Hexagon Comics WAMPUS #4:THE RETURN

 

7x10 squarebound comic, 

96 pages 

b&w
ISBN-13: 978-1-64932-449-8. 

US$14.95

https://www.hexagoncomics.com/shop-wampus-4-the-return.html

cover by Luciano Bernasconi

- THE POG OF MONTSEGUR story by Jean-Marc Lofficier; art by Luciano Bernasconi 
- DEATH IN VENICE story by Jean-Marc Lofficier; art by Luciano Bernasconi
- THE ORIGINS OF HUNTER story by Jean-Marc Lofficier; art by Luciano Bernasconi
- ON CE UPON A TIME ON ARENA story by Jean-Marc Lainé; art by Luciano Bernasconi

With this special issue, we commemorate the 57th anniversary of Wampus, first published in France in March 1969.


Our first story, The Pog of Montsegur, begins exactly where Strangers #13 ends, and continues with a “new” Wampus on the prowl in the South of France. This storyline continues in Death in Venice, which guest-stars the wondrous Sibilla. The Origins of Hunter, is a flashback to the events recounted in episode #3 of the original Wampus series and an origin to the heretofore mysterious character of Hunter, introduced in Strangers 2. Once Upon a time on Arena takes place a long time ago on the home planet of the Bronze Gladiator, now under attacked by Wampus.


This issue also included a series of Wampus pin-ups by Steve Bissette (Swamp Thing, Taboo, Tyrant), Wampus’ co-creator, the legendary Luciano Bernasconi, and Mexican artist, Manuel Martin Peniche (Kabur, Strangers).

Now i did not fet volume 1 but here are links to the 2nd and 3rd volumes reviews:

Wampus 2 https://hoopercomicart.blogspot.com/2022/03/hexagon-comics-wampus-02-doomsday-march.html

Wampus 3 https://hoopercomicart.blogspot.com/2023/03/hexagon-comics-wampus-3-end-times.html

One day someone at a French movie studio -or any movie studio anywhere- is going to realise how good a character Wampus would be.  If you see the original sketches for Wampus -it is in this book- you will see how scary -much scarier-he/it could have been. Seriously, I stared at that draft sketch a while!

The opening scene is straight out of a horror or horror-sci fi movie. I really need to find that Wampus paperback because although I loved reading it when it cam out I cannot remember some of the scenes being so scary -kids must have loved this when it first appeared.

Once Upon A Time On Arena was interesting and showed Wampus can be quite devious and maybe a little Machiavellian? We can look at these stories in 2026 (uh-oh: I just had to check the year!) and think "been done"; I have heard the same from people who read The Watchmen in recent years and start saying how titles that came years after "did this"! This is Wampus' 57th so, yes, he was doing a lot of this before the year 2000!

Some panels reminded me of The Thing(Carpenter) or the 1970s Invasion of the Body Snatchers and I wonder how kids in France reacted when they saw all of this -I wonder whether it was anything like my reaction as a youngster picking up and reading Avengers 61?

There are also sketch pages of Wampus by Bissette, Ladronn, Peniche and, of course, Bernasconi.  

I think that Wampus deserves a place alongside Dr Doom, Kang or any of the other super villain greats of comics. Maybe one day!