Wolverine Wednesday #12

The Hunt For Wolverine #1

Writer: Charles Soule | Artists: David Marquez & Paulo Siquiera | Colourist: Rachelle Rosenberg, Walden Wong & Ruth Redmond | Letters: Joe Sabino

Wolverine prime (as I will refer to him here) died four years ago in the four issue mini series aptly named ‘The Death of Wolverine’ written by Charles Soule. The Wolverine series that led into his death was penned by Paul Cornell. It was my least favourite run on the title ever! I mention this two older titles because this one shot tells a better story than both of those combined. It is the perfect blend of action, heart and mystery. However I can only justify the price tag if you are a hard core Wolverine fan like myself. The one shot is split into two stories, one to fill in come blanks and one to get things moving forward. I say it fills in the blanks it fills in a very small portion of what happened between his death and his appearance in last years Marvel Legacy #1.The ‘Death of’ mini series ended rather abruptly for me. With the use of flash backs this issue gives Wolverine more of a deserved send off. What I like is it pays respect to some elements of Wolverines past as it gets ready to move the character forward. Fittingly Kitty Pryde provides the narration, some old school Alpha Flighters make an appearance as do The Reavers. The Reavers of course in one form appeared in the movie Logan. That movie really reignited Wolverine’s popularity after years of him being a Marvel cash grab. The shining light of this issue is in Soule’s use of the X-Men. As any X-Men fan will tell you they have a very fluid roster, complicated by the eras where they have two teams. I couldn’t tell you who was on the roster at the time of Wolverine’s death and I assume Soule researched it. But what he does is give X-Men you would most strongly associate with Wolverine’s tenure on the team a chance to say goodbye. I’m talking the likes of Storm, Beast, Colossus, Jubilee on a touching splash page and of course Cyclops. The second part of the issue acts as a set up for the four mini series that launch next month as the mystery to Wolverines return continues. So not only is everyone’s favourite adamantium laced mutant returning but so are the cash grabbing days of his popularity. The four mini series will feature four teams of eclectic Marvel characters on the hunt for Wolverine and this story does a very basic job at setting all that up. There are some nice comedic exchanges between Kitty and Tony Stark and little else. They could have easily left this second part out entirely and charge less for the issue. But then we wouldn’t have got the most touching last scene. It is a scene lifted from last years Marvel Legacy #1 of Jean Grey at Wolverine’s tomb uttering the tug at the heart words of “Welcome back.”

All New Wolverine #33 – #34

Writer: Tom Taylor | Artist: Ramon Rosanas | Colourist: Nolan Woodard | Letters: Cory Petit

I love Tom Taylor and everything he has brought to All-New Wolverine. When a story arc entitled ‘Old Woman Laura’ is announced peoples immediate response is that it will be a cheap imitation of the original. But with the credibility Taylor has established for himself on this title I will always back him to deliver. If you have read recent solicitations for the coming months you will know Laura is returning to the X-23 mantle and Tom Taylor is leaving writing duties. So this arc very much has the feel of goodbye. He sets it apart immediately from ‘Old Man Logan’ by having the world near enough at peace, the complete polar opposite of the Wastelands. #33 kicks off with a very Batman Beyond vibe. Gabby is now Wolverine and Laura is back at base monitoring her missions. It’s good to see future Gabby hasn’t lost any of her wit, even down to the easter egg of what her kids are called. It’s a brilliant touch. We are teased something that has already happened of panel called ‘The Doom War’ obviously it is central to the current status quo in the book but I don’t think it will be a major plot point of the arc. I do suspect in this future Doom may not be the Doom. If Kamal Khan can be President anyone can be Doom right? Rosanas helps set this apart from the dystopia of ‘Old Man Logan’ with such clean line work, complimented by Woodard’s soft almost pastel like colour choices. Rosanas  does a brilliant job drawing such distinct older versions of each character and there are a lot of characters. By the end of #33 going into #34 quite the ensemble has assembled. For anyone who has read the series from the beginning will know Taylor has scattered guest appearances from a number of Marvel’s top female characters. Captain Marvel, Maria Hill, The Wasp and Hawkeye all team up here too. There is a cool moment where Hawkeye and Wasp homage a classic moment from their male counterparts past. When someone tells a story set in the future I always find it is the little details that make it more enjoyable. I love the simplicity of the black and yellow costume and of course it is all Stark Tech. There are some nods and winks to the original story but this does and will stand on its own on future reads. I’m conflicted as I can’t wait to see how this story unfolds but I don’t want Taylor’s time to come to an end.

Old Man Logan #37 – #38

Writer: Ed Brisson | Artist: Dalibor Talajic | Colourist: Carlos Lopez | Letters: Cory Petit

There was a rumour going around that this story arc may have seen the demise of Old Man Logan. While that didn’t happen, there is no denying the groundwork has definitely been laid for that to happen later down the line. #37 and #38 wrap up ‘Moving Target’ Logan’s bloody battle with Bullseye all to keep a secret of Kingpin’s hidden. I believe the larger story of Loan crossing paths with Kingpin will continue in the next arc but under a different title. Like how the previous five issues were one big story divided into two separately titled arcs. The main thrust of the arc has been Kingpin’s plan to out all vigilantes in NYC. But the blood and guts of it (literally) has been Bullseye tracking Logan after he came into possession of a memory stick of the Kingpin’s. This makes it both a fun read and an easily accessible read. If Deodato’s beautiful covers draw you in and they will. You don’t have to have read all of Old Man Logan to enjoy this. As a villain despite being one of Marvel’s biggest killers Bullseye has always brought an element of fun. Brisson embraces that by having the main set piece of the two issues taking place in a organic food market. It may seem a leftfield choice but when you have a character who can make anything a weapon why not? The inventive ways Brisson comes up with for Bullseye to incapacitate Logan are great fun to read. I have previously mentioned how Brisson has a good handle on Logan’s internal monologue. Another aspect of Logan’s personality that he really nails down across these two issues is Logan’s ability to have complete trust in someone after only a short time. In this case it is Sarah Dewey and Logan has so much trust in her and will do anything to protect her it is so well handled. At the climax of #38 we get an element of humanising Kingpin which adds a nice angle to the all out action so far. As a fan of Frank Miller’s run on Daredevil I can appreciate anything that delves into the true love between Kingpin and Vanessa. While Talajic may not be a household name when it comes to comic book artists he certainly isn’t a slouch either. Through this whole arc you could take the words away and still easily follow the plot. That is testimony to a good visual story teller. He does this thing there must be a name for it where in the slow talking moments the art is very tight and more detailed. When it comes to the action sequences things get a little looser, the detailing is less restrained instead getting across the sense of motion. I hope he sticks around or makes the switch to Weapon X where I am not enjoying the current art at all.