Wolverine Wednesday #57

Wolverine #27

Writer: Benjamin Percy | Artist: Juan Jose Ryp | Colourist: Frank D’Armata | Letters: Cory Petit

While I didn’t call the exact events, I did make the call that something big was brewing with Beast considering the consistent way he has been depicted in his Wolverine appearances and X-Force. However the fact I did call it doesn’t make the reading experience any more shocking. What really helps ramp up the shock value and what really sold the issue to me is that halfway through the story Percy switches things up. The whole Wolverine run, including this story arc, has largely been an espionage-themed series. Yes, there have been vampires and other supernatural elements, but as has been pointed out time and again X-Force is Krakoa’s CIA and Wolverine is the best field agent. The switch-up in this issue takes the shape of Percy introducing a whole horror vibe to proceedings. Sadistic Master and unwitting puppet is a story trope that easily treads the line between the two genres and Percy seamlessly blends them together here in the pages of a mutant comic book! Some of the ins and outs of how Beast is able to pull off his plan are a little sketchy, well to me at least. But it didn’t stop the last page full page splash from being kick-ass and shocking at the same time! There are a few very simple instances where the other members of X-Force inquire about Wolverine. It lends itself perfectly to the connectivity between the two series, yes Percy is writing both but he always handles it well. In the old days if it would have been spread across the cover if X-Force were appearing in the issue even for only one panel. As I said simple, but effective and realistic. Ryp has been an excellent addition to the art ranks on the Wolverine series. He might not immediately come to mind as an artist if you were looking to keep the same tone as Adam Kubert and he is not. Now I am not saying he is a bad artist, he is just completely different to Kubert and as I have said I believe Kubert is doing career-best work so it would be unfair to compare them. But it is the fact that they are poles apart that makes the choice such a good one. He brings a freshness to the title which is a smart move with a new story arc as it may bring on new readers, readers who are solely fans of Ryp’s work. One element Ryp is certainly better at than Kubert is the violence. And the events of this issue call for brutal and bloody. His artwork perfectly matches the pace of the story. Early on he uses 6 panel pages to rattle through some of the espionage elements of the story before drawing a curtain on the first third of the issue with a brilliant splash page of X-Force ripping through hordes of snake people! The pace slows again with an increase in panel count per page before he really unleashes himself on the bloody confrontation that brings the issue to a close. Another solid issue in the bank for Percy and Co. Like I said whenever there has been an artist change there has been no let up in the quality or synergy between writer and artist. Really digging this arc and am excited about where it is going.

Wolverine #28

Writer: Benjamin Percy | Artist: Juan Jose Ryp | Colourist: Frank D’Armata | Letters: Cory Petit

Oh Beast what are you doing? Somehow everything becomes even darker in this issue than in the previous one. He is a far cry from the furry blue Beast who so innocently served his prison sentence in the animated series! With the slow burn that this plot thread has taken, right from Beast’s first appearance under Percy’s stewardship I would be disappointed if it didn’t lead to something bigger. On one hand, I like how all the groundwork has been laid in Wolverine and X-Force, so maybe this is its natural room to grow in. I just feel it has all the trappings to be a huge storyline across the X-books in 2023. Especially as in this issue we get an insight into some of the potential consequences of his actions and of course things start to go wrong before a third act resolution. In this arc it feels Percy is using Sage’s dynamic with Beast to expand her role to something larger than in X-Force. Obviously, with him writing both titles there will be some crossover in that expansion. The longer this story arc plays out the more you feel her role will be critical come the outcome. Now would be a good time to be reading X-Force and Wolverine monthly to pick up on any crossover elements, but from what I read in solicits they have a pretty big deal for an arc coming up soon. We are now what 3/4 years into this Krakoan Age of the X-Men and the tapestry between the titles is still fresh and cohesive. I like how someone can sow a seed of an idea in one title and it can be picked up seamlessly elsewhere at any time. Recently we had the Sabretooth mini-series wrap up after introducing the idea of Krakoan Hell, with the pit and then seamlessly we find Wolverine in the pit in this issue. Of course it all feels very natural if you have read both titles, but at the same time it doesn’t seem overly alien if you are only reading one title or the other. With the horror elements introduced last issue Ryp continues to cut loose on art when it calls for it to be dark, bloody and brutal. The pace of this issue has dropped a bit from the last two, but that just plays into Ryps’ hands as he can bring all the tools in his arsenal to the foreground to make the art leap off the page. One small detail I really liked although its inclusion is unexplained is Wolverine being in his old Uncanny X-Force costume. Again like the last issue Ryp uses panel counts per page to really dictate pace and this time he uses it to play up the elements of isolation. Ryp’s art and D’Armata’s colours also work well together to bring the feelings of isolation and the horrors of Beasts’ plan to the reader. There is a clear distinction between the ‘earthbound real’ elements of the story and the scenes set in The Pit. You would have to be reading this series from the beginning to truly believe the depths Beast has sank to! As mentioned before it feels like it could become huge, but equally I would be happy to keep it in this series. The only negative I have about two issues and it is something out of Percy’s hands is that it would have been really cool to put a pin in this arc at the end of the year and catch up with it again in 2023. (These two issues were the November and December’s releases). I just want to wrap things up by saying 2022 was a stand-out year for the Wolverine ongoing series. It has been consistently good since #1 and 2022 was no different. Kubert is doing career best work, as is everyone who comes on board. Percy is easily one of the Top 5 Wolverine writers ever! Long may his reign continue in 2023.
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As for Wolverine Wednesday in 2023, I got a little behind last year and would often wait for books to arrive in the post and review in bulk. This year I would want to keep to a monthly release. So regardless of how fast the postal service is operating, I will talk Wolverine once a month here anyway. Whether that be retro reviews, reacting to Wolverine in the news or whatever Wolverine Wednesday is coming every month. I am all caught up on the X-Force trades and am awaiting Volume 5. I am all caught up on single issue as of this release. On the horizon we have a new X-23 mini-series coming in March and of course, Deadpool 3 will go into production sometime this year so there will be plenty to talk about!