Comic Review: Wayward #8

Technically, this is an Image Comics series by American creators, published in full size and full color. Despite that, I call this series manga. I know a lot of people will disagree with me, but at a certain point, when you take enough cues from something else, including the setting, character types, worldbuilding, general style, and tone, it’s useless to try and make a distinction between them.

A few issues ago, Rori, the character we started the series with, disappeared, causing the perspective to shift to another character who was brought into this weird world of fighting the Yokai. While I also like Emi, it seemed a little early to give us another central character. At the end of the last issue, however, she came back into things, and though her story hasn't yet intersected with Ayane and Nikaido again, the fact that she is back in the story again is something I'm really glad to see.

This issue is a lot slower paced than the last one, focusing a lot more on the characters in their downtime. Emi, Ayane, and Nikaido are dealing with how their group dynamic works when they are not actively fighting monsters, which we haven't really had the chance to see yet. Rori also returns, as I mentioned before, along with Shirai, and although we are given little information about what happened to them while they were gone, or where they were, or much of anything about what happened, it isn't overly necessary right now; the important thing is that they have this time to recover, and Rori is starting to see what might happen in the future. This is setting up the two groups for a collision course, but is not in a huge hurry to make that happen. I want it to get there, but I trust the creative team here to reward my patience.

Then we have what happens at the end of the book. Without spoiling too much, since I have no idea what it means even after reading the issue, Ayane assures Nikaido and Emi that they will have plenty of help fighting the Yokai, since they have the dirt spiders helping them. We are shown Ayane covered in spiders and looking somewhat insane, which to me feels like the series trying as hard as it can to get me not to like it, and spiders are one of the easiest ways to do that. Now, I like this series a lot, and I'm up to see where it's going, I just hope now that I can stomach the spiders along the way.