Wolverine: Weapons of Armageddon is, at its core, a story of three people. There’s the clawed Canadian himself, but there’s also the psychotic Nuke and former Captain America, David Colton. All three were transformed into weapons in order to serve their country, and all three suffered in inhuman ways. I bring this up because Wolverine: Weapons of Armageddon #3 finally starts to touch on these aspects, which is both compelling and frustrating.
The compelling part lies in how Chip Zdarsky approaches the issue. Half of Weapons of Armageddon #3 is set in the present as Logan and Colton, alongside mutant tracker Teri O’Barnes, attempt to outrun Nuke. The other half focuses on Colton’s first test run after becoming a super soldier, and the dark revelation that his treatments have an adverse effect on his heart. I do love the way Zdarsky pings back and forth between past and present, showcasing how Colton evolved from an idealist into a man who believes he can’t make up for his sins. It leads to a striking conversation with Logan, who’s been in the same boat and knows redemption is the rockiest of roads.
On the other hand, the fact that this is the penultimate issue of Weapons of Armageddon is where the frustration kicks in. Had these scenes taken place earlier in the series, they would have had a bit more of an emotional impact. Zdarsky’s juggling a lot of narrative plates in this issue as it is; not only does have he have to set the stage for the final issue of Weapons of Armageddon, but he also has to set up a lead in for Avengers: Armageddon and the main plot of Reborn: Ultimate Impact. It feels far less organic than his work in Captain America, which is also leading into Armageddon but is far more subtle about it.
Marvel
Despite the truncated narrative, Weapons of Armageddon #3 packs a punch when it comes to the action sequences. Luca Maresca doesn’t hold anything back in a present-set scene where Logan and Colton race to stay one step ahead of Nuke and his kill squad. Bullets chew through the air, tearing into Wolverine but barely slowing him down, while Colton shows that his military skills are still intact & quite deadly for anyone who expects to ambush him. If that wasn’t enough, Maresca tops it with a sequence set in the past in which Colton has to race to confront a potential terrorist threat, using nothing but his new super-soldier abilities and a makeshift shield.
It also doesn’t hurt that Jesus Aburtov’s color work makes each sequence stand out, especially in the shift between past and present. Most of the past sections have a sepia tone, as though the book is recalling Colton’s memories. In the present, we shift from the pristine white of a snow-covered forest to the cold, icy blue of torrential rain, as if foreshadowing the turmoil on Logan and Colton’s paths.
Wolverine: Weapons of Armageddon #3 is torn between character study and action set pieces, with the latter overwhelming the former. It feels like this comic could have used five issues instead of four, since we’re only getting to the good stuff right before it ends.
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