Laura Kinney: Wolverine Vol. 2: My So-Called Perfect Life collects issues #6-10 of the series and begins with a potential ‘happily ever after’ alternate universe with the Wolverine family enjoying a normal, quiet life, and after that, the Wolverine family travels to the catacombs of Paris with the son of Dracula, Xarus, by their side.
For only five issues, Laura Kinney was all over the place. From space to Paris, you never knew where the story was going to end up. You also didn’t know who was going to show up, with less-frequently utilized characters like Clea Strange, Xarus, Haymaker, and the Beautiful Dreamer.
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My biggest issue overall with issues #6-10 was that it never felt like Laura was in control of the plot. She did a lot of fighting and was well-represented in each issue, but the plot never moved forward until a supporting character entered. And even once they came into the story, it was never Laura and them figuring out what to do next, but the supporting character taking the reins of the story while Laura rides shotgun.
The dialogue and character inconsistency were issues throughout the volume. The dialogue wasn’t bad, per se, but it wasn’t natural. Often, characters weren’t engaging with each other but instead ‘announcing’ actions, plot points, or locations. With a younger cast of characters, it’s tough to capture the language of the youth, but it would have been nice to have a more casual tone to the internal narratives and back-and-forths. A moment that stood out was when Gabby and Logan had an interaction where Logan is impressed with her use of the word ‘eccentric,’ but then a few pages later Gabby talks about Laura being in a ‘fugue state,’ which is as much, if not more, of a ten-dollar word.
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Giada Belviso was impressive in the art duties. She was the penciller on every issue and gave a nice consistency through the entire book. A similar theme to the writing and storytelling, her art was very tempered and didn’t have much opportunity to flex. As they went further into the Strega and Paris catacombs arc, there were more action scenes, specifically a few pages dedicated to the first conflict between the Wolverines, Clea Strange, and Strega, but no other panels or sequences rose to that level.
It’s a small moment, and I still don’t know why it stuck with me as much as it did, but there was a moment where Laura had to do a mission in the dark, which required an outfit change to her black and gray X-Force suit. It felt the most relatable for a young female superhero who would be mindful of having the ‘right outfit’ for the occasion. Even with the goofiness of the sister relationship, I loved the little touches of femininity throughout the series.
Many of the themes through volume two are what is expected with a member of the Wolverine family – building trust with friends, being the mutant ‘protector’, and controlling the constant rage. If you are looking for a comfort food version of a Wolverine story, then this will fit right in. It acts as a solid bridge to the next arc and resets the chessboard in a way that Laura and co. can go many different directions.
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