I have high hopes for Eric Heisserer as a writer. A few years back while working as a Production Assistant, I had the pleasure of reading one of his original screenplays, and it really captured my attention. There was depth of character, an intriguing plot, and it was extremely well executed. He’s gone on to write some pretty high-profile movies, all of which have been enjoyable, and the script that I read was also turned into a pretty decent film. I know I’m only one issue in to his new series, but this feels like a blatant attempt to take advantage of a brand name without it really being anything like the original. In fact, Lone Wolf 2100 #1 feels more like your common virus-mutation storyline that seems to crop up every now and then, usually creating zombies. Here, it’s more like gargoyle-like creatures dubbed Thrall. So, there’s nothing really original about the premise.

But, what about the characters? Why call it Lone Wolf, you ask? I don’t know. The two main characters both happen to be Japanese or at least look Japanese. I say this because one of them is a robot, Itto. This robot is told to protect a girl who is unaffected by the virus and may be able to find a cure. In issue one, the robot finds a sword to use as a weapon and so could be seen more as a Yojimbo (bodyguard) than a disgraced Samurai. Besides, the first issue spends so much time focused on the situation that the characters aren’t left a lot of breathing room.

The joy of the original series is that it was simple. A Samurai executioner takes his son on the road to survive against overwhelming odds. It was a serial that explored Japan at the time through small stories, focusing on not only the relationship between father and son, but all of the characters they ran into along the way. I’m aware this is only issue one, so elements may spring forward that make it far more interesting, but, thus far, my hopes have diminished for this particular endeavor.

My only hope is that because of certain elements in this story I have not discussed, it will mean the two will be hunted down in an attempt to kill the girl. Fingers crossed, as I will give it a few more issues.