The showdown we’ve been waiting for is here, as the Adamantine and Wolverine go toe to toe. In one corner, we have the berserker rage-fueled Logan, armed with adamantium bones. In the other, we have Adamantine, an earth spirit made of far stronger metal, who sees Wolverine’s adamantium as a “false metal.” Considering Wolverine’s right-hand claws are shattered, the fight is not looking good for him.
Wolverine #20 opens with a bit of mystery, where three figures watch, and Wolverine looks beaten. They are from “elsewhere,” but play a major part in the narrative. One might call it a deus ex machina, but they were hinted at before. Considering the ties the Adamantine has to Hercules and the gods, it’s not that far-fetched to add a little mysticism to this god-tier fight.
From there, we cut back to the South China Sea, where Wolverine lies beaten. Through captions, Saladin Ahmed makes this fight seem over, with Wolverine near death, and soon, the Adamantine is literally taking over his mind. It’s powerful stuff, with an epic page revealing the Adamantine’s near loads of bombs to destroy the entire planet. The stakes couldn’t be higher.
Looking like a bad time for Logan.
Credit: Marvel
Thanks to Hercules and a few friends, the playing field is a bit more level. It may be a little frustrating that Wolverine needs so much help, but considering the three figures at the start are closely tied to Wolverine’s DNA, it’s a fun sort of wrinkle. Plus, it doesn’t mean using the cliche of a hero finding a new gear out of sheer will.
For a Wolverine comic, the creative team is definitely giving us something different, which makes the entire package feel new as it treads unfamiliar ground. Could there have been a more clever way to defeat the villain beyond punching it? Sure, but Ahmed supplies enough weird mythic elements to elevate it a tad. At the same time, it’s all quite strange and almost random.
Art by Martín Cóccolo, with colors by Jesus Aburtov, offers plenty of good visuals, especially the sheen on the Adamantine, and some killer Wolverine fight poses. The stranger “elsewhere” has a weirdness to it, thanks to the mysterious figures in shadow all around, and the swirly purple. The three helpers of Wolverine also have nice, eclectic designs that make them look very much not part of the world we’re accustomed to.
Wolverine #20 swings big with a fight that feels larger than life and rooted in something more mythic than usual. Saladin Ahmed leans into that scale, giving Logan a battle that pushes him beyond his limits while layering in gods, strange realms, and outside forces. The help Wolverine receives may not work for everyone, but it adds a different flavor that keeps the story from feeling routine. The resolution is straightforward, yet the journey there is filled with enough weird ideas and visual flair to make it memorable.
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