Classic Marvel monster Werewolf by Night is getting a full moon make-over, including a variant cover by Afro Samurai creator Takashi Okazaki. The comic book will introduce a brand new Werewolf by Night written by Taboo and Ben Jackendoff, with art by Scott Eaton, with the familiar story of a young man struggling with a family curse. As if that weren’t enough, the new Werewolf by Night must protect his community from supernatural threats while struggling to contain the beast within.
Prior to 1971, the Comics Code Authority prohibited stories about werewolves. When the Code was relaxed in the early seventies, the flood gates opened for monster books such as The Tomb of Dracula, Tales of the Zombie, and of course, Werewolf by Night. The character first appeared in Marvel Spotlight as Jack Russell (yes, that was really his name) in 1972. A young man struggling with lycanthropy, Jack would also become something of a fixture in the Marvel superhero books, appearing as a supporting character in everything from The Punisher to Doctor Strange. Jack even has an affair with Shiklah, Deadpool’s then-wife and Queen of Monsters, which gets him decapitated by a blunderbuss, though he does survive the attack. How Jack Russell fits into this new Werewolf by Night remains to be seen.
Takashi Okazaki is best known for the creation of the manga Afro Samurai, which he also wrote and illustrated. The property was later adapted into five-episode anime as well as the television film Afro Samurai: Resurrection, with Samuel L. Jackson voicing the title character in both productions. This isn’t the first time Okazaki has illustrated mainstream comics - he also drew a nine-panel comic promoting the movie Blade: Trinity in 2004. More recently, he was the character designer for the anime-inspired Batman Ninja animated movie.
Okazaki’s Werewolf by Night cover is certainly an impressive boon for the new Marvel property. Okazaki’s stylings make the new Werewolf by Night look tall, emaciated and all the more otherworldly, adding a much-needed sense of horror missing from previous iterations of the character. Hopefully, this variant opens the door for Okazaki to bring his dynamic design sensibilities to more of Marvel’s characters down the line. With Werewolf by Night reportedly figuring into the upcoming Moon Knight series on Disney+, Marvel looks to be reinvigorating the character for a modern audience. This variant cover by Okazaki looks to be the first step in bringing a new moon rising for the Werewolf by Night. Check out the full cover below.
Werewolf by Night #1 goes on sale in April 2020.
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