The penultimate issue of “Weapons of Vengeance” is out this week in Wolverine #36, which sees Ghost Rider and Wolverine team up to stop a serial killer demon. They’re on trial, but as writer Benjamin Percy suggests with this issue, maybe it’s a trap. Balancing flashbacks and science experiments, a “Hellverine” emerges by the issue’s end.
When reading Wolverine #36, it’s quite obvious Percy and Geoff Shaw are having a ton of fun. That goes for a murder by the orphan demon bloody as hell or a ride on Ghost Rider’s bike that leaves even Wolverine exhausted. Under Percy, this series has leaned into horror elements, and it’s a perfect pairing to see Ghost Rider and Wolverine team up. The two might blunder into a trap in this issue, but the result is as fun as any kooky ideas you’d find from the ’90s.
There’s also some continued development of side characters for both Wolverine and Ghost Rider. Funnily enough, it never dawned on me how there were CIA and FBI agents so tethered to both characters under Percy. That is until they meet in this issue. It’s a fun way to show that offbeat military types have something in common when their superhero friends are monsters.
If you’re worried about the Weapon X connections in this story, don’t be. The visuals are done well by Shaw, but Percy isn’t meddling with what we know about it. If anything, he’s adding a supernatural wrinkle to the concept, which makes it seem fresh. We’ll likely learn more about Hellverine in the next issue, but the visual is a great selling point.
Even Wolverine can’t take it.
Credit: Marvel
The only downside of this issue is how easily Wolverine and Ghost Rider are captured. For two big-time heroes stumble into this trap way too easily. There are only so many pages in a comic, and the creators needed to get these characters to a certain point for the finale, but they come off as not as cool because of it.
There isn’t much on the page as far as how Wolverine is controlled (or maybe he’s in the other body?), but it’s a nice touch to see the main villain afraid of Hellverine. This thing is a force of nature, and to send it out in the cliffhanger makes for an exciting open-ended twist.
Wolverine #36 gets its characters ready for a major showdown involving the Hellverine. It’s an idea so insane I don’t know how a comics fan wouldn’t want to check it out. Add “Weapons of Vengeance” to the pile of good supernatural tussles for both Ghost Rider and Wolverine.
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