Comic Books

Return of Wolverine #2 Review

Wolverine is in a high-speed boat chase, but is the issue itself as exciting as that sounds?

October 24, 2018

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The chase is on in Return of Wolverine #2 as Logan attempts to save a child’s life even though he’s only been fully awake from death for a few minutes. His memories aren’t coming as quickly as they used to, or they did throughout most of his life, but that doesn’t matter since there is an innocent life to be saved.

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So what’s it about?

The official summary reads:

Logan is alive again — let’s see if he can stay that way!

Why does this matter?

The original Wolverine is back and both he and the audience are trying to piece together where he’s been and what is going on. Soule opened this new return series with a strong first issue that focused on reminding us why Wolverine is one of the greatest heroes ever created. This issue aims to push the plot forward so that Logan might find some answers.

Fine, you have my attention. What’s good about it?

The boat chase is on. Credit: Marvel Comics

This entire issue could best be summed up as a 10 to 20 minute scene in an hour long TV show. It opens with the characters in a new location, focuses on the problem at hand, delivers a quick fight sequence, and then teases two new elements that’ll be explored in the next issue. It’s quick and it’s to the point.

Most of this issue takes place on a boat Logan and a doctor named Ana are driving as they chase after some bad men. Both are familiar faces, or at least are clones of familiar faces, which helps spur on some memories for Logan. It’s in these flashbacks we get a peek into Logan’s memories of where he’s been, which are probably the most intriguing snapshots in the issue. They are quick, but they certainly make you wonder what has happened.

Declan Shalvey draws a great issue and continues to show he’s one of the best at fight sequences. In one, Shalvey expertly intermixes the flashbacks with close ups of direct hit wounds, swinging arm retorts, and other cool shots of action. The art does a lot of the storytelling in this issue.

Those villains better time this right or they’re swimming home. Credit: Marvel Comics

It can’t be perfect can it?

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There just isn’t much here to sink your teeth into and progress the plot or answer any questions. The flashbacks are nice to have, but they amount to as much as the first issue as far as new information. There’s also a strange romantic element I didn’t see coming which is hard to decipher. Is this the passion of two people under great stress, or is there something more here? I’m at a loss as to why that had to happen. Like I said above, this issue has very little content, stretching out a boat chase in a such a way as to make this issue feel like part of a bigger episode rather than a satisfying episode in itself.

Is it good?

Frankly you can skip this issue and miss nothing since very little happens and nothing new is revealed. The cliffhanger does promise some interesting new elements, but for a second issue this book drops off quite a bit. Thankfully there’s some great art and fight scenes thanks to Declan Shalvey.