When Dark Horse announced Curt Pires and Antonio Fuso’s Wyrd back in October, the press release for the four-issue miniseries described it as “James Bond meets The X-Files.” As descriptions go, after reading the first issue, I’d say that’s pretty accurate, though the series is so much more than that. Part action/adventure book, part exploration of what being an immortal does to a person, Wyrd also works in elements of classic superhero comics, but with a new, horror-infused twist. Pires’s script is brought to life by Fuso’s noir-esque artwork, the artist’s use of heavy shadows visually presenting the darkness of the world of Wyrd, and smaller, staccato insert panels throughout the issue creating a sense of urgency for the reader. The storytelling on display is superb, particularly during the climactic action sequence, where a series of panels intercut with the action provide the reader with a brief but entirely familiar background on what exactly the titular character of the series is facing off against. Questions about Pitor Wyrd’s background raised in the final pages of the issue will certainly leave readers wanting to find out more about the character and how he ended up where he is today.
Before I read the first issue, I had the opportunity to ask Pires a few questions about Wyrd, and the answers he shared were a great primer for the series. Check out the interview below, and look for Wyrd #1 in comic shops at the end of January.
Who is Pitor Wyrd, for those who don’t know?
Pitor Wyrd is an unaging, seemingly invincible private consultant for the U.S. government who solves problems that are too complicated, and too strange for them to solve themselves.
What is it about Wyrd that draws you to him as a character?
I think what draws everyone to Wyrd is he’s got this sort of swagger. He’s incredibly smart, but has a sense of humour about things. He’s kind of an asshole, too. I don’t know—he’s just feels human. Like no person is one thing, so I try to make my characters the same way.
When we meet Wyrd, he’s literally walking out into highway traffic and off an overpass. What kind of headspace is Wyrd in as the series opens? Is he actually suicidal, or is that just something he does for fun?
It’s a bit of both. He sort of jokes and laughs it off, but deep down, this is a man who cannot EVER die, so of course the one thing he wants to really do, is die. Wyrd is sort of, in a lot of ways, the embodiment of this suicidal ideation that I think some of us carry with us. He’s sort of that given form. That and sort of an example of a being running on raw id.
What’s the relationship like between Wyrd and his government handlers?
Strenuous.
This is the second series you’ve written, after The Forevers, to feature an immortal main character or characters. What appeals to you as a writer about the idea of immortality?
What appeals to me is the same thing that appeals to everyone. Who wouldn’t want to live forever? Every human is constantly grappling with the finality of their existence and all the questions that brings… so I think it’s only natural that we, that I, want to explore this.
What can we expect to see Wyrd encounter as the series progresses?
Dark black-mirror remixes of wall crawlers, hulks and other iconic heroes. A politician who was elected because of a dark ritual involving a pig….and a big conspiracy looming behind the shadows.
Published by Dark Horse Comics, Wyrd #1 is in stores on January 30th.
