Wolverine Wednesday #86

I have had some trouble receiving my comics lately, and I must add it is something out of the hands of my LCS. So after 2 months, I am missing Ultimate Wolverine #3 and Sabretooth: The Dead Don’t Talk #4. So with Ultimate Wolverine, I will soldier on and keep reviewing the series. With Sabretooth, I will hold off and review #4 and #5 together, hopefully in the next instalment.

Wolverine #8

Writers: Saladin Ahmed & Daniel Warren Johnson | Artists: Martin Coccolo & DWJ | Colourists: Bryan Valenza & Mike Spicer | Letters: Cory Petit

This is the 400th legacy issue of Wolverine, and as a reward,d we get something of a mixed bag. An issue split into 3 chapters. All good, but a mixed bag as I will explain. The opening 10 pages wrap up the events of the previous seen issues. This is probably the weakest of the three stories on offer. It is weak compared to the other two stories, but it does do a good job of putting a pin in the Adamantine Saga. Perhaps it would have been better served being tacked onto #7, then, however, we would have had bigger issues two months running. The story largely revolves around fisticuffs between Wolverine and Romulus. We get some good interaction between Wolverine and The Adamantine, who also gets a physical form. So I feel they will show up again in the future at some point. Perhaps it could be said that Wolverine dispatches of his foe rather quickly and easily. The highlight comes from us getting an insight into Wolverine’s relationship with Laura. It links back to what I was saying about this series having a more Heroic feel. In his narration we get a sense of his protective side for her, a side not seen so openly before. The next chapter is a much more rounded story. It offers good action and character beats, whilst progressing the story onwards. So if the previous 10 pages were tacked onto #7, this would have made a great stand-alone issue that cleansed the palette of one story arc, whilst setting up the next. And it does have an absolutely amazing cliffhanger, which sets up the next arc. After having the Adamantine Saga wrapped up in a nice little bundle, this story wraps things up with the new Wendigo in an even nicer little bundle, complete with a bow as well. It is always good to get some positivity in a Wolverine story, and Ahmed has handled the Wendigo arc perfectly from start to finish. Spoilers, the villain of the piece is Arcade and I always feel he is better in small doses. It adds to that palette cleanse vibe. Arcade is completely different from what we have had so far in the series, and what it looks like we are getting coming up. So it was fun to see Wolverine interact with a more scene-chewing villain and work as a double act with Wendigo in the process. Across both chapters Ahmed has really nailed the internal monologue now. Coccolo’s cover is worthy of a big marquee issue like this. I am a sucker for big heads on a cover. When you have your hero jumping out of a rogues gallery of giant heads, you want to pick up this issue. I also salute the choice to go full costume and no mask. Wolverine must have been masked for 90% of the series so this was a good look from Coccolo. Very bad ass! At the beginning of the second chapter, Coccolo and Valenza render a more gritty Wolverine, again a departure from the previous issues. The thick black line is gone and the colour is toned down. Perhaps it is Valenza bringing the vibes over from Ultimate Wolverine. The last chapter is a little powerhouse. A ten-pager from a creator very much at the top of their game. Wolverine is the perfect canvas for someone like Johnson, who can buzz in and tell a story from anywhere on the timeline and leave an impression. Even in feudal Japan we can get a simple tale from Wolverine standing up for the little guy, and it is a visual feast. Johnson’s work has such energy. The flow from panel to panel seamlessly keeps you moving as a reader. It’s brutal and bloody. I think the best way to describe it is like Tarantino action in the four-colour format. It is East meets West in comics creation. Elements of Darrow and Pope spring to mind as Johnson puts all these elements into a blender. A good issue all in all, showcasing still the endless possibilities of Wolverine as a character. Again, like I said before in the main story Ahmed has delivered a huge cliffhanger that leaves plenty of space for serving up a great story.

Ultimate Wolverine #4-#5

Writer: Chris Condon | Artists: Alessandro Cappuccio & Alex Lins | Colourist: Bryan Valenza | Letters: Cory Petit

This is still the first read when my comics arrive in the post. I can’t explain why it has captured me so much in such a short time. I like how it’s a Wolverine story that’s not outwardly a Wolverine story. A ‘hidden Wolverine’ story if you will. I like not having any idea where this is going. The excitement of not knowing what you are going to get issue to issue is a great feeling. Despite having missed #3 things were pretty seamless to pick up. Obviously, something significant has happened, but picking up the pieces in the aftermath was okay for me. Plus the mystery of it all is just a key ingredient to a good Wolverine story. I have to commend to creativity from Condon of telling his story without Wolverine saying a word. The tempo of #4 is all dictated by the narration from external forces. The Weapon X homages continue with the three coloured narration boxes for the three people talking over the experiment. The three are really well paced and weave in and out of each other perfectly without tripping up the reader. Cappuccio again delivers a brilliant visual Weapon X homage with a double-page spread of Wolverine knee deep in security guards and their blood. I recently re-watched Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Civil War. So seeing the world of the Winter Soldier in a much darker tone was a fun transition for a fan of both. Killer cliffhangers are a theme of Wolverine comics this month, and we get another one here. You could say this cliffhanger is simply world-building. While the last page reveal can be seen as a building block for this new reality, it does still have to carry an impact. I, for one, am excited for it as I am for this series in general. #5 is a bigger detour from our main story. Again, more world-building as we see and learn more about mutants in this reality. It is a complete tonal shift, which is doubled down on given the change in artist. While I do really like the art and it is a good fit for this detour, I do feel it wouldn’t suit the rest of the series if Lins were to become permanent. Again, I am getting Paul Pope influence and there are strong Batman Year 100 vibes. Lins does some stuff which would be really suited to a regular Wolverine gig in the main series. I’ve mentioned Valenza switching up colour palettes between this series and Wolverine, here he gives us a third which matches the style of Lins and again helps set it apart from the main story. I would have no complaints with these two teaming up on future Wolverine projects. We are introduced to this Ultimate Universe version of Sabretooth, it was fun seeing his relationship with Wolverine totally switched. Also, we get some back story fleshing out their past. It signals the first time we see Wolverine speak and adds some much-needed depth to him, as he has said a word in the main story! While the ending to #5 isn’t as strong as the previous it certainly leaves the story at an interesting point. Also, who’s going to say no to a story with Artie and Leech?

Deadpool/Wolverine #4-#5

Writer: Benjamin Percy | Artist: Josh Cassara | Letters: Joe Sabino

The ’90s are alive and well in the pages of this comic. Previously I haven’t been a fan of a new series launching into a story with a large scope right out of the gate. I feel sometimes it is a case of throwing too much at the reader, even if the characters have been around for 30/40 years. Percy is kind of close to changing my opinion on this. Percy has been bold right from day one, and it has elements of tailoring a story for Cassara to draw big. Percy has taken the ideas of the 90s and actually crafted them into a cohesive story. For me, Wolverine, Deadpool and Maverick are the ’90s Marvel Holy Trinity. Percy must have been asked to do a Maverick mini series at this point, he uses him so often. And I feel he is going to play a part in this arc’s conclusion when it comes. I do like how he is kind of portrayed as the straight man out of the three and how he has been off on his own, not interacting with the titular duo. Add into the mix big bad Stryfe, and this really is a ’90s tour de force. He is a character who was never really on my radar, but I do like his portrayal here; he is imposing. I think taking his iconic headgear away and making the retrieval of it a plot point has helped give him depth. It is little details like this that are the heartbeat of the story. Another is our duo having new suits to wear, obviously alluding to the action figure craze of the era. There are a few instances where the curse of the ’90s rears its ugly head. Perhaps just from a personal opinion, there are a few moments where I felt it didn’t flow as well as it could have. Also, as a very minor complaint, again a few very small instances where I was left wondering why and what is happening. All in all though, things seem very well balanced. The levels of humour are just on point for me. Percy isn’t pushing the boundaries of that too far and making Deadpool grate on the reader. He has a strong command over the buddy road movie aspect of the Deadpool and Wolverine relationship. This really could be a sequel to the movie, it is that seamless going between the two. Even though the title is Deadpool/Wolverine, Wolverine takes centre stage in both issues, carrying any narration to catch the readers up. Even Stryfe has more monologuing than Deadpool to close out #4. How many times is Cassara going to depict Stryfe riding that skeletal dinosaur monster thing? The answer doesn’t matter! We have seen it in double-page splashes, splash pages, and half-page splashes!