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Full Moon Fever    by Joe Casey, Caleb Gerard & Damian Couceiro Amazon.com order for
Full Moon Fever
by Joe Casey
Order:  USA  Can
AIT-PlanetLar , 2005 (2005)
Paperback
* * *   Reviewed by Lance Victor Eaton

If werewolves only come out when the moon is full, does that mean they would be permanently werewolves on the moon? Full Moon Fever addresses this question as a six person waste disposal crew from Intercorp makes a routine stop at one of the company's lunar stations. When no one responds, the crew decide to dock anyway. Unfortunately, the station's problems have to do with lycanthropes and the six crewmen are out of their league trying to fight off the blood-thirsty beasts. As their numbers decline, they discover what has happened at the facility. They try to escape to their ship, but the hungry werewolves have other plans.

Though slow in the beginning, once momentum builds, readers race through this graphic novel as if they themselves had claws. The fact that it's not text-heavy also makes this a quick read. Many panels are self-explanatory and short precise dialogues fit the context. The art follows suit, exercising minimalism and opting for large portions of black or white instead of detail. Often this just emphasizes the action or centerpiece of each panel. The anthropomorphic canines are drawn with near perfection, illustrating their capabilities and versatility as both two-legged and four-legged beasts. Probably the most accurate and enjoyable pages come at the climactic battle at the end, which takes place in zero gravity. With garbage and blood floating about, the hero, Zeke Kirby fights a werewolf.

The back of the book includes acknowledgements by all three authors as well as an Afterword by Joe Casey. Next, fans can examine a thirteen page script excerpt on the graphic novel. Deconstructing the script is probably the most intriguing part, in that one can work out all the directing cues depicted in the panel by panel explanation. The one flaw is that the script states what page this excerpt starts on, but pages are not numbered.

Most attempts at combining futuristic storylines with aged legends flop, but Full Moon Fever proves the exception. Zeke is a likeable character and the suspense and action easily keeps one's attention. Though this story is a one-shot deal, there is room and probably a decent demand for more from this talented trio.

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