Wolverines 2 review

Marvel’s first weekly ongoing series saw its second issue come out today. The last issue ended with Daken’s left arm and eye ripped out by Mr. Sinister, and because of Syphon in Logan Legacy 7, his healing factor isn’t working. The issue was ok overall, with a bit too much setup and the dreadfully misplaced art style to hold back the interesting premise and spot on characterization. So does Ray Fawkes’s first issue of Wolverines improve over last week’s?

For the most part this issue is pretty good. Everyone still feels in character, with Mystique probably having the best moment out of everyone. The argument between them about Daken’s fate gets intense, exploring how dysfunctional this team is. Later on there’s a nice moment between X-23 and Daken when, realizing he’s the only real family she has left, she promises to be there for him. I’m not really a fan of Daken, but it’s nice seeing Laura’s sense of loyalty and protective nature come out in an otherwise dysfunctional team. Her dialogue is a bit off at times though. And finally, the Mr. Sinister build-up is fun and does a perfectly good job at explaining the villain to new readers.

However, Wolverines 2 starts with a potential continuity error. In the last issue, Daken lay on the ground and appeared to be in shock after losing his arm. In this issue, he’s standing up, screaming and shouting for vengeance. It’s minor, and there’s always the possibility that Daken’s shock didn’t last too long considering his violent nature, but it’s worth mentioning. Also, why do the Weapon X lab rats need Wolverine’s body to find a cure for their expiration date? Especially since both X-23 and Sabretooth have functioning healing factors, of which X-23’s functions exactly the same as Wolverine’s before Wolverine: Killable. Maybe they’ll explain it later, but it’s confusing for the time being.

The art by Allison Borges is a huge improvement over last week’s Nick Bradshaw. It’s very detailed, and with mostly realistic body proportions. The environmental detail both inside and out is impressive, whether it’s the rocky Nevada desert, Sinister’s high tech labs with all sorts of equipment or the final page that reveals a new character in a mysterious location. Facial expressions capture emotions well, from Mystique’s prideful smile while negotiating with the Wrecking Crew to Laura’s violent anger during the heated argument.

This series hasn’t quite convinced me to stick with it after issue 4 but if this issue is an indication, Wolverines will start realizing its potential soon. Even with very little action, today’s entry feels intense in more ways than one. Even though Wolverine is dead, this feels like a Wolverine book with its Weapon X survivors and a bunch of Wolverine related characters forced to work together. Unless you’re a fan of at least one of the Wolverines characters this isn’t worth recommending yet, but keep paying attention if the concept interests you.