The much-anticipated Wolverine: Revenge launches this week from the minds of Jonathan Hickman and Greg Capullo. Told in the “Marvel Style,” this new series promises ultra-violence and a Wolverine story that will please longtime fans. Stuck in the Savage Land, can Wolverine survive what’s coming, and for that matter, can we?
Wolverine: Revenge opens seemingly in another timeline, and once you reach the end of the issue, it’s hard to fathom it being in the 616 unless, of course, there’s some twist coming. I’m getting ahead of myself, but when Hickman said he wants to bring “a high-octane, no-holds-barred Wolverine story,” you’ll see he meant it. Important heroes die, a cataclysmic event opens the story, and Wolverine appears to be the only guy left to save billions of lives on Earth.
On the first page, we learn that Asteroid M re-entered Earth after Magneto died and crashed into Canada. We then cut to the Savage Land, where Wolverine seems to be hunting dinosaurs for sport. This allows Greg Capullo to stretch his legs for his first Marvel work in years with some awesome and brutal Wolverine vs. dinosaur action. The fun is over once Nick Fury shows up, and the mission is at hand.
That looks painful.
Credit: Marvel
Something that permeates the entire issue is this unwavering feeling that a rug will be pulled out from under us. Can it really be that major heroes die on the page, let alone heroes die off page? Why is Deadpool a bad guy, and why is he cool with threatening Captain America when he traditionally worships him? Something seems fishy, yet there aren’t any clues otherwise. It could just be this is some badass tale where Wolverine has to cut through the Brotherhood of Mutants to save everyone, but that seems too simple.
What’s not simple is the art, and it’s great to see Capullo back at Marvel. Sure, Hickman has him drawing a lot of talking, but he hasn’t skipped a beat on character acting, intense action, and violence. Heads are lopped off, swords are sent through people, and Wolverine even digs at his chest with his claws. It’s gross-out stuff that should please fans who are into that. Inker Tim Townsend and colorist FCO Plascencia back him up.
Regarding opening salvos, the general idea is expressed from the hero’s side, but when the villains get a chance, it isn’t very clear. I can’t say I’m interested in their motivations, and this issue seems to be focused simply on setting up a revenge tale for Wolverine.
Wolverine: Revenge is a book I wanted to love, but there’s not a lot of substance to the story and its direction. It’s simplistic, possibly on purpose, but Capullo smashes it out of the park and pops the claws in the most exciting ways.
You must be logged in to post a comment Login