Written By: Mark London
Illustrated By: Alejandro Giraldo
Lettering By: Miguel Angel Zapata
Cover by: Alejandro Giraldo
Published By: Mad Cave Studios
The Wolvenheart Organisation has been protecting the realms of man for quite some time, from the numerous and vicious attacks by those that have escaped the Hell Fires. From demons to werewolves, and even Dracula himself. This story follows monster hunter Sterling Cross as he steps through time in order to eradicate the hellish beasts. This time however, may be his final fight as he comes face to face with the Queen in Black.
This volume includes the entire 7 issue series of Wolvenheart, a comic series that was full of excitement from start to finish. With a number of surprises thrown in, we get just a glimpse of what Sterling Cross’ life was. With intriguing character backgrounds, which I wish were explored even further as I am still left with wanting to discover more. The initial plot was well executed and delivered in what I thought was a captivating final battle. That last panel though, has left fans screaming for an 8th issue at least!!
Sterling Cross is no ordinary man, with a gypsie heritage and the blood of a vampire coursing through his veins, he often has to battle against his thirst for blood. Having learnt to feed the right beast, Cross has become one of the Organization’s most prominent monster hunters. With the legend that is Van Helsing as his mentor, how could he not live up to their expectations.
Following the execution of Dracula, Van Helsing set up the Wolvenheart Organisation in order to have a team of hunters on hand to travel throughout time to erase the monsters that had escaped Hell itself during Dracula’s rule. This series has many time jumping moments which could have been disastrous to follow, but was instead handled well in its deliverance making for a very enjoyable read through. From the origins of the organisation, to its downfall. With the ability of time jumping, it can only take one person to constantly rewrite history, thankfully we have Sterling Cross.
Now there were several main characters that played prominent roles in this book, as well as Cross’ upbringing. Although we don’t know much about Sterling’s parentage, we do see the strong ties he holds to the gypsies he was raised by. This comic also breaks the stereotypical boundaries, as Helsing himself, originally a monk, joined forces with two other societies in order to bring down Dracula. Three ethnic groups that despise one another, managed to put differences aside all for the greater good. I just wish more information was given in regards to not only Cross’ parents, but also Sabinas’.
Once again Mad Cave Studios have produced another remarkable series, with Mark London handling the script. The very same man who is also responsible for bringing the story of Battlecats to life. Alongside fellow Battlecat illustrator Alejandro Giraldo, who handled all the artwork for Wolvenheart. The art style and story for this series is obviously aimed at the Teen+ market, for it’s dark themes and horror moments. It’s a great read for a standalone series and I would highly recommend it if you have never checked out the studio before.
https://madcavestudios.com/product/wolvenheart-vol-1-legendary-slayer/
Overall: 8/10
