REVIEW: Rougarou

3.67/5.0 Stars
Rating if the Book Were a Movie: R

Creative Team:

• Writer: Giles Clarke
• Artist: Jose Rondon
• Colors: Felipe Obando
• Letters: Andworld Design 
• Cover: Zack Ketz
• Editor: Giles Clarke
• Publisher: Uncharted Wilderness Studios 

Ratings:

• Story: 3.8 Stars
• Artwork: 3.7 Stars
• Cover Artwork: 3.5 Stars
• Dialogue: 3.7 Stars
• Mechanics: 3.8 Stars
• Editing: 3.5 Stars 

About the Book:

“Rougarou” takes us to the Colorado territory in 1868. A young girl, Emily, is attacked by a strange beast while fetching a pail of water near her family’s home. She’s gravely wounded. Emily’s father sends her brother to town to fetch the sheriff and doctor.

A short while later Ira Sedgwick of the U.S. Marshals arrives at the homestead. He tells the family that he met the son on the road and came to investigate. We learn from Ira that the beast was once a man named Zeek Wilkins. They served together in the Civil War.

During the raid of a plantation near Savannah Ira and Zeek went into the slave quarters looking for hidden riches. They are met with resistance in the form of and elderly Creole woman who puts a curse on Zeek, transforming him into the Rougarou. Since that day, Zeek has been on a killing spree with Ira on his trail throughout the Midwest. Now he’s less a few hours behind him.

Reader’s Notes:

“Rougarou” didn’t make it onto my radar until I saw it on the shelves at my local comic book store. Happy to simultaneously support a small press publisher and go on a curiosity voyage, I added it to the stack for that week’s haul.

After the initial first few pages I found myself thinking “Rougarou” was going to be an old west zombie story. I was pleasantly surprised with the turn the story took. “Rougarou” is less of a zombie story and something more akin to “Rales From the Crypt”.

The artwork on the cover is very well done. The details make it stand out. I appreciated how all of the characters depicted play a role in the story.

I don’t think people realize just how great the work artists from small press publishers are giving us is. From cover to cover the interior artwork in “Rougarou” can hang with anything that the “big two” are putting out.  With this book we get crisp lines, vivid detail, and outstanding coloring.

As a geek on a budget I believe that “Rougarou” is a coming out party for Giles Clark and the rest of the creative team. This book has terrific artwork that compliments a great story with exciting twists. It’s well worth the price of admission!