The first volume of The Astounding Wolf-Man left me wanting more. The second, unfortunately, mostly left me yawning.

The book picks up right where the previous one ended. Gary Hampton, superhero werewolf, is on the lam, suspected of killing his wife. His daughter hates him and wants him dead. His vampiric mentor, who actually murdered Hampton's wife, has a secret agenda. And the other superheroes of the world want to bring Hampton in.

Sadly, the story drags here, mostly centered around Hampton's training by the uberwolf who attacked and turned him. There are subplots involving a crossover hero who first captures, then frees Hampton from the authorities on his trail. There's an agent who can be ripped in twain and still heal, which is a handy trait when you're duking it out with a Ferrigno-sized werewolf, and Hampton's daughter has hired some kind of super detective to track down her dad and help her kill him.

And yet, very little really happens. Fans of writer Robert Kirkman's work will tell you he likes to start off slowly and build to a dramatic turn, but the strategy fails if he loses his readers before the payoff.