Review: Fearful Hunter #1

Artist(s): Jon Macy.

Jon Macy’s Fearful Hunter #11 is an attractive blend of real-world settings and fantasy elements: Oisin is a young druid taking his final “exams”, soon ready to receive a natural place to protect. But he falls for the vision of a young werewolf, sleeping satiated after the hunt. Oisin’s master is not too pleased about that, since he thinks the druid’s work precludes the possibility of relationships—but he still pines after the godly apparition that made love to him years ago when he was in Oisin’s place. Oisin the druid will meet Byron the werewolf in the flesh when he finds himself in, well, we don’t know if it’s a bar/barn for magical creatures, or gay guys, or both, but it seems to be full of hunky men with pointy ears. Byron and Oisin will soon connect, leading to a hot and tender sex scene.

Oisin discovers the wolf

What I particularly liked in this comic is the general atmosphere of the story and the way art enhances it. There’s no violence, nothing overly dramatic happening. It could be a cute, common love story, and there are elements of that, but the fantasy aspects add a mythical quality that brings it to a whole higher level. Jon Macy’s art is also beautifully suited to that blend: there’s an interest in details, whether for example in the natural world or faces in some panels, but there’s also a willingness to use only a few lines here and there to sketch a body or a face. For me, there’s something of the studied rawness of early Mike Allred art in there, before he became all slick. This is the kind of art that draws you in, that brings to life a story which the author obviously tried hard to make believable (check the use of runes and Celtic names, they seem to be here for more than just “local color”). Oh, and on the inside cover, there’s even a guy named as “Oisin’s ass model”. I can imagine how hard it must have been for Jon Macy to spend time selecting the perfect candidate for this most important piece of casting.

With four issues of Fearful Hunter planned, Jon Macy must have some interesting developments in mind. I must say that I can’t wait to discover what they are.


Notes:
  1. You can buy this 56-page, self-published, perfect-bound comic from the author.
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    Update August 2012: This comic is available for free on iTunes.

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