Raised By Wolves #1
Written by: Aaron Guzikowski
Illustrated by: Meghan Hetrick
DC Comics/HBO Max
2020
Sent on a mission from a destroyed Earth, two androids raise humanity’s best hope for the future on a distant planet. But the monsters that forced them to leave still haunt this new home…
As soon as I saw another HBO Max title on my list, my expectations dropped to the floor. It’s certainly not a secret that I didn’t enjoy the last one, and that I object to the whole idea of DC putting out advertisements for a streaming service like this, but I have to admit that Raised by Wolves is actually worth reading.
Since I’m not an HBO Max subscriber, I was completely unfamiliar with the story until reading this. I’m happy to say that I like the premise of the show, and what the comic adds to it. The comic is meant to be a prelude to the series, explaining some of the hows and whys, and of course, rousing interest in any one not already watching. It does that well, and as I often say of first issues, it leaves me wanting more. Not badly enough to pay for another streaming service, but I would watch the show during a free trial, for sure.
HBO even seems to have addressed by biggest complaint about their previous efforts – they have toned down the inclusion of their branding. That’s very welcome, as I surely would have complained even more about seeing the logo spread all across the landscape of this world. It’s much less intrusive this time, and dare I say I almost could have forgotten I was reading at ad at all, if I had gotten a full size issue.
Raised by Wolves was a good read, even if it was terribly short. The art is fine, the writing is solid, and the ideas behind the story are actually intriguing. My biggest complaint is that it’s over so soon, and that there’s not another comic to look forward to. Instead, I can stream the rest on practically any electronic device in my home. But I don’t want to do that. I want to actually read more comics. And it bothers me that this book exists only to discourage me from doing that.
Much Better Than the Last HBO Max Series
While still being a blatant advertisement for the HBO service, at least Raised by Wolves has some merit of its own. The story is original and interesting enough to leave you wanting more, and the art is actually worthy of a DC title. It's short and sweet and hopes you'll stream the rest, but I've seen far worse.
Brian Reed
Brian has been reading comics since January, 1987, when the death of Optimus Prime rocked his young world. Once a regular presenter on The Nerdstravaganza Podcast, Brian now writes for Florida Geek Scene.
