Mark London and artist Danilo Beyrouth bring us the next installment in the Underworld Universe with The Hour of the Wolf #1, a creepy and horrifying time travel tale.

When Owen Blackwood is called across time to a seemingly normal home to destroy a haunted painting, it didn’t feel like anything out of the ordinary to this agent of Wolvenheart. Upon arrival, however, Owen finds himself trapped in the very painting he was called to destroy. With only a one hour window of time in which to operate, will Owen be able to save the family from certain death and destroy the painting? Or will he get lost in time and become a cross-dimensional walking ghost?

The debut issue of The Hour of the Wolf starts off with a promising premise but felt a bit clunky in its execution. What I couldn’t help but shake was the story feeling almost like a short horror tale that would be included in an anthology rather than the beginning of a new miniseries. With this being said, I can see what writer Mark London was trying to accomplish with setting up an eerie atmosphere and introducing us to this new series.

Despite the initial shortcomings, The Hour of the Wolf does deliver a clean horror story with a true sense of creepiness and unease. The artwork by Danilo Beyrouth does a great job capturing the haunting nature of the story while adding depth. The details in each panel help bring this crazy time traveling story to life while moving the tale forward.

London sets a tone in the first issue while blending horror elements with science fiction that bring a fresh twist to each genre. The unique premise with striking artwork made for a compelling experience that left us on the hook for more issues. Despite our initial feelings for this debut issue, we felt that the promise is there and we will continue to follow along to see where London and Beyrouth can take this tale and how it will weave together in Endless Night coming in 2025.

The Hour of the Wolf #1 may have stumbled slightly at first but ultimately succeeds in delivering a gripping tale filled with suspense, terror, and intrigue. Mark London’s writing paired with Danilo Beyrouth’s art brings a haunting and creepy world to life in a unique fashion. The build up for future issues is present and will be ready for issue two in my pull box.

The Hour of the Wolf #1 hits local comic shops on October 23, 2024 (FOC: September 23) from Mad Cave Studios.