Sam Thorne reviews Airwolf #1…
Lion Forge Comics are one of the newest comic book producing companies to show up to the ball-game and with that they hold a relatively fresh premise. They seem to be focusing primarily on the digital format, and seek to revive many cult TV shows through the medium of comics, such as Airwolf and Knight Rider.
‘Lion Forge is to acquire and develop content and character franchises through the Graphic Novel medium, with a focus on digital content distribution over a variety of platforms. The first results of this labor will be both original and licensed titles debuting in 2013.‘
Airwolf #1 feels quite atypical for a first issue. It’s not that focused with trying to establish an on-going continuity as you’d expect, instead it throws the reader straight into the world of Airwolf via an outlandish dogfight in the sky, alongside an impromptu territorial turf war back at the hangar. Maybe it’s not the most traditional formula, but it establishes the action-packed world of Airwolf pretty well. It’s not the most engaging of stories, the crew of Airwolf are on a mission, and return to find their employer and base of operations under siege. I think it captures the spirit and Zeitgeist of the original TV show to a tee though, and that’s a job well done.
Dave Gorden’s writing fits the task, but the art of Koi Turnball is more debatable. Obviously a large part of drawing a comic like Airwolf lies in the design and structure of its technological elements, the vehicles, bunkers, etc. The design of Airwolf itself is pretty awesome, and that certainly extends to its arsenal of weaponry, and most of the comics technology. The same can’t really be said for Koi’s rendering of faces. They’re over textured, over-shadowed, and have a bit too much detail. Essentially there’s too much going on, which results in the faces not actually looking that human. The characters look more like action figures, or like they’re made out of plastic.
All things considered though, for such a young company Airwolf #1 is drawn and written incredibly professionally, and is definitely the genuine article as far as comics go. I’m not exactly the target audience but I was entertained enough and will probably see what Airwolf has to offer as it continues.
Sam Thorne
Originally published October 18, 2013. Updated April 11, 2018.
