Wolverine Wednesday #8
Happy 2018 to everyone and I am predicting an exciting year for all things Wolverine related. All New Wolverine will continue to go from strength to strength under the pen of Tom Taylor and the name Honey Badger will be on everyone’s lips (if it isn’t already). I’m surprised and glad in equal measure that Weapon X survived the recent round of culling from Marvel. Perhaps the biggest thing to happen in 2018 will be the full return of 616 Wolverine. Last week he made his first ‘post credits’ appearance in Captain America #697. He was looking for Steve Rogers but was left disappointed. He will next be seen in MightyThor #703, where I guess he will find Thor is ,in fact, Jane… Wait I’m sensing a pattern here.
Old Man Logan #31-#32
Writer: Ed Brisson | Artist: Mike Deodato | Colourist: Frank Martin | Letters: Cory Petit
It is a fresh year so in my eyes it is a fresh start for Ed Brisson to impress me with a solid Wolverine story. He gets off to a very strong start in #31. Maybe I’m easily pleased but when it comes to Wolverine stories I’m a man of simple pleasures. That is why this is a strong start by Brisson. The story opens with Logan walking through the neon loneliness of Tokyo. The art here is evocative of Frank Millers Tokyo from the first ever Wolverine mini series. Then he stumbles across a fight started by members of a gang with a very imaginative name; Crazy Thunder Clan! Picking the right villain is integral to a good story. In my opinion that is why the last story arc fell flat. Maestro and Logan have no real connection other than it feeling like a shoe horned attempted at a Wolverine/Hulk throw down. Brisson goes strong in this arc bringing Gorgon back into the picture. He is a brilliant villain who has had successful appearances in other titles since he was created by Mark Millar and John Romita Jnr for Wolverine way back when. Gorgon has a good origin story and a cool power set. Deodato draws him like a badass and I look forward to him and Logan go toe to toe. Of course every great villain has a great plan. The one that is set in motion in these two issues could be very divisive for Wolverine fans going forward. For the moment I will be staying on the fence. It is both brilliant and shocking in equal measure. If handled right this could be a Wolverine tale talked about for years to come. Another character Brisson brings back after a long absence is the new Silver Samurai. It looks like we will see him elevate from obnoxious teen to super villain in this arc and I’m looking forward to seeing how that plays out. I am so glad Mike Deodato has stuck around for art duties. He was the highlight of the last story arc. Now with a better story his art is only going to raise everything. I’ve previously mentioned how Deodato and Martin give us some brutal and violent depictions of Logan. Well that all continues in this arc. I would even go as far to say it is more graphic than the Wolverine MAX series from a few years back. It’s not a problem for me but remember Wolverine is now a Disney property, it may have to change in the future! There is a sequence of thousands of Hand ninjas climbing a skyscraper and even though it is broken into panels it still feels epic. There is a plot point in this arc which is going to allow Deodato just to cut loose (no pun intended) and draw some epic brawls. Ed Brisson and everyone involved gets a thumbs up from me on the beginning of these new arc. A positive start for the year, hopefully it can be maintained.
Weapon X #12
Writer: Greg Pak | Artist: Yildiray Cinar | Colourist: Frank D’Armata | Letters: Joe Caramagna
The characters on the team in this series were thrown together by a certain set of circumstances. In previous reviews I mentioned how long the team would stay together and what their goals would be. This issue kicks off with the team doing exactly the same thing. It is a good way to start a new story arc as this is the first Weapon X issue under the ‘Legacy’ banner. It is done in a dark humour sort of way and adds an element of realism, because really why would they stay together if they didn’t have to? My only disappointment with it is that Domino comes off rather one dimensional. I was hoping she would grow as a character in this series just as Warpath is doing. It is his new sense of heroism that sets the team on their new mission. The mission brings them into the cross hairs of the President of Santo Marco. There are some thinly veiled political messages in this opening issue, but they aren’t laid on too thick to the point it takes the escapism out of reading comics. Lets hope it stays that way. I have already seen a solicitation for the next arc and there are seeds for that planted in this issue. Come on Sabretooth was never gonna be a team player! If you didn’t guess from the cover Nuke is back so it will be interesting to see what happens when two different factions of Weapon X come together in a modern setting. Yildiray Cinar takes over art duties with this issue and to be honest he is a very close match for the previous artist on the series Ibraim Roberson. If his name wasn’t on the cover I wouldn’t have even known the artist had changed. This isn’t me knocking the guy, I prefer when there aren’t drastic artistic shifts between arcs. The tone of the stories and action is the same so the art should be similar. Of course if it suddenly shifted tone to horror (don’t know why it would) then the art would need to change. Again another positive start to the year for all things Wolverine related. I just hope this series has enough of a following as Marvel have been axing books left and right of late. Frank Tieri’s Weapon X was one of my all time favourite reads. Hated that it got axed as it seeds were starting to flourish. So hopefully this stays off the chopping block and can be a match for Tieri’s series.
All New Wolverine #27-#28
Writer: Tom Taylor | Artist: Juann Cabal | Colourist: Nolan Woodard | Letters: Cory Petit
The ‘Orphans of X’ story arc continues at a frantic pace in these two issues and I still like Daken. Taylor kind of plays him as an eccentric cousin to the Wolverine family. The dynamic between him, Laura and Gabby makes for good reading. The family angle isn’t forced but they feel comfortable in each others presence to a degree. Again we aren’t offered a lot of clues to the identity of the Orphans of X. But there are similarities to an old Wolverine story arc that I hoped this would avoid. Whoever they are the posses the man power to incapacitate Carol Danvers! They are also packing some series science know how which could prove critical to the outcome of this arc. Throughout the series so far it has largely been about good prevailing over evil. The two sides of been clearly defined and the right outcome has been reached. This could all change with this arc. Already with have the Orphans of X and finding out what motivates them will drive this arc forward. Then at the end of #28 we are reintroduced to Murumasa. Already in the closing pages of this arc Taylor gets to explore Samurai based mysticism and that will be fun going into future issues. It will almost have be like a Kill Bill type vibe. #28 will also go down in Marvel history. Gabby finally gets her codename. Its all over the internet so if I say its Honey Badger I’m not spoiling anything. There is a brilliant half page splash where Juann Cabal has some fun switching out famous Wolverine based covers for ones depicting Gabby as Honey Badger. When it comes to new characters in well established universes I’m a tough nut to crack, but I look forward to Honey Badger #1 being the biggest selling book of 2018! Oh and that last page panel can’t be what it is surely? Cabal and Woodard continue to smash it on art. Their action sequences are top notch and they know how to dissect panels in scenes with large amounts of dialogue between numerous characters. Nolan Woodard has a great understanding off colour. His pallet changing with the scenes where some adapt scenes to their pallets. When the scene is on a beach its all oranges, giving a strong sense of sunset. When they are in the sewers, in dingy greys and mildew greens. Every page is different and it gives the book a certain feeling when you read it. Three out of three for the Wolverine books to start the year then. Though All New Wolverine was brilliant last year. Will Tom Taylor keep up the run for another year though?
