Southwestern Werewolves, A Teen Assassin, And A Hardboiled Detective – Coyotes #2

The Coyotes aren’t done with our girl Red, and neither is Officer Coffey! When Coffey tracks the teen assassin to her underground hideout with the other Lady Victorias, he comes face to face with these women’s real enemy: Coyotes. Like Southwestern werewolves, these beasts pile into the women’s sanctuary looking for retribution. In the end, Coffey and Red are left with more questions and a realization that they might need each other. 

Coyotes #1 wrapped with a bunch of unanswered questions. Coyotes #2 opens with answers. What I would normally reserve as a spoiler is spelled out in the opening sequence. If you were wondering where all the Coyotes came from, there you go. Some men in a very expensive looking secret lab are harvesting pelts from a living imprisoned werewolf and distributing them to men in town.
Normally, I would be disappointed to have this huge piece of the mystery solved so early in the series, but as I kept reading, I realized this revelation really just opens up a lot more questions. Who are these guys? What’s their end game? Why here? Why now? And who the hell is Gaia?

Sean Lewis uses this installment to explore the formation of The Lady Victorias and to flesh out Officer Coffey’s character, giving us a better idea how he’ll fit into the mix. By the end of the chapter, it’s apparent he plays a huge role. Red needs Coffey to help sort what happened to her sister and figure out Duchess’ role in Maria’s demise.

I still can’t get enough of Caitlin Yarsky’s character work and settings. The character designs are all unique and interesting, from their facial structure and expressions to the almost steampunk wardrobe many of these women sport. The action scenes have a kinetic flow, and Yarsky plays some neat tricks with panels and layout.

 
Coyotes is a great angle on a well worn and cliché-ridden genre. Fan of werewolves and noir? Lewis and Yarsky will see your werewolves and noir, and raise you a strong Latina female lead.

Coyotes #2, published by Image Comics, released on the 13th of December 2017. Story by Sean Lewis, art by Caitlin Yarsky.