Logan Howlett, the mutant hero known as Wolverine, is one of the most popular characters in all of comic history. Due to this fact, his stories often feel oversaturated in a publishing schedule, and sometimes struggle to feel like they really push the needle forward for the character. While I certainly did not hate Wolverine by Saladin Ahmed Vol. 2: Call of the Adamantine, it did feel pretty forgettable, and included some downright nonsensical storylines.
As a trade paperback, Wolverine Vol. 2 is beautiful, with a gorgeous Martin Cóccolo cover and a solid amount of variant covers displayed at the end of the collection. This trade is a bit more expensive than other Marvel paperbacks, but for good reason, with this collection featuring seven full issues of Wolverine, including the double-sized Wolverine #8 (LGY #400). While this trade drops the readers into the very middle of the “Call of the Adamantine” arc, the first two pages do a surprisingly good job summarizing the (sort of weak) plot so far.
Marvel
I am disappointed that this Wolverine volume did not impress me, because I have historically loved Saladin Ahmed’s comic work. Starting from Black Bolt (2017), and including his runs on The Magnificent Ms. Marvel (2019) and, of course, Miles Morales: Spider-Man (2018), Ahmed has done an amazing job capturing the voice of his main protagonists and progressing them as characters. One reason why I haven’t loved Ahmed’s run on Wolverine is partly because I have really been enjoying his role in Gail Simone’s Uncanny X-Men, and personally, I just don’t have a need for a solo Logan book when he is part of such a cool team of mutants. Also, Romulus’ return was borrrring, and he was barely in the story!
A highlight of the collection is certainly Cóccolo’s art, whose action scenes feature electric pacing, particularly Laura Kinney’s fighting in the first issue and Logan’s battle with Sabretooth later in the collection. I also want to shout out colorist Bryan Valenza, who handles the amount of gold coloring with an impressive amount of dimension, never making the all-gold Romulus or Adamantine look flat or boring. Of course, the real highlight of this entire collection is Daniel Warren Johnson’s 10-page short story in legacy issue #400, “Onryō,” a flashback story to Logan’s time living in Japan. A devastating glimpse at the pain Wolverine felt after the murder of his wife and child, Warren’s story is heartbreaking, and the art is brutal and alive. Please, give us an entire series in this style and tone!
Marvel
Now, on to my least favorite part of this collection. Sigh. I really, really disliked the entire Elizabeth Howlett arc. It felt like such a waste of real development for the character, since the entire thing turned out to be a charade, and in general, just a cheap gimmick. Honestly, Logan has done enough self-work over the years that Mastermind’s ridiculous “resurrected Mother” ploy should simply have never worked on him. Cóccolo’s art in these issues was really stunning, particularly Logan’s fight with “Sabretooth” and the terrifying visage of the all-too-human monster, Jason Wyngarde. If you really want to experience a great Wolverine story featuring Mastermind as a villain, listen to the Marvel podcast Wolverine: The Lost Trail. Trust me!
Listen, if you love Logan and enjoyed the first five issues of Saladin Ahmed’s Wolverine solo, then you should certainly invest in this trade. It has Wendigo, Romulus, a wild romp with Arcade, a classic Wolverine/Sabretooth brawl, and ties up some loose ends you might be interested in. Personally, I didn’t ever feel very invested in the Adamantine arc, so when it ended with no real resolution, I felt nothing. The art is really nice to look at, and DWJ’s short story is epic; however, besides that, this volume just didn’t live up to the price tag for me. Excited to see where Ahmed takes Wolverine in “Shadows of Tomorrow,” but hoping the Adamantine doesn’t return for a good long while.
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