I was pleasantly surprised by this comic. That may sound odd, as why would I be wasting time on a book that I don't think I'd enjoy, but much like the Zack Davisson (who wrote the forward to this volume) I've read too many comics (or novels) where the appropriation of the foreign culture is off putting.

Also historically my track record with IMAGE Comics has not been stellar as of late.

So I went into WAYWARD a little hesitant, but willing to try. I'm glad I did because it was enjoyable.

Its not for everyone though - there's some topics dealt with that aren't perhaps dealt with as well as they could be (namely Rori's coping mechanism) and some which won't make sense to the reader without the helpful back notes. Zub tosses you into what life is like for Rori--a half Japanese/Half-Irish teenager who's research doesn't prepare her well enough for life in Tokyo.

Rori, who's used to being "cool" in Ireland for her mixed heritage is suddenly pretty much a social outcast because she isn't on the level of her peers. She's struggling to keep up with what their teacher is saying only to have him privately warn her that her natural hair color was disruptive so maybe she should dye it dark.

That's pretty simple stuff for her to deal with next to the supernatural crazy that erupts around her though.

By the end of the 5 issues contained in the volume I was kind of feeling at odds with the pacing and the development. A lot of things HAPPEN with little context or reason, much of it left to the reader to discern why Rori suddenly can see these red threads (of fate).

I am interested in seeing how the secret(s) her mother hid from her will play out, and I generally found the characters to be interesting (though a little broadly written in terms of personality, they fit certain stereotypes initially and grow only a fraction by the end).

I'll warn for violence and for something that is personal to Rori she cuts "alone" into her arm, though we're shown this only once and its not made clear why no one can see the marks on her arm when she wears short sleeved shirts often enough. and language, though that's not a big issue.

Insofar as cultural appropriation goes...its hard to tell since Rori had a certain perception of the culture via her mother and Zub tries to convey that in how the reader experiences Tokyo. Whether or not this will change as the series goes on I can't say however.

( )

Japanese demons, young misfits, cool magic and splashy artwork-I'm in. ( )

While the book's notes keep referring to Kitaro, the story really reminds me more of xxxHolic by Clamp and if you liked that series I think you'd really appreciate this one. ( )

I got this one but I was a bit fearful that it would fetishize Japan. Like it's some magical country far far away. Instead of just a country with a different culture than American. But straight away in the foreword someone named Zack Davisson acknowledged that he had the same fears. Apparently there is a word for that: Orientalism.

I have to say that I was guilty of that in my youth. I just discovered manga and anime and didn't had any real base of knowledge for the subtler aspects of Japanese culture. What I did discover is Japanese comics/animations were very different than Dutch or other western comics/animations. I was very aware that sometimes I missed some social cues or some cultural background that was normal there but seemed weird here. So started my lifelong dream to once go to Japan but also to learn more about the culture. Now I'm older and know more about the history of Japan but most of the time I still 'see' Japan through very Western-culture-eyes. Sometimes I catch myself thinking that the Japanse really are something alien to me. Almost like a fairytale. Samurai! Ninja! Geishas! ONI! (really those are the only things you think Japan is? I disgust myself sometimes...) When I do that I watch YouTube video's (Begin Japanology - NHK World Very good to begin with) to learn more and to adjust my narrow minded thinking.

So after reading the foreword I felt more comfortable to just enjoy reading a new story. And maybe learn more in the proces.

After reading though... I think that having some more information about Japanese culture makes you enjoy the story more. Like why a red thread? I only vaguely knew what the significance was of that in Japan but it did made the story more fun to read. Although I have to say you can find more background on the 'monsters' at the end of the comic. So I did learn something.

I read Wayward, Vol. 2: Ties That Bind at the same day and closely after this one so my review is the same. So lazy. ( )

Full disclosure: I received a free review copy of this book from Net Galley. Originally posted at Full of Words.

The art in Wayward Volume One is probably the best part of an otherwise cliché book. The backgrounds are gritty and realistic in a way that feels completely grounded, and the character art is bright and stylized. Unfortunately, all of that beautiful design is in service of story about yet another teenager discovering hidden magical powers and using them to fight monsters.

Rori Lane is half-Irish and half-Japanese, which means she speaks the language but has a head of bright red hair that makes her stand out in a Japanese crowd. The story opens when she moves to Japan to live with her mother after a (so far unexplained) falling out with her father. Her mother works long hours and is hardly ever home, but Rori seems to have nowhere else to go, so the arrangement works.

There are the occasional interesting details, but they feel more like window-dressing than real characterization. Rori’s mixed heritage means she’ll never really fit in, no matter how well she learns to speak Japanese. The author plays with that theme, but doesn’t dig deeper than a moment where her teacher tells her to dye her hair black so that people won’t think she’s a troublemaker. We also learn that Rori is a secret cutter, but the revelation feels completely arbitrary and gratuitous because it doesn’t have any impact on the story. Ultimately it just feels like a cynical attempt to add depth to the story.

The other characters aren’t given much more depth than their magical abilities, but at least Ayane – a magical “cat girl” – is entertaining and strange. The story rushes through Rori discovering her powers and meeting other powered characters so that it can get to the fight scenes. I don’t necessarily prefer stories that dwell on characters discovering a secret world in plain sight, but Rori starts out the book lost in another country and ends up leading a team of magical teenagers in a very short amount of time. Additionally, the dialogue is oftentimes very wooden, reading as if Zub is trying to imitate English poorly translated from Japanese.

Ultimately the art and colors are the only things I actually liked about this book. Without the art, you have nothing but a story that relies on well-worn tropes, limited characterization, and dialog that is both wooden and unnecessarily vulgar. I doubt I’ll pick up another volume. ( )