Name: Wayward
ISBN: 9781632151735

Jim Zub

"Rori Lane is trying to start a new life when she reunites with her mother in Japan, but ancient creatures lurking in the shadows of Tokyo sense something hidden deep within her, threatening everything she holds dear. Can she unlock the secrets of her power before it's too late? Jim Zub (Conan-Red Sonja) and Steve Cummings (Deadshot) create a supernatural spectacle that combines the camaraderie and emotion of shows like Buffy with Japan's engaging culture and mythic monsters."--V.1 Publisher annotation.

String Theory. String theory. Volume one

Wayward

Jeff James

Full disclosure: I received a free review copy of this book from Net Galley. Originally posted at Full of Words.

The art in Wayward Volume One is probably the best part of an otherwise cliché book. The backgrounds are gritty and realistic in a way that feels completely grounded, and the character art is bright and stylized. Unfortunately, all of that beautiful design is in service of story about yet another teenager discovering hidden magical powers and using them to fight monsters.

Rori Lane is half-Irish and half-Japanese, which means she speaks the language but has a head of bright red hair that makes her stand out in a Japanese crowd. The story opens when she moves to Japan to live with her mother after a (so far unexplained) falling out with her father. Her mother works long hours and is hardly ever home, but Rori seems to have nowhere else to go, so the arrangement works.

There are the occasional interesting details, but they feel more like window-dressing than real characterization. Rori’s mixed heritage means she’ll never really fit in, no matter how well she learns to speak Japanese. The author plays with that theme, but doesn’t dig deeper than a moment where her teacher tells her to dye her hair black so that people won’t think she’s a troublemaker. We also learn that Rori is a secret cutter, but the revelation feels completely arbitrary and gratuitous because it doesn’t have any impact on the story. Ultimately it just feels like a cynical attempt to add depth to the story.

The other characters aren’t given much more depth than their magical abilities, but at least Ayane – a magical “cat girl” – is entertaining and strange. The story rushes through Rori discovering her powers and meeting other powered characters so that it can get to the fight scenes. I don’t necessarily prefer stories that dwell on characters discovering a secret world in plain sight, but Rori starts out the book lost in another country and ends up leading a team of magical teenagers in a very short amount of time. Additionally, the dialogue is oftentimes very wooden, reading as if Zub is trying to imitate English poorly translated from Japanese.

Ultimately the art and colors are the only things I actually liked about this book. Without the art, you have nothing but a story that relies on well-worn tropes, limited characterization, and dialog that is both wooden and unnecessarily vulgar. I doubt I’ll pick up another volume.

Tania Joana da Silva Monteiro

An awesome start to an awesome story with awesome characters and awesome art! Everything in Wayward is interesting and I couldn't put it down, I just wanted to know what would come next. In very few pages I had already fallen for the two young female characters. It is so enjoyable to see the friendship between the four characters group. And how that that friendship is actually present in their actions. Oh and Japan! It is so part of the story that it almost becomes a character in itself. The only bad thing about this is that I don't have the next volume to continue with this series immediately. TW: self harm.

Melissa Railey

Rori Lane is trying to start a new life when she reunites with her mother in Japan, but ancient creatures lurking in the shadows of Tokyo sense something hidden deep within her, threatening everything she holds dear. Can she unlock the secrets of her power before it's too late? Jim Zub (Conan-Red Sonja) and Steve Cummings (Deadshot) create a supernatural spectacle that combines the camaraderie and emotion of shows like Buffy with Japan's engaging culture and mythic monsters.

Nora 

Maggie Gordon

Thiago Margarida

Steve Cummings

IMAGE COMICS' NEW SUPERNATURAL SENSATION! Rori's uncanny senses lead her to a classmate with a dark secret...one he's willing to kill to keep hidden.

Wayward #2

Bee 

BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER FOR A NEW GENERATION! Rori Lane is trying to start a new life when she reunites with her mother in Japan, but ancient creatures lurking in the shadows of Tokyo sense something hidden deep within her, threatening everything she holds dear. Can Rori unlock the secrets of her power before it's too late? JIM ZUB (SKULLKICKERS, Samurai Jack), STEVE CUMMINGS (Legends of the Dark Knight, Deadshot), and JOHN RAUCH (INVINCIBLE) team up to create an all-new Image supernatural spectacle that combines the camaraderie and emotion of Buffy the Vampire Slayer with the action and mystery of Hellboy. Don't miss it!

Wayward #1

Vanessa Rae

chan

Wayward #7

Emily

Wayward #8

Wayward #9

Wayward #6

The creatures of Ireland are drawn to Rori and Ayane. What is Dermot hiding from them?

Wayward String Theory. String theory. Volume one