As far as the mass production of “edgelord” materials in 2019 goes, no one does it edgier than Dark Horse, and no property dares to be as edgelord-y as Wyrd.
Hellblazer was a story about a man who could survive trips to Hell. Wyrd is a story about a man who can survive trips to Earth, except Earth IS Hell. The world looms large with mutant scum for which our smoking protagonist (Wyrd) is paid to put deep in the dust. He must travel. He must forgo all human relationships. He must be upsetting to literally everyone around him. Wyrd is “over it,” and “it” is most definitely life in this context.
The art is amazing. Antonio Fuso has mastered a type of charcoal styling that, upon meeting your eyes, will immediately pull from your lips the phrase, “Dang, that’s cool.”
It is hard to describe within the limitations of our language why it’s so cool, but if we had a word for effortlessly meticulous, that might sum it up. It is also very reminiscent of something Jeff Lemire might draw, who (not for nothing) drew the variant cover of this very issue. I didn’t even notice until I saw it in the credits. This bodes well for Ruso’s work.
I sincerely wish that we knew more about the mysterious man in the trench coat that we so lovingly watch break bones, and heal with, like, no explanation. This is not (only) a note for Curt Pires (the writer), but for all comic book writers; withhold information at your own risk. Mysteries are so much fun, but usually it is with elements of our characters, not literally everything there is to know about them. I want to stay connected to this story, and in order to do that, I need to have a reason to care. I am sure Pires will reveal more about what this book is about in later issues, and this should be sooner rather than later.
Overall, this book has a great style with pending substance, and an oh-so-edgy baditude that cannot be understated. I love Hellblazer. I love The Matrix. I truly hope Wyrd is the sand paper for which this story is smoothed out.
Creative Team: Curt Pires (writer), Antonio Fuso (art), Stefano Simeone (color)
Publisher: Dark Horse
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