Amazon Prime's Invincible series has become one of the most acclaimed comic book shows of the year so far, which in turn has garnered increased attention for Robert Kirkman, Cory Walker, and Ryan Ottley's Image Comics series. But Invincible is not the only character to star in his own comic within this universe.
Kirkman created numerous spinoff comics to flesh out his fictional universe, most of which followed single characters. One of the most popular and iconic of these other characters--and one that Mark Grayson has experience fighting alongside--is Gary Hampton, better known as the Astounding Wolf-Man.
Gary Hampton was created by Kirkman and artist Jason Howard, debuting in 2007's The Astounding Wolf-Man #1. The series opens with Hampton bleeding out in the woods as his wife stands over him, trying to reassure him after he has apparently been mauled by a bear. He wakes from a coma a month later, and soon discovers that it was actually a werewolf--not a bear--that attacked him. He begins learning how to control his new wolf powers with help from a vampire named Zechariah, who acts as both a friend and mentor.
As Hampton is a billionaire, he has enough financial resources to build a secret bunker and to buy a superhero costume with special vambraces that absorb and store moonlight, thereby creating a reserve of energy to help him maintain his wolf form during the daytime. With this costume and his new supernatural abilities, he sets out to become a superhero, using the name "Wolf-Man" as his public persona. However, he is hunted by a pack of werewolves for his affiliation with the vampire Zechariah, as he begins to discover that the vampire is less trustworthy than he appeared.
Robert Kirkman developed several series starring other heroes in the Invincible universe (including a comic called Invincible Universe), but it is The Astonishing Wolf-Man that has the strongest narrative similarities to Invincible. Mark Grayson's journey through life as a superhero explores the horrors and complications of the lifestyle, with a particular focus on the violence, family struggles, and socio-political ramifications inherent in the life of a hero.
By contrast, The Astonishing Wolf-Man takes the classic horror tropes of werewolf stories and justxaposes the violent curse with Hampton's desires to be a traditional hero. His curse causes him to lose control during the full moon and strains on his business, his family, and his finances. He wears a uniform when he saves people, but his monstrous appearance frequently causes people to treat him with fear and suspicion. And when his wife is killed by an enemy, Hampton is hunted down as no one trusts his word, regardless of his heroic actions.
Meanwhile, Hampton's daughter believes he is the one who killed her mother. She begins training under Zechariah to kill her own father. Hampton is eventually arrested and tried for the murder, even though he is innocent--a fact that even Stedman is convinced of by the point of the trial. After suffering numerous indignities and abuses during his incarceration, his daughter and Zechariah attack the prison, in an attempt to kill him. However, he defeats the vampire, and after a painful confrontation with his daughter, they reconcile. After this, Wolf-Man is exonerated, and having proven himself, he is finally able to pursue the heroic life he always wanted.
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