go ahead to put together a team, and chase after the baddies.

As far as first issues go, this one was pretty solid, though not mind-blowing. The assault on the secret lab was pretty cool, and the human/animal creations were pretty cool once they got turned loose. I felt the action was pretty standard and straight forward, not all that dynamic, and lacking in intensity.

One thing I look for when reading the first issue of any comic series, is some sort of hook that really drags me into the world of the comic, and leaves me craving for more once that final page is turned. Great characters, an intriguing plot, and hints at bigger and better things to come are just a few of the hooks that have gotten me in the past.

So how does Wynonna Earp: The Yeti Wars measure up? Well, from just looking at the title and I expect some explosive action, which I generally appreciate. The plot of the first issue hints at deeper layers to the story. I think where this preview fell flat for me was the characters. I didn't really get any kind of sense of the title character Wynonna Earp. Sure, I can see that she's tough, and can handle herself, but I didn't see anything to set her apart from all the other tough female leads we see in comics, tv, film, and literature these days. As far as other characters go, Dr. Robidoux gets very little attention, yet seems important to the story, and a fellow Marshall, named Smitty seems to play a larger role in the future as well.

Like I said earlier, a solid effort, but I'm not totally convinced. Truth be told, I am firmly on the fence. I actually wish that this one was serialized before being collected in a graphic novel, so I could buy the first couple issues and get a better sense of the story.

If you are interested, you too can get a free PDF of the fist chapter. Just check out Beau's weekly column at CBR, and email the man asking for a PDF. Or just wait until December when the graphic novel hits comic shops. My thanks to Beau Smith for sending me the PDF.