Werewolf By Night #1 (2020)

A group of men from Life Pharmaceuticals drink beer and shoot at the wildlife on Hopi tribal lands in Arizona. Molly, a local native, rides up on her dirtbike and warns the men that they’re on the wrong property, and that rumors tell of a creature in the area who won’t take kindly to their affront. A howl cuts through the night as the monster arrives, and the men fire their guns at the werewolf before them. He strikes at them, sending the men flying until they can regroup and retreat. The wolf stares at the girl, still standing at the scene, and picks her up with fangs bared. She helps him calm down, and the creature focuses on the music playing in his earbuds and transforms back into her friend, Jake Gomez. Elsewhere in the desert, U.S. Marshals Red Wolf and JJ drive towards a facility on a mission. Geared up, they venture inside and encounter the Pathmind stealing data with dreams of bringing entire governments to heel. He utilizes the facility’s defenses against them, but the duo manage to subdue and capture him. Red Wolf tells the young man they will find him a more positive way to manifest good before turning him over to authorities before JJ tells him about another sighting on the Hopi reservation. Molly and Jake pick up groceries at the superstore early in the morning. She tries to convince her friend to use his monstrous powers against his seedy employer, Life Pharmaceuticals, but Jake refuses. They bring everything back to Granny Rora’s house before Jake’s janitorial shift, where he and his coworker Frank chat as they clean restrooms. Frank offers his dance trunk to Jake for an upcoming celebration, but Jake holds out hope that he can find his grandfather’s kit, sold by his shortsighted father. Mr. Wagner recruits them to help clean up a mess in the labs, demanding they bring the space from messy to pristine without even providing them the hazmat suits that other workers in the area are wearing. Using his wolf senses, Jake can sense something is not quite right, overhearing talk of an incoming shipment of test subjects. Back at home, Jake eats dinner with Molly in preparation for another night out. Granny Rora warns the two of disappearances in the area and governmental crackdown on young superhumans, reminding them of the story of the little girl with two wolves, one fed love and the other hate. That night, he crouches next to Molly in wolf form as they stake out the area outside Life Pharmaceuticals. They spot their target, a vehicle convoy, and Jake springs into action. Downing the follow vehicle, he rips open the doors of the remaining truck and finds the missing persons from the reservation, held in chains. Before he can help them, he is confronted by a trio of mechanically augmented monsters.