In the second volume of Wild's End, writer Dan Abnett and penciller I.N.J. Culbard describe the invasion of the United Kingdom by devastating alien lamps. Strange? Follow the military to learn more.
Wild's End back in the 30s
This second volume begins fifteen days after the first. The quartet of main characters managed to reach the next town and they are full of them! Indeed, Wild's End is not only a science fiction comic but also an animal story set in England in the 30s. We can't get more exotic! Warned of the alien danger, the army seized the situation…. by imprisoning the four heroes and heroine. Becoming paranoid, generals fear that the aliens will disguise themselves as men. It's logical but the heroes accept their confinement very badly. For the reader, this seclusion allows to discover the past of each. We understand why Slipaway is so sad. In addition, to act with more freedom, the neighboring village is in lockdown. By the costumes and the atmosphere of cool action movie, we think of the first Village of the Damned Wolf Rilla, released in 1960. It is no longer a question of following a group of fugitives but a whole troop preparing to act. The only question is how? The army wants to keep secrecy to avoid panic while civilians want to warn the population to be numerous enough to act.
Animals vs Aliens
In this sequel, we see fewer aliens because screenwriter Dan Abnett prefers to focus on animals and their divisions. The action accelerates here and the reading is gripping but like a good English detective novel, the violence remains most often discreet. One of the main characters will unfortunately disappear but his sacrifice is very moving. Wild's End is perfect for the youngest especially as the drawing of I.N.J. Culbard can get closer to Disney animal cartoons. We are sometimes confused like the appearance on a train of two authors of scientific fiction (the ancestor of science fiction). A recognized master of the genre finds himself in the same wagon as a fashionable author. The former arrogantly reproaches the lack of scientific rigor of the youngest. Thinking of going to a conference, these fiction writers were actually hired as experts by an army overwhelmed by this new threat. This duo works very well. As much as the young is naïve and proves more and more unbearable, the older one is intelligent and arrogant. Wild's End also brings together many writers because Miss Peardew the cat of the first volume. The reader will later understand that this concentration is not a coincidence…
Two books in one
Each chapter of comics includes bonus texts written by one of the characters that greatly enrich the story. In addition, if younger readers will be content with the older comics, they will enjoy the text that complements and enriches the basic narrative. In notes that seem to come out of Sherlock Holmes' brain, a journalist understands the threat but also allows the reader to make the connection between the two volumes. These documents are very diverse. There is the report of a guard, the first chapters of a novel and especially the moving letter of an officer who reveals her admiration (her love?) for Peardew With Wild's End, Kinaye Publishing proves that it is an excellent young adult publishing house. This animal story confronts funny and sometimes profound characters with an invasion all the more gripping as the end of this volume is quite disturbing. If this column intrigued you, you can read the texts about Snapdragon and Pilu of the woods from the same publisher.