John Wick

John Wick #1-5

by Greg Pak, Giovanni Valletta (Artist)

When a young John Wick embarks upon an epic vendetta, he comes up against a strange, powerful community of assassins and must learn how to master the rules that guide their lethal business. What are the Three Bills? Who is Calamity? And why is John Wick seeking vengeance?

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Fiction, Thriller, Graphic Novels Comics, Action, Crime

160 pages, Hardcover

First published September 6, 2017

About the author

Greg Pak is an award-winning Korean American comic book writer and filmmaker currently writing "Lawful" for BOOM and "Sam Wilson: Captain America" (with Evan Narcisse) for Marvel. Pak wrote the "Princess Who Saved Herself" children's book and the “Code Monkey Save World” graphic novel based on the songs of Jonathan Coulton and co-wrote (with Fred Van Lente) the acclaimed “Make Comics Like the Pros” how-to book. Pak's other work includes "Planet Hulk," "Darth Vader," "Mech Cadet Yu," "Ronin Island," "Action Comics," and "Magneto Testament."

Reviews

[Khurram · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book. All the action from movies condensed into one book. The legend of John Wick begins here.

A young man soft-spoken, but with deadly intention and even deadlier skills. He is looking for revenge, but people are taking notice of this deadly new player. He has two choices join up or be wiped out.

I love everything about this book. The artwork is great and looks exactly like the movies. The action is awesome and a great story as well. If you are a fan, prepare to become a bigger fan.

Finally, there is a cover gallery of all the variant covers of all five issues. This is not quite an origin story but a younger John Wick learning the ropes, the rules oh and kicking butt from cover to cover.

[L. McCoy · Rating 3 out of 5]

SUPER FAST REVIEW:
Hmmm... I don’t know. I mean, it’s kinda good but I’m really underwhelmed. In all fairness I was probably expecting too much from this comic, it being the origin story of one of the greatest characters in film history.
The story is pretty good and there is quite a bit of bad-ass action throughout. The villain was a bit lame and stereotypical (“look at me because I’m evil and just fuck things up because evil”) and it is anti-climactic at times. The art is mixed, sometimes it looks really cool, other times not so much.
Overall, it’s okay but nothing particularly good and not NEARLY as amazing as the films.

3/5

[Chad · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some early John Wick where we see how he got involved with the Russians and the Continental in general. The story was interesting, fast-moving, and fun. The art was just so-so, typical on Dynamite books. Fans of John Wick will dig this.

[♥Milica♥ · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had never seen any of the movies until Sunday, and since then, I've watched the four main ones, the mini series, the documentary and the newest movie that just came out, so it was time to finish the comic as well.

Unfortunately, it didn't work for me at all. The art style was the only good part, but the storyline didn't feel like John Wick, instead it felt like any other action comic out there.

I agree with the reviews calling the villains ridiculous because they were!! So so ridiculous, it was almost a western comic but without being set in the wild west.

Mind you, I adore westerns, but it just didn't work in this scenario. I'm choosing to think of this as an alternate universe comic, that makes it slightly less bad. Would not recommend unless if you're a completionist like me.

[Logan · Rating 4 out of 5]

The origin of Baba Yaga, a Man of Focus! So I am a huge fan of the John Wick films, the original was such a great film and its sequel was pretty good! When I saw Greg Pak was writing a comic based on one of my favourite action films I'd thought I'd give it a read.

So this comic tells us part of John Wick's origin, mainly how he joined the Continental and became such a feared and respected hitman. John was living in a village in Mexico as a kid and after he stole from a gang of mercenaries, they then decided to blow up the whole village! So now the man you send to kill the boogeyman is out for revenge!

In terms of what I liked, I think Greg Pak did a good job of capturing the films very well and also expanded on much of the film's lore. The story was entertaining enough at least. The artwork was serviceable, I liked how the artists drew John Wick as he looks very much how he does in the films. I still would have liked a more stylised look, like the films themselves are.

In terms of the negatives, the story is good, but not as good as I feel it could have been. They also try to make John Wick more of a superhero in terms of him trying to protect innocent civilians. While I don't think John would execute random people, his reasons for coming back are always more personal to himself then for the better of others. I just wish his main drive would have been something more along those lines.

Overall If you like the John Wick films, you will probably enjoy this one.

[Renata · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a fine, enjoyable read but it did not really provide me the John Wick/Continental backstory that I crave. Perhaps that information is being saved for another movie or perhaps it is simply unknowable.

There is a full page spread devoted to John Wick feeding a stray cat that I enjoyed very much. The art is very good because it looks like Keanu Reeves and I like to look at that.

[johnny ♡ · Rating 3 out of 5]

this was fun, but not what i expected.

[Václav · Rating 2 out of 5]

John Wick. I love that movie. Both of them. So I was really excited about this miniseries. You can't go wrong with John Wick, can you? Well, you can. This is like the origin of John Wick, his way to work for Russians. And the story is simple - hard feelings, revenge, nemesis. Even the story in movies is quite simple, but it had its finesse. And on this side, Greg Pak didn't deliver. But neither the artist. It doesn't look very aesthetic, it's rather chaotic, the shooting guns look weird (for pistol, only the back is moving, if it moves at all) and chaotic, sometimes I have a hard time to address to which gun the SFX belongs. So all that both movies are, the comic isn't. And that's a terrible disappointment.
(one extra star is for covers and me being a fan of JW).

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

John Wick is a favorite movie of mine and this graphic novel was fantastic. I loved digging into John's past and going on another bloody, murder spree with him!

[RG · Rating 4 out of 5]

A prequel of how he came to be John Wick. Im a fanboy of the movies so this was good fun.

[Natalie H · Rating 3 out of 5]

August 2023
Kindle edition

Picked up on KU. I don't regret reading it. I know it doesn't match the explosive feel of the movie. I liked that Charon and the Continental make an appearance. The artwork looks like him, you have everyone after 'John Wick', but I dunno. The classic yeah is in there but apart from one or two pages it didn't feel like him. Might be because I read it on my iphone with a tiny screen or it could be the lack of dog in the comic. I've now officially been reading manga for too long because I started reading from the right for the first few pages. It's good, its action but I'm not sure if its John Wick.

[Trip · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am a huge fan of the John Wick films, so when I saw this i had to give a read and it didn't disappoint.

The art style is amazing and if you enjoyed the films, it matches rather perfectly. Showing all of the action and skills of John, his need for vengeance and the continental of course.

Tells the story of a younger John Wick and his orgins, why he became who he is and the targets of current tale. His smart, sneaky and has one hell of a jump. I adored every moment of this tale.

The ending is perfection!

[Nella ☾ of Bookland · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[John · Rating 2 out of 5]

The villains ruin this one for me. Particularly Calamity Jane, who is so over the top that it's impossible to take the action seriously. And since action is basically all this comic has going for it, I'd call that a fatal misstep.

[Erofan · Rating 5 out of 5]

The comic is a prequel of movies about John Wick. Now Keanu Reeves can be found not only in movies, but also in comics! 😍

[Anomaly · Rating 1 out of 5]

It had me in the first half. I was willing to tolerate the complete nonsense of villains "Buffalo" and "Billy" - two thirds of "the three Bills" who look like they've stepped right out of a western - because it delivered enough decent content. I'm not the biggest fan of the art style, considering it lacks the aesthetic je ne sais quois of the movies and feels a bit too much like a generic action comic, but it's not awful so I was willing to accept it. And while the choices made for John's past were questionable at best, I shrugged it off as a legendary killer needing a ridiculously overdramatic backstory. Sure, I guess I'll go along for the ride of "a whole town was blown up when he was a kid because he stole some money from drug dealers in Mexico," even if that is absolutely batshit. I watched all four movies and love the franchise in general; I'm used to some really peculiar things being shoved into the continuity without warning.

But somehow, it got weirder. And worse. Very worse.

The Big Bad here, introduced in the second half, is a literally-crazy woman named Calamity (like Calamity Jane of the westerns, har har, geddit?) who has been kept in a padded room in an asylum with armed guards. (Also something, something, electroshock therapy...?) She's evil because... Reasons??? Just evil. Enjoys killing innocent people for manaical laughs. And apparently mentally ill in a very Harley Quinn From Wish Dot Com sort of way. She's even blonde, and I swear the only reason she didn't get cotton candy dip-dyed pigtails is fear of the copyright gods.

I'm sorry, but what the actual hell? This is John Wick, not a random superhero story. I expect some finesse, classiness, and motives from the villains. Not a bunch of wannabe cowboys and their wannabe cowgirl friend who escaped from an asylum. (She even wears a cowboy hat and boots with spurs. Make it stop!)

Weirdly, we get the conniving classiness I expected from one of the other 'villain' type ladies, but she still attempts to ambush someone in a Continental hotel. Which, y'know, anyone with even passing knowledge of the universe this takes place in knows is incredibly stupid and not something a character we're expected to believe is intelligent, conniving, and powerful would consider - especially over someone she doesn't even personally hate enough for the risk to be worthwhile. But I guess even the very vague logic of the movies was too hard to uphold in comic form. 😒

Granted, I will admit John is pretty close to himself and the lines are easy to read in Keanu's voice (in part because the character is drawn to resemble the actor), so that kept me reading even after Discount Harley Quinn made me die of second hand embarrassment. And I liked the running theme of John buying food for stray cats, because... Well, because cats and the whole 'John Wick is a man who'd start a war over someone killing his dog' vibe is a massive appeal. I love me a (fictional) badass with a massive kill count and grey morals who's kind to animals. That's just who I am.

But none of the few good points or bits and pieces of interesting ideas can make up for the absolute nonsense that is Calamity Jane and how the choice to introduce such a ridiculous character ruined both the tone and enjoyability of this comic. There are also some really brain-breaking life choices made by John toward the end, but that pales in comparison and I'm too lazy to elaborate. I'm just so disappointed and annoyed right now, and feel I've already wasted enough of my mental energy on this.

Or, to put it simply: If I had purchased this instead of borrowing it on hoopla, I'd be returning it for a refund right now.

[Aranzazu Elbauldeloscolores · Rating 3 out of 5]

Es una novela gráfica muy entretenida y oscura. John wick quiere vengarse de lo que sucedió en su pasado y está desesperado por encontrar a quienes asesinaron a toda su gente. En ese proceso encuentra a unas bandas de asesinos y tendrá que decidir si unirse o no a ellos.

Es un cómic lleno de acción y sangre. Los gráficos y las viñetas son a todo color pero oscuras y reflejan genial el universo interior de John Wick y sus deseos de venganza y muerte. La verdad es que si te gusta el género de acción y misterio y los tiros es muy entretenido

[Keiko, the manga enthusiast ♒︎ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting peek at John Wick's past. It's a fast read and nice art. The action is quite good. I'm pretty mesmerized with some of the panels. Although, I needed a little more of Calamity. I liked crazy "joker" villains.

[Quintin Zimmermann · Rating 3 out of 5]

John Wick #1 - #5

It's John Wick. John Wick is cool. John Wick is sick.

But this reads like a comic, and comics these days are cool and sick.

This is not.

[Shaun Stanley · Rating 4 out of 5]

A super fun read that went by extremly quick. I would love to see more comic adventures of John Wick and flesh out his story.

[T.L. Hill · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars just because I can tell it's Keanu Reeves. Actually read all 5 books.

[Christopher · Rating 2 out of 5]

For as much as the John Wick movies feel like live-action comic books (they are probably the closest thing we will ever get to an adaptation of 100 Bullets), the franchise doesn't seem to translate well to the page. Maybe it's just that a static medium like comics cannot capture the kineticism of the films, but I found this whole thing underwhelming. The art is fine but it fails to capture the brutal beauty on display in the films, all of which boast some of the most gorgeous cinematography of the last few years. Furthermore, and it pains me to say his because I am a fan of Greg Pak, the writing feels more like a lackluster copy of Derek Kolstad's screenplays rather than an extension of them. I also wasn't terribly fond of the whole "What if John Wick fought Harley Quinn?!" vibe surrounding the title character's tussle with Calamity. Ultimately, I was disappointed in this one, but would be interested in giving the next volume a shot, provided there is one and that it improves on this initial outing.

[MyOwnBookAdventures · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was fun, but nothing special, not even for a John Wick fan ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
I guess this franchise works best on screen.

[Vigneswara Prabhu · Rating 2 out of 5]

Rating 2 out of 5 | Grade: D+; John's definitely not back

I'm assuming from the publication year, that this story was released as accompaniment to the release of the second John Wick movie. But it seems John wick is a story, which works better in live action format. Much in the same way that Mad Max; Fury road is something which works only with George Miller's creative direction, and visuals to accentuate them.



Without Keanu's talent & dedication, as well as director Chad Stahelski's eclectic stunts & world building, this graphic novel, falls short in all expectations.

The underground world of John wick, where Assassin organizations thrive in the shadows, and seem to define each and every aspect of that world, is not neatly adapted here. It just feels like yet another action film, with nothing much to offer.

It also doesn't help that, the story doesn't take any effort to really flesh out John's past, beyond 'an orphan trained by some mysterious organization'. The gravitas & prestige that John Wick is given, when Viggo narrates his past, of 'The bodies he buried that day laid the foundation of what we are now', that sort of mythical persona is lacking here.



We're also not sure, at what point of John's life this story takes place. From the interactions, it's before he met Daisy, and before he build up his reputation as the most dangerous killer in these circles. But, for the most part, the story seems to float in limbo.

The action in the comics, which one would expect to be it's best part, is sorely lacking; in definition & engagement. I can't really find any difference between this and the dozens of other action hero comics which come out on the market.

I watched a Superhero vs battles, featuring James Bond vs John Wick. John loses in the end. But still the fact that, a character that is only three movies old, is able to measure up to the legacy & fan adulation of 007, really shows you how the team behind the movies really struck gold with it.



If you cannot generate the same amount of interest in the comics, then I'd say you're only getting the bare bones treatment of the character.



Frankly, the only thing notable about the series, are the cover art, which I have to say, are phenomenal.

[Alex · Rating 3 out of 5]

I recently binged the first three John Wick films and saw Ballerina, so when I heard that there was a John Wick graphic novel, I was intrigued. I liked it overall, but it has its issues.

First, like the John Wick films, it is action-packed. There is plenty of fun action throughout and it is well illustrated. It helped to keep the plot interesting. It also fit the tone and feel of the films.

As for the story itself, it was okay. It takes place before the films and is more of a prequel. There is a tie-in to The Continental and a character from the films (not mentioning who they are to avoid spoilers), but the connection is loose. It's a decent stand-alone and the plot kept me interested. It was also fairly straightforward, simple, and fun.

The characterization is a mixed bag though. Wick's characterization is spot on, especially given his moral code and care for animals also. The antagonists weren't great though. They were bland and one-dimensional. None of them were too complex. Maria was an interesting addition. While her plans were fairly obvious, I thought she was a well-written character and her schemes did lead to some good storytelling.

Overall, this was a quick and enjoyable read. The characterization could be better and the plot is a bit simple and straightforward, but I had fun and I like the art and action. If you like the films and want something quick to read, this would be a good choice.

[Vladimír · Rating 3 out of 5]

Čo čakať od komiksu, ktorý sa bude snažil zviezť na popularite Johna Wicka? Keď už nie originálnosť, tak aspoň kvalitné remeslo. John Wick je v tomto prevedení veľmi jednoduchá a priamočiara jazda. Sledujeme klasickú cestu za pomstou, v ktorej sa Johnovi až na pár drobností vcelku darí. Časovo je tento príbeh zasadený do obdobia pred jeho členstvo v klube Continental a zistíme tiež, akým spôsobom začala jeho práca pre Rusov. Je to akčné, dynamické, zábavné a to je myslím v rámci týchto adaptácií viac než dosť. Ak je vám táto postava sympatická a chcete si prečítať jednoduchý príbeh z jej minulosti, tento book nebude krok vedľa.

[Chiara ❀ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3/5 ⭐ | First time read | January, 2021

Not bad for a first volume, but it could have been way better. I'm giving it 3 stars because I'm a John Wick die-hard and I find it impossible to remain objective.

John Wick is one of my favorite fictional characters ever, mostly because of how well built it is, and the comic book maintained most of his personality treats. However I would have loved it if Pak dived deeper into Wick's past; the developement of the story isn't great and it left me with more questions than answers.

One final comment is that I loved the art work! The covers are great and I really felt like I was staring at Keanu Reeves the whole comic (which was honestly awesome, haha).

Looking forward to reading vol. 2!

[miss ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

he canonically likes cookie crisp guys,,,,,,,,, i myself do not particularly like cookie crisp but this is so important to me nonetheless. i love LORE i love learning about characters that i fixate on and just storing fun facts about them in my cheeks like a chipmunk. anyway. new blossoming john wick era led me to this graphic novel. it’s not, like, amazing or anything, but it is nice to see more of a backstory about how the character became who he is. did i want more? of course. but i always want more. so for what this is it’s pretty solid. the first couple issues are definitely the strongest.

[BookishDramas · Rating 4 out of 5]

We have seen the movies. We have seen it achieve cult status and are in a frenzy waiting the next one.

This action story arc gives us John's origins and a debt that he needs to pay, which has weighed him down and how that path takes him to Hotel Continental and his life path as we know it.
Nonstop breathless action with characters from Wick's past and present. Same high energy fare and decent art take the show forward.
Would have loved to get a little more sting at the end but that's fine.
Lovely entertainment.

[David Dalton · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a great action packed series. My only knock was how long it took to actually publish each issue when they first came out. One issue here, several months later another was published, after another month or two the next issue and so on. Guess it would be too much to hope for a sequel series.

A fun early look into John Wick and others from the early days.