When a story is named Venom War, there’s certain characters you expect to show up. Spider-Man is one; after all, Venom wouldn’t exist without Peter Parker bringing a symbiote to Earth. Black Widow is another, especially since the super spy gained her own symbiote. And of course, there’s Wolverine – not only has he had a few fights with Venom, but he’s been possessed by a symbiote long before he encountered the X-Men. Venom War: Wolverine #1 uses that as its touchpoint, but then swerves in an unexpected direction.
For starters, the book doesn’t immediately open with Wolverine locked in battle or the incoming threat of the symbiotes. It has Logan playing pool, and when he accidentally gets smacked in the face with a ball, he shrugs it off with a smile. Tim Seeley and Tony Fleecs even have a tongue-in-cheek monologue by Logan: “They think they know what they’re gettin’.” It’s a nice way to show that not every Wolverine story has to fall into the same routine of stabbing and grevious wounds, and is a nice nod to the subversive superheroics of Seeley and Fleecs’ Local Man.
The comic takes a really big swerve at the midway point, where Logan once again is possessed by a symbiote and is sent rampaging through New York…before ending up encountering another face from his past. Even though this new symbiote is a Zombiote (half-zombie, half symbiote; long story), it’s pretty clear that the bulk of Venom War: Wolverine will take place outside of the Venom War event. I’m not opposed to that, as it means that Seeley and Fleecs will be able to tell a good Wolverine story that just happens to involve symbiotes.
Marvel Comics
Venom War: Wolverine #1 also boasts some great art, courtesy of Kev Walker. Walker knows just how to draw Logan correctly; he’s stocky and hairy, and his signature sideburns stand out as much as his claws. But the real draw of the issue is when Logan gets taken over by a symbiote. Instead of going with the typical symbiote look, Walker draws a creature that feels like a tornado of Adamantium and ooze, with a massive mouth that stretches across its belly. Java Tartaglia’s colors make everything about the symbiote, from its mass to Cory Petit’s word balloons, feel like it’s taking over the page as well as Logan’s mind.
Overall, Venom War: Wolverine #1 isn’t what you’d expect, but that’s a good thing. The creative team is using the backdrop of the Venom War event to explore Wolverine’s connection to people, and how that connection can often bring violence into the lives of those who don’t deserve it. But when all’s said and done, some people will learn the hard way why Wolverine’s the best there is.
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