Wolfpitch Review: Werewolf Jams, Ghostly Keys
Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)
Look, most romance fans love a good ‘enemies to lovers’ story, but not if it comes like a slap to your face out of nowhere! That’s how the romantic subplot in the graphic novel ‘Wolfpitch‘ plays out – just two people with zero chemistry fighting like dogs and suddenly having a moment of passion that’s super ill-timed that. Even though I can’t think of a perfect equivalent, imagine seeing an old priest praying seriously in a church, then suddenly breaking out into an Eminem rap for no reason; it would be super weird right? Or maybe funny to some. But still weird. Anyway, let’s move on to the plot…
Created by Balazs Lorinczi (Doughnuts & Doom), ‘Wolfpitch’ follows Izzy, a werewolf who’s also an amazing bassist, but with the kind of attitude that keeps getting her kicked out of bands. Since human musicians can barely stand her sass, Izzy teams up with Geraldine, the ghost of a famous jazz pianist, to take part in the biggest music competition in town. Geraldine convinces Delilah, a popular drummer to join them. But Delilah hates Izzy’s guts, and the two are constantly fighting. Will they be able to make it to the competition without tearing each other apart? It looks highly unlikely!
There are a lot of fun elements in Wolfpitch that make it an entertaining read, like Geraldine the ghost being made of milkshakes or Izzy the werewolf having crazy hearing. It’s these unique, quirky elements that help pull the story out of its predictable funk – bandmates who hate each other team up for a competition; we all know how it’s going to end, right? Also, like I wrote right at the start, the romantic subplot just didn’t flow well in the story. Things could’ve worked better as a music-themed, magical tale about bickering friends putting their differences aside for a shared dream. Or Balazs Lorinczi could have extended the length of the graphic novel to give more space to the love story and make it flow smoother than the jarring execution it gets in this 188-page graphic novel.
The artwork is cute, and Balazs Lorinczi uses a fun color palette dominated by shades of pink and blue. The flashback scenes in Wolfpitch are in grey tones, making it easier to differentiate the timelines. Izzy’s character design wasn’t my favorite – she looks like someone doing a very basic cosplay of a werewolf. But it also gives her a cutesy vibe, making her feel like a furry version of Valerie Brown (the bassist in Josie and the Pussycats comics).
Overall, Wolfpitch is a bubbly, bright, mildly chaotic, and slightly predictable read, sharing quite a few similarities with Balazs Lorinczi’s earlier work Doughnuts & Doom. So, if you liked that, you’ll probably enjoy this one too.
Rating: 3 on 5. “Wolfpitch” is also on Kindle Unlimited.
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