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Coyotes #1-4
Coyotes, Vol. 1
Women are going missing in the City of Lost Girls, a border town in the desert. Officer Frank Coffey is trying to get to the bottom of this when he meets Red, a thirteen-year-old girl with a katana blade and a mission: murder the Werewolves stalking the border picking women off one by one. When it's discovered that the Wolves are the men of these villages, both Red and Officer Coffey are thrown together in a thriller of mythic proportions with the lives of their friends and loved ones in the balance.
Collects issues 1 through 4.
Collects issues 1 through 4.
128 pages, Paperback
First published April 17, 2018
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 138 reviews
February 8, 2018
After reading the 4 comics that make up this vlume, I have to say this volume gotta be amazing.
September 10, 2018
The total score should be rounded up to 3 but I honestly don't remember enough of each issue to say I actually "liked" the whole thing. And I don't feel like going back and looking at those issues again - I had to read the first issue twice as it is, so that says something about my overall feelings.
Individual issue reviews: #1 | #2 | #3 | #4
Total review score: 2.75
Individual issue reviews: #1 | #2 | #3 | #4
Total review score: 2.75
November 24, 2021
This is a review of the entire series.
Women and girls are being snatched away by the dozen in the City of Lost Girls, a border town in the desert of Mexico. Shapeshifting wolves are the predators, the girls are their prey. A girl named Red swears vengeance on the wolves after they assault her hometown, slaughtering her family and dragging her big sister off to meet a gruesome end. Officer Frank Coffey begins to suspect his fellow workers of having something to do with the incident, and he teams up with Red and many other outcasted girls who have been victims of the wolves to put up a fight against the creatures. To the surprise of Frank and Red, the officers and rulers of the local towns are all werewolves.
Just like Abiding Perdition by Nick Schley, this is a loose retelling of Red Riding Hood in the form of a gritty revenge fantasy that unfortunately falls flat in almost every way. The art and character designs were actually very well done this time around and the action scenes were decent, but I didn't like anything else about it. The characters were unlikeable, none of them had any depth, development or plausible motivations and we barely get to learn a single thing about any of them. The monsters and villains were equally underdeveloped and had no plausible reasons for doing what they did or how/why they ever got their powers in the first place.
The sloppy pacing doesn't give you the time to care about anyone or anything that's going on. The death scenes feel almost comical because they're built up to be dramatic but the characters are impossible to like so their deaths feel entirely weightless. The lore and mythology had potential to be interesting, but it was only briefly touched upon and felt very anticlimactic in the end. The dialogue was also rather cringy and didn't suit the setting or the tone of the story at all.
The story wanted to tackle a lot of serious issues such as the dark side of immigration, rape culture, sexual predators, border patrol, police brutality and outdated gender stereotypes that continue to harm society, but everything is so rushed, undeveloped and poorly packed together that it just ends up feeling like a jumbled mess of unfinished ideas with no real thought or depth to them.
***
If you're looking for some dark ambient music for reading horror, dark fantasy and other books like this one, then be sure to check out my YouTube Channel called Nightmarish Compositions: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPPs...
Women and girls are being snatched away by the dozen in the City of Lost Girls, a border town in the desert of Mexico. Shapeshifting wolves are the predators, the girls are their prey. A girl named Red swears vengeance on the wolves after they assault her hometown, slaughtering her family and dragging her big sister off to meet a gruesome end. Officer Frank Coffey begins to suspect his fellow workers of having something to do with the incident, and he teams up with Red and many other outcasted girls who have been victims of the wolves to put up a fight against the creatures. To the surprise of Frank and Red, the officers and rulers of the local towns are all werewolves.
Just like Abiding Perdition by Nick Schley, this is a loose retelling of Red Riding Hood in the form of a gritty revenge fantasy that unfortunately falls flat in almost every way. The art and character designs were actually very well done this time around and the action scenes were decent, but I didn't like anything else about it. The characters were unlikeable, none of them had any depth, development or plausible motivations and we barely get to learn a single thing about any of them. The monsters and villains were equally underdeveloped and had no plausible reasons for doing what they did or how/why they ever got their powers in the first place.
The sloppy pacing doesn't give you the time to care about anyone or anything that's going on. The death scenes feel almost comical because they're built up to be dramatic but the characters are impossible to like so their deaths feel entirely weightless. The lore and mythology had potential to be interesting, but it was only briefly touched upon and felt very anticlimactic in the end. The dialogue was also rather cringy and didn't suit the setting or the tone of the story at all.
The story wanted to tackle a lot of serious issues such as the dark side of immigration, rape culture, sexual predators, border patrol, police brutality and outdated gender stereotypes that continue to harm society, but everything is so rushed, undeveloped and poorly packed together that it just ends up feeling like a jumbled mess of unfinished ideas with no real thought or depth to them.
***
If you're looking for some dark ambient music for reading horror, dark fantasy and other books like this one, then be sure to check out my YouTube Channel called Nightmarish Compositions: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPPs...
February 11, 2020
There is a proliferation of comics that look a lot like this. Dark, dystopian, violent, speaking to the times. And this one takes place at The (US-Mexico) Border, where in a City of Lost Girls girls and women seem to be disappearing.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Female_...
I thought right away about the serial murders of women in Ciudad Juarez from 1993-2003 or so, but there are no direct references. There are illusions to the double meanings of coyote, as in animal and those that help people cross the border. But then there is some historical footnote to vampires and wolves and these monster/animal/men seem to/maybe are those killing the women. The nature of the creatures is confusing, let's just say: Are they animals? vampires? good guy rescuers or killers?
Enter White Sheriff Frank Coffey and a 13 year-old girl named Red who carries a Kitana blade. Gotta get the killers. There's a lot of spiritual/mystical abuelas, but nobody seems to be going all Gandhi on the killers here (cf. the bloody cover). Nope, not a lot of peace, love and understanding, as the feminism here in this one is angry and violent.
I love the artwork of Caitlin Yarsky, dark as it all is, but the key to Lewis's world-making is what he says in the appendix; he says he doesn't know exactly where the story came from, but he writes down all sorts of disparate things and tries to make them all fit in a story. He says he was kinda thinking of coyotes and the border and his son and fairy tales. I think this is an interesting experiment to journal about, but not usually effective in a story. I really don't think this is a 3-star story yet, but I give it 3 stars for the art and to make a placeholder for myself to keep reading to see if they can sort out the mess on the surface. Sometimes that happens.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Female_...
I thought right away about the serial murders of women in Ciudad Juarez from 1993-2003 or so, but there are no direct references. There are illusions to the double meanings of coyote, as in animal and those that help people cross the border. But then there is some historical footnote to vampires and wolves and these monster/animal/men seem to/maybe are those killing the women. The nature of the creatures is confusing, let's just say: Are they animals? vampires? good guy rescuers or killers?
Enter White Sheriff Frank Coffey and a 13 year-old girl named Red who carries a Kitana blade. Gotta get the killers. There's a lot of spiritual/mystical abuelas, but nobody seems to be going all Gandhi on the killers here (cf. the bloody cover). Nope, not a lot of peace, love and understanding, as the feminism here in this one is angry and violent.
I love the artwork of Caitlin Yarsky, dark as it all is, but the key to Lewis's world-making is what he says in the appendix; he says he doesn't know exactly where the story came from, but he writes down all sorts of disparate things and tries to make them all fit in a story. He says he was kinda thinking of coyotes and the border and his son and fairy tales. I think this is an interesting experiment to journal about, but not usually effective in a story. I really don't think this is a 3-star story yet, but I give it 3 stars for the art and to make a placeholder for myself to keep reading to see if they can sort out the mess on the surface. Sometimes that happens.
May 3, 2018
Didn't like this one much at all. After issue 1 it got too crazy for me, and little to care about ANY characters, and not in love with the art.
April 4, 2018
I received a free copy of this book from Edelweiss
I absolutely loved this! The artwork is gorgeous, the story is great, and there's such a diverse cast of characters. A really great modern Red Riding Hood retelling that focuses on issues of violence against women, police corruption, and the lack of consequences faced by corporations in our world today. This volume does a great job of setting up the story, but there is still a ton of action too which is great because I feel that often the first volume of a new comic moves so slowly. I can't wait to read the next one!
I absolutely loved this! The artwork is gorgeous, the story is great, and there's such a diverse cast of characters. A really great modern Red Riding Hood retelling that focuses on issues of violence against women, police corruption, and the lack of consequences faced by corporations in our world today. This volume does a great job of setting up the story, but there is still a ton of action too which is great because I feel that often the first volume of a new comic moves so slowly. I can't wait to read the next one!
August 8, 2018
An interesting premise, a mixture of horror, Southwest culture, and feminist empowerment. This first trade collect felt more coherent upon second reading. And Yarsky’s art, especially the covers, is fabulous.
April 7, 2018
I'm truly conflicted by Coyotes. This tale of girls being trained as 'Victorias' (a fighting crew named after the train station they inhabit, who see it as their destiny to rid the world of werewolves) clearly has a lot to say, but in the end just came across as style over substance.
Many are calling it a timely allegory about the #MeToo movement, using that age-old metaphor for wolves as man, but it verges too often toward the silly (swearing action-Grannies just one example) to be taken that seriously.
Characters are inconsistent in their actions with no one seeming to have a clear goal apart from the male cop 'Coffey'. In fact, his arc is the only distinct, well-written and in-fact likeable one.
Irony klaxon sounding loud and hard here.
The art is ok, but could really do with some colour variation at some points.
Honestly, if you want a well-written feminist comic, with a relevant and engrossing storyline, you'd be well advised to check out Pretty Deadly.
Many thanks to Image for the review copy.
Many are calling it a timely allegory about the #MeToo movement, using that age-old metaphor for wolves as man, but it verges too often toward the silly (swearing action-Grannies just one example) to be taken that seriously.
Characters are inconsistent in their actions with no one seeming to have a clear goal apart from the male cop 'Coffey'. In fact, his arc is the only distinct, well-written and in-fact likeable one.
Irony klaxon sounding loud and hard here.
The art is ok, but could really do with some colour variation at some points.
Honestly, if you want a well-written feminist comic, with a relevant and engrossing storyline, you'd be well advised to check out Pretty Deadly.
Many thanks to Image for the review copy.
July 14, 2018
There were some interesting ideas here, but the art makes it hard to read, and the story spends more time trying to by mysterious than it does actually explaining what's going on. It almost feels like a variation of Red Riding Hood on the Mexican border. Lots of people are dying at the hands of Coyotes who appear to be mystically empowered. That would have been enough for a decent four-issue arc, but then you've got a military industrial complex making use of the mysticism and a loosely organized cadre of women fighting them. It tried to do too much in its short space, and none of it connected enough to make me interested in continuing the series.
May 28, 2018
I'm not entirely sure what I just read. The best I can explain is if Gaiman, Tarantino, Daniel José Older, and Catherynne Valente wrote a really violent slasher about badass Hispanic monster slayers with revolutionary feminist tendencies. So.... yeah. 😂 (Really compelling read though. Recommend for my GN fans.)
April 27, 2018
Omg I loved this book. It was magical, dark, beautiful and brilliant. The artwork is so amazing. The story was very fast paced and thrilling. I loved all the characters, I can not wait for the next volume.
March 27, 2018
Coming from a bunch of ideas jumbled together two years ago, if the postscript here is to go by, we get this hot-off-the-press, none-more-prescient metaphor for predatory men and the whole 'Me Too' meme. In a town where the men are horrid werewolf things, a disparate band of females (all with potty mouths) are starting to fight back, much to the initial disgust of the very worried and very male new cop in town. There's a little sense of it trying too hard to be edgy (some of the framing, some of the needless cussing), but it is still a very good book, and on the whole the emancipation metaphor is perfectly handled.
April 11, 2019
A badass 13-year-old girl and her community of women warriors take the fight to an evil weapons company who arm men with mystical pelts that turn them into wolves with a taste for women’s flesh. Tense and bloody, this comic provides timely commentary on violence against women and the evils of predatory men. I especially loved the gang of abuelas that teamed up with the main character. A+ illustrations throughout!
June 21, 2018
a weapons manufacturer is turning prisoners into werewolves and using them to kill women but we don't really know why? a lot of this was confusing as shit..why are comics so frequently unwilling to just fucking tell you what's going on? 2/5.
September 3, 2019
Starts out with a nice bit of world building, creating a real sense of place. Then halfway through the book everything becomes rushed rushed rushed, and the whole thing collapses into storytelling mush.
(Read as four single issues.)
(Read as four single issues.)
November 29, 2023
Interesting take on werewolves, and I liked the artwork a lot. The narration was a little over the top, like the characters were constantly yelling about their mission statement or something. I liked Red and Coffey as a team, but I'm not sure that's enough to bring me back for more.
August 20, 2018
damn...full review to come...
Edit: Full Review Below
Wow...just...wow! This comic was amazing and I loved it and they better come out with the second volume of it soon!
In a border town in the desert, there are women and girls going missing. Officer Frank Coffey is transferred from a city and he is trying to figure out where these women and girls are going. In his tracking, he runs into Red, a girl with a katana and a mission. Red's mission is to kill the werewolves, these beasts that are picking off the missing girls one by one. As Frank and Red try to work together to figure out where the werewolves are coming from, and why they are going only after the girls and women.
I'll say this, this comic covers sensitive and mature material. It covers material that may seem eye-opening to some but may feel like common knowledge to others. And for me, the more I read, the more it felt like common knowledge what this was hinting and alluding to. To me, that's what so amazing about this comic. It gave me a new lens to view old knowledge and still enjoy the story. I loved hearing about another way werewolves came to be in the world, I loved the artwork of this comic, I loved just about everything about it. I need the second volume to find out what happens next. I hope it comes out soon.
Edit: Full Review Below
Wow...just...wow! This comic was amazing and I loved it and they better come out with the second volume of it soon!
In a border town in the desert, there are women and girls going missing. Officer Frank Coffey is transferred from a city and he is trying to figure out where these women and girls are going. In his tracking, he runs into Red, a girl with a katana and a mission. Red's mission is to kill the werewolves, these beasts that are picking off the missing girls one by one. As Frank and Red try to work together to figure out where the werewolves are coming from, and why they are going only after the girls and women.
I'll say this, this comic covers sensitive and mature material. It covers material that may seem eye-opening to some but may feel like common knowledge to others. And for me, the more I read, the more it felt like common knowledge what this was hinting and alluding to. To me, that's what so amazing about this comic. It gave me a new lens to view old knowledge and still enjoy the story. I loved hearing about another way werewolves came to be in the world, I loved the artwork of this comic, I loved just about everything about it. I need the second volume to find out what happens next. I hope it comes out soon.
February 9, 2018
After a pretty good first two issues, this devolves into nonsense during the next two issues. I don’t know that I can really say what this is about, except there is a lot of violence. The wolves/coyotes look cool and the art is nice, but in four issues this doesn’t seem to warrant a “volume” quite yet. I’ll pass on this one.
May 11, 2018
I enjoyed this a great deal but I think it would have been better if I had the print, I read a digital copy from Hoopla (a library e service in case your not in the know) and yeah print is always better for me. Action packed with lots of ultra violence, gods and goddesses and all that noise. Good art too.
March 27, 2018
I love love love the overarching concept of this series, but the execution is a mess, with a story line that's hopelessly muddled and confusing. I'll probably keep reading anyway, both for the gorgeous artwork and the gratifying girl-on-misogynist violence.
March 18, 2020
There was a lot going on here and I am not sure that I understood all of it. One of those books where the art was amazing and the story carried me along enough that I was compelled to keep reading. Curious to see where this goes in the next volume.
April 15, 2018
4.5
At first I was very confused, but man that got good!!
At first I was very confused, but man that got good!!
June 9, 2018
Refreshing
August 6, 2018
Great book and I love the art
August 17, 2021
Even if the art is excellent, the plot is a bit confusing. Some characters are difficult to identify, and the speech bubbles can be confusing at times. The concept was fascinating to me. As a bunch of girls try to survive in a city overrun by scientifically created Werewolves, the story is told from their point of view. As if An American Werewolf in London crossed With From Dusk to Dawn,
July 23, 2021
I usually don’t read GN, but I stumbled across this little gem and I must say I am extremely glad that I decided to take the plunge. I love the storyline and the alt werewolf history, I love the allegorical references. Everything about this was wonderful, and if I gush too much then I’ll give away spoilers. I’m immediately going to start on the sequel.
May 19, 2023
This was ok, but seemed to bounce around a little for me from page to page.
November 4, 2019
Boa premissa, roteiro médio, artes lindas. Ótima inspiração. :)
June 13, 2023
A promising premise but the delivery was messy. The pacing and timeline were confusing. Art was cool though.
September 15, 2018
I’m a sucker for anything having to do with cryptids, those creepy creatures whose existence is continually debated, like Bigfoot or vampires or the Loch Ness Monster, so I figured I’d love “Coyotes” by writer Sean Lewis and artist Caitlin Yarsky. It’s all about werewolves, female empowerment, and, cleverly using the dual meaning of coyote (as in the people who help refugees cross international borders), immigration; supernatural creatures, kick-ass chicks, and politics- three of my favorite things! Unfortunately, the four issues collected in this trade paperback were a muddle of half-baked storylines wrapped in spiritual gobbledegook.
The two main characters of “Coyotes” are Frank Coffey, an over-eager beat cop, and Red, a 13-year-old sword-wielding resident of The City Of Lost Girls who’s on a mission to avenge the deaths of her sister and mother. You see, the women of her dusty border town have been disappearing, victims of the men of the area, who transform into werewolves via the pelts of a mythical giant wolf. There’s an evil corporation involved (of course) and (inexplicably) a secret society of Victorian-inspired werewolf hunters and a copious amount of blood and severed body parts. “Coyotes” is wildly imaginative and gorgeous to look at (Yarsky has a stringy, animated style reminiscent of Humberto Ramos) but it’s also kind of a mess. I got the sense that Lewis wanted to make an violent, operatic statement about female agency and immigration - both worthwhile topics in this time of #MeToo and the Wall - but he just doesn’t get there. Scenes are disconnected, motivations are left unexplained, and the pacing of it all is very erratic.
I gave “Coyotes” a three-star rating because there’s a tremendous amount of potential to this series. The premise is a solid one and Lewis and Yarsky seem to compliment one another very well. With a little bit of restraint and a greater focus on clearer storytelling, I think “Coyotes” could be a pretty dynamite series; there’s enough good stuff here that I want to see where they take the story in the next volume.
The two main characters of “Coyotes” are Frank Coffey, an over-eager beat cop, and Red, a 13-year-old sword-wielding resident of The City Of Lost Girls who’s on a mission to avenge the deaths of her sister and mother. You see, the women of her dusty border town have been disappearing, victims of the men of the area, who transform into werewolves via the pelts of a mythical giant wolf. There’s an evil corporation involved (of course) and (inexplicably) a secret society of Victorian-inspired werewolf hunters and a copious amount of blood and severed body parts. “Coyotes” is wildly imaginative and gorgeous to look at (Yarsky has a stringy, animated style reminiscent of Humberto Ramos) but it’s also kind of a mess. I got the sense that Lewis wanted to make an violent, operatic statement about female agency and immigration - both worthwhile topics in this time of #MeToo and the Wall - but he just doesn’t get there. Scenes are disconnected, motivations are left unexplained, and the pacing of it all is very erratic.
I gave “Coyotes” a three-star rating because there’s a tremendous amount of potential to this series. The premise is a solid one and Lewis and Yarsky seem to compliment one another very well. With a little bit of restraint and a greater focus on clearer storytelling, I think “Coyotes” could be a pretty dynamite series; there’s enough good stuff here that I want to see where they take the story in the next volume.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 138 reviews