To celebrate the end of 2021, we are looking back at some of our best articles this year.
Originally published this past April:
There have been many works based on the Warhammer 40K franchise, and this includes a number of original comics. Black Library has been reprinting many of these lately and one of the comics to get reprinted and in colour is the comic called Lone Wolves by Dan Abnett and Karl Richardson.
The story sees the 10th Slavok Regiment of the Imperial Guard abandoned on the ice-planet Shadrac which is under assault by a Tyrranid invasion. The story opens with the Guardsmen struggling to survive, having to ration their resources and fighting off the hordes of the Tyrranids as best as they can. They are not superhuman though, and as such the horror aspect of the Grimdark setting is played up in full, such as seeing the things the desperate guardsmen must do to survive.
As the story goes on though, the guardsmen, and our narrator, Sergeant Poul Marlin soon find they are not alone against the alien menace as there are Space Marines on the planet as well. The marines only show up briefly, but Marlin realizes his men need to find them if they are to survive and find them he does. The comic does an amazing job of contrasting the guardsmen and the Space Wolves, especially with the unique culture of the latter group. The Space Wolves have a very unique culture even among the Adeptus Astartes, and Lone Wolves do a great job of showing how ordinary humans would react to that.
One thing that stands out about Lone Wolves is that this is not just a story of Space Marines coming to save the day, but one of the Guardsmen and Astartes working together and learning to rely on each other. The Tyrranid menace is also shown well here, and Karl Richardson’s art does a great job of conveying how horrifying they can be. They are a foe that even the greatest chapters must call on aid for, and thus we know that the 10th Slavok and a few Space Wolves alone cannot defeat the menace, but they will try to fight as they can.
Richardson’s art fits the Space Wolves perfectly as well and coupled with Abnett’s writing, allows the sons of Leman Russ to be depicted as they should. With a unique warrior culture that outsiders cannot fully understand but can come to respect. This is contrasted perfectly by the 10th Slavok Regiment who find their ways insane but fight at their side. The 10th Slavok are no slouches either, and the contrast helps show how tough the guardsmen actually can be in the lore when not written as cannon fodder.
Lone Wolves is a shorter graphic novel but is an excellent story. With great writing and excellent art, this can serve as a great introduction to the Space Wolves for those who are curious about them. The new colouring is a great addition as well and helps make the art stand out more. We highly recommend checking this out.