It's always fun to read graphic novels, especially ones that are different from the same ol' same ol' one finds published by the big guys, Marvel and DC. With their hundreds of characters, we can sometimes be blinded by the fact that we're not seeing anything new in comics, that comics creators tend to retell the same stories over and over again. Like a Hollywood starlet in a shoe store, I've been jonesing for something new. And something new is exactly what I got when I picked up Doug Crill and Daniel J. Frey's graphic novel, Cry Wolf.

Cry Wolf is an amalgamation of horror-genre werewolves and noir detective novels like The Maltese Falcon and The Big Sleep. The story's main character, Detective Kurt Angelo, after marrying the gal of his dreams, travels to Borneo to find the son of an affluent man among one of the many Dyak tribes of headhunters. After finding the man, Angelo leaves Borneo with more than he's bargained for -- with the ability to become a wolf whenever innocents are in danger and the guilty are still at large.

Cry Wolf is obviously an amateur book when compared with some other graphic novels on the shelves today, but I actually liked it. Crill's storytelling has some rusty parts, mostly in how quickly and easily conflict is diffused, and the obvious lack of emotion felt by any of the characters. Crill's characters never transcend their two-dimensionality, and the reader is unable to develop an attachment to any of them. Despite this, the idea behind Cry Wolf is a good one, and may be strong enough to propel the book beyond the novice abilities of the creators. Having Angelo take on the shape of a wolf whenever innocent people are in danger is like merging Sam Spade with the spirit of Ghost Rider! Like mixing salsa with cream cheese -- somehow it just works!

Like Crill's words, Frey is also quite obviously a newcomer to the field of graphic novels. Frey's artwork in this one graphic novel runs the gamut from incredible to flat-out lazy. Some panels are breathtaking in the level of detail, but there are some pages where the reader just wonders if Frey didn't have something more urgent to get to. Using sharp angles and straight lines, Frey does, however, create a distinctive style -- one that can't be confused with a lot of the long underwear comic books you find on a lot of the shelves. When I first flipped through the graphic novel, I was turned off by the pencil and ink job, but once I began reading, I started to like the sharp edges to the art. It takes a few pages, but I think the art complements the story and vice versa.

I guess when it's all said and done, I liked Cry Wolf, but I don't think it's going to win a lot of awards. It does, however, show the work of two gentlemen who I believe will produce better work in the future, and I'd be very interested in seeing what things they have in store. And who knows, with the interesting ideas and unique art displayed in this graphic novel, in the future, Crill and Frey may be one of those duos we remember like Shuster and Siegel, Lee and Kirby, or Kane and Finger.

by Gregg Winkler
Rambles.NET
10 March 2007