Wolverine Wednesday #50

X Lives of Wolverine #1

Writer: Benjamin Percy | Artist: Joshua Cassara | Colourist: Frank Martin | Letters: Cory Petit

I have been really looking forward to this series since it was first announced. Right away the cover by Adam Kubert hits all the nostalgia notes for long-time Wolverine fans. Since it was announced I have been thinking up what specifically the lives/deaths aspect could refer to. Is the X 10 like in Powers of X? When I paid for my comics online I have to admit I was a little shocked by the higher price compared to my regular issues, but this first issue certainly justified it in my opinion. My biggest concern going in was how much of this plays off of recent events in X-Men comics as opposed to it being a Wolverine solo story. Percy wastes no time at all and just throws the reader in at the deep end with the action. It seems from the outset any questions readers might have will be answered nearer the series end. The pace the story moves at is relentless and I loved it for it! I have always enjoyed the Wolverine/Professor X relationship dynamic, especially after Logan as well. But the reasons as to why this relationship has suddenly become central to X-Men continuity is really dealt with. With time travel being central to the story also there is a lot going on and some readers may be concerned as to how everything will wrap up in four more issues.  Joshua Cassara is a good fit for a Wolverine adventure. Of course he is again teaming with Percy after the pair worked together on X-Force, so he is no stranger to Wolverine. His unmasked rendition of Wolverine is fantastic and not a million miles away from Kubert. So this will help readers transition from the main series to mini-event from a visual standpoint. Another good aspect is the visuals for the Omega Red ‘possessed’ villains, with the organic tentacles being a welcome addition. There is a splash page about halfway through the issue that is just brilliant. As well as being gorgeous to look at, it hints at possible Wolverine eras the story my touch upon in upcoming issues. Like I said there is a lot going on Cassara dictates the pace of the action very well. Frank Martin on colour duties does an excellent job of mixing up the colour palettes between the different time periods the story visits. I found this to be a very solid opening to the series. It has been much hyped since it was announced so it was always going to be difficult to match that hype for everyone. It did more than enough to make me want to read the next issue and what more can you ask from a #1 really? Like all good Wolverine stories it comes with a bunch of questions and I am well and truly on board for the ride as we travel towards those answers.

X Deaths of Wolverine #1

Writer: Benjamin Percy | Artist: Federico Vicentini | Colourists: Frank Martin & Dijjo Lima | Letters: Cory Petit

Going into this issue after the highs of X Lives #1 there would have been readers like me wondering if this series is a larger X-Men world story or a Wolverine solo story as the title suggests. Well this issue hits home the fact that it is very much the former. The story arc of the whole issue is dedicated to Moira and Mystique. I didn’t read Powers/House of X so I only know Moira is a big deal now because of news and reviews. To me she will always be sweet, innocent looking Rose Byrne or the animated series version, so it is a real eye-opener seeing her as front and centre. There is no Wolverine until the last page and it is not even our Wolverine, it’s just a Wolverine. Another question I had going into these two weekly series was whether there would be any connectivity between them? Fortunately, I had the hindsight of reading both #1s in one sitting rather than having the week gap in between and I can confirm there is nothing. Well nothing until that last page reveal again. Federico Vicentini takes up art duties for X Deaths. To me he has a very clean line style, which has a more animated feel than Cassara or Kubert. He draws a great Mystique and there is plenty of blood flying around in this issue. One thing I didn’t find fault with from a continuity aspect was his rendition of Black Tom Cassidy. He was very clean, with the facial/Krakaon growths absent from how I have seen him in both Wolverine and X-Force. Vicentini’s action flows well, with a storyboard vibe and I like the orchestration from panel to panel. I like the idea of a two-part series like this having two distinct artists bringing different things to the party. But as there is so little Wolverine action in this issue you can’t get a good clear distinction between what good things each brings to the character. If I had to review this issue as the story between the two covers then I would say it is a fairly decent comic. Like X Lives #1 it is well-paced, has good action and is fairly accessible to readers who may not be reading all the X-books. In terms of it being a Wolverine story then it misses the mark. Of course, it may read differently once all the pieces are in place and I accept that for what it is. The story didn’t draw me in as much as X Lives #1 and as yet I can’t see its purpose in the larger story.

X Lives of Wolverine #2

Writer: Benjamin Percy | Artist: Joshua Cassara | Colourist: Frank Martin | Letters: Cory Petit

I feel it is better to review these two issues together, if you have read them and as I go on hopefully it becomes apparent why. Firstly the frantic pace continues and you really can’t fault Percy for that. Again there is a lot going on and again Cassara matches him stride for stride on the art. In #2 two more timelines are added to the melting pot, as well as the Omega Red current story arc being non-linear. With so much going on across these two issues you have to commend Percy for his control over pacing and structure. At this stage it is apparent there is going to be no cross over between X Lives and X Deaths. Maybe come the final issues there will be some convergence but right now they are two very separate entities. I am unfortunately behind on X Deaths after some postal issues so I can’t say for certain that is the case. But that is certainly how it feels after the little crossover from X Deaths #1 bore no fruit in either of these 2 issues. So we are now 3 issues into a 5 issue series and I still find myself asking why? I know I say good Wolverine stories come with questions but when you are on a tight time frame you need answers. For instance, we still don’t know why the Wolverine/Xavier relationship has taken on this important dynamic. Or how Omega Red fits into it all and what is with the organic tentacles now? As a long term Wolverine fan currently it is the nostalgia that is keeping me going. From a story point of view there are some pluses across these two issues. Pluses that give the story a more Wolverine centric vibe, a good old throw down with Sabretooth for starters. Personally I loved the callbacks to Wolverine Origins especially the Winter Soldier reference and I never in a million years expected to see Romulus again! I am convinced Percy was a Wolverine fan as a reader, either that or he has done amazing research! We see some Omega Red during his time with X-Force (I need to get back into that) as well as seeing the Cerebro Sword put to use. For me, it is the first time I have seen it in a story since X-Force #2 I believe. After reading X Deaths #1 I feel Cassara has more traditional panel layouts, but he uses them well to dictate pace and action. There is an amazing two-panel silent sequence of Omega Red ‘possessing’ a whale! #3 sees another kick-ass splash page. I feel it was put in to spotlight some timelines we won’t have time to touch upon more. For instance Western Wolverine. Have we ever had Western Wolverine? I’ll be honest when I saw him on the cover I thought it was a call back to ‘Get Mystique.’ I mentioned how two more timelines were added to the story in #2, but by #3 the story is still tied to the ones started in #1 plus the two new additions. Hence the splash page. By #3 Percy delivers a cliffhanger for each of the separate parts so it is the promise of something big happening on three to four fronts that has me excited for the remainder of the series. These are two solid enough issues, they move the story just enough and even though I reviewed them as a pair they hold up on their own merits, but there is that feeling that they could have been so much more.