A Howl: An Indigenous Anthology of Wolves, Werewolves, and Rougarou

by Elizabeth LaPensée (Editor), Shane Hawk (Contributor)

Genres: Anthologies, Indigenous, Horror, Werewolves, Fantasy, Comics, Short Stories

194 pages, ebook

First published January 1, 2022

Reviews

[Akiva ꙮ · Rating 1 out of 5]

I hate to rate labors of love badly, but this was not well edited and very cheaply produced. Even the barcode on the back is wrong. There were maybe 1-2 good stories; many of the others were confusingly written and/or drawn and probably could have used some outside input and revisions.

I'm not rating on the art alone, to be clear---I've backed a number of kickstarter anthologies, and I can often find something to like about a story even when the art is not to my taste. This book made me realize that comics has a capacity for incoherence that surpasses any other kind of storytelling. At least you generally know what order to read books in. If dreaminess is the intent, as I think it could have been for at least one story (the one about kids playing basketball), the script still could have been edited so it wasn't in doubt.

Many of these stories could have been improved significantly by very a basic level of feedback to the artists, and I'm sad for them that they didn't get the chance to present themselves in their best light.

[Francesco Tehrani · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this anthology! Another item I got from KickStarter that I definitely don't regret getting! Sure, like what other reviews have said, there were a few grammar issues and whatnot. Honestly though, they made it seem like the whole book was rampant with them. This was obviously not the case. Regardless, I was and am able to overlook such little and few mistakes because the stories and art was just plain fantastic! I found myself engrossed in each story, so much so that when they ended, I was sad. I wanted more and to know what happens next. As a person who is totally and absolutely obsessed with all things wolves and werewolves, this is the kind of book and/ or anthology that speaks to me. The fact that they were all written and drawn by indigenous people, made them all that much better! The stories were special, unique, and not stereotypical at all! That is what I loved most about it! Here's hoping that this anthology is not a one off and that there will be more for me to sink my teeth into in the future!

[Josh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not bad overall. I enjoyed the more "horror" stories and thought the metamorphic use of werewolf transformation as an expression of gender difference was great! My favourite stories were "Death Metal Werewolves from Outer Space" and "Quiet Night".

My only criticism is that sometimes I felt that the art could have been better, and the panel layouts at times were difficult to follow or too small.

[Tracey P · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm used to Kickstarter graphic novels being uneven but I found very little to like here. Which is too bad because I'd really been looking forward to this one.

Some of the font choices made stories unreadable and the vast majority of the stories were terrible. The art styles varied wildly and, I'll admit, a lot of it wasn't to my taste so my rating isn't based on art at all. The writing is terrible for most of it.

[Shinyfluff · Rating 5 out of 5]

LOVE LOVE LOVE this great anthology! the art is incredible and I was moved to tears by some of the stories. havent finished all the stories yet, but this anthology is a jewel. the theme of transformation is handled in so many different ways, its very spirit-expanding.

[Max Turner · Rating 3 out of 5]

As with many anthologies, this is a mixed bag in terms of themes and variety, but also quality.

It was great to see so many different stories and ideas for the theme, as well as the range of different artistic styles.

The only let down really was that quite a few of the stories could have done with more developmental editing. There were some that weren't very coherent and others that ended confusingly. I was also disappointed that two of the stories I liked the most were part one and the second part was not included in the volume. This might not be an issue for some people, but I'm personally not a big fan of including serials in anthologies.

Overall it was a good, enjoyable read, but could have done with a few improvements.

[Valerie Gray · Rating 4 out of 5]

Neat collection of comics all detailing a more Indigenous werewolf collection. I liked the story with the two spirit character especially. It was nicely depicted and all the art was unique. Didn't care for the werewolves in space/battle of the bands strip, but that's just me.

[Penny · Rating 5 out of 5]

Topics range from the residential schools to death metal werewolves in a battle of the bands in space and queer love stories from perspectives mainstream media too often ignore.