Artist: Alan Davis
This series started very strong, and looked to be one of the best Wolverine series in a while. It did however drop in quality last issue, and I seriously hope it picks up soon, as it showed ton's of promise.
Plot
Wolverine, and Nick Fury Jr. find a plane with people who have been temporarily possessed. Wolverine then goes looking for answers, and finds a group of possessed people, with the mysterious gun on a plane.
Review
This issue was certainly an improvement over last issue, but the sudden ending, which itself felt more like a beginning than an ending let it down. This is a thing Marvel has been doing quite a bit lately, as both the first story of Thor: God of Thunder, and Savage Wolverine ended with unclear endings, and although Thor: God of Thunder has since gone onto continue that story in a big way, it does still disappoint to a certain extent, as you expect for a fantastic ending, and don't get an ending at all. Paul Cornell did however do some things right in this issue, as he stepped away from the silly club that was introduced, and made the series more serious again. He also added some fantastic action, and the dialogue between character's was also great, and really added a lot of drama to the story. There was however times where it felt a little confusing, and dull, with not everything being answered, and although I know that's probably Cornell's intention, it still let the issue down slightly. I do however hope that Cornell can pick himself back up with the next issue, and the start of a new story, as with the first couple of issues being good, it'd be nice for the series to return to that form.
The art however was on top form, and Alan Davis continues to produce the goods, and even though the story's been slightly disappointing, Davis' art has been far from that. I've always loved Davis art, but this is the best artwork that I've seen from him, and his style of art really suit Wolverine, and the type of action that comes along with him. The detail in Davis art is also another high point for him, as it's so perfect, and although he tries to make the character's fill the frame to help with background detail, he still does an excellent job of that on a larger scale as well. Another thing that Davis does well is action, and that is shown perfectly in this issue, with ton's of explosive, and aggressive action sequences. Davis also handles the facial expressions perfectly, and especially on Wolverine, as you can see when he's happy, as well as when he's angry, and both depictions stand out clearly, adding yet more drama to the issue. The layout of Davis art was also perfect, with Davis knowing when to fill the frame, and when to pull out and show more of the area perfectly, adding yet more drama, and although Cornell's script will probably help Davis, his experience still shines through.
This issue starts with Wolverine talking to Victoria Von Frankenstein,six weeks prior to the current events. Although a different way of starting the issue, I actually really enjoyed this sequence, and the interaction between the two character's was perfectly handled by Cornell, and Davis, with the dialogue being superb, and the emotions shining through in the artwork. It was also a much more fun sequence than we're used to in a Wolverine series that isn't centred around his school, which was a nice touch, making the issue more lighthearted. I also loved how both personalities shone through during this conversation, with it being obvious that Victoria was serious, whilst Wolverine saw it as a bit of fun, and nothing major.
This issue also saw Wolverine go detective, and although we've seen this quite a lot in the past, it was nice to see it again, especially in this subtle way. The detective work itself however was not what I expected, and actually a little disappointing. We see Wolverine go hunting around for answers to this mystery that's been plaguing him, and we see him talking to people, but we never actually learn anything from it (unless I missed something). Due to Wolverine only asking questions in a calm manor it also made for one of the lest exciting showing of Wolverine as a detective, and although as I said I loved the subtlety to this, it overall left much to be desired.
Besides maybe the Victoria interaction at the start of the issue, the best thing about this issue was Wolverine chasing down a plane, and fighting possessed people on board. This was a explosive sequence, and was what made the issue stand out from the last. It was also suspenseful, and had Wolverine pushed to his limit which was nice, as well as dramatic. This sequence would also see the return of the mysterious gun that's been caused all these problems in the first place. I loved how the gun remained mysterious, and although there's a small part of me that would like to learn more about the gun, and it's origins, and a big part that want's to learn about the people behind it, I do hope that the gun remains a mystery, as it's nice to have stuff you don't know, and I feel that learning the truth about this gun would be like learning how a good magic trick's done.
Like the last couple of issue this one would continue to show the growing relationship between Wolverine, and Fury Jr., and although we didn't see as much of it this issue, we still got some. This has been one of the other things that has appealed to me through this series, as it's so obvious that these character's couldn't be more different from one another. Besides that the witty banter between the two also refreshes the issue, and I love how Wolverine calls Fury Jr., "kid." Besides that it looks like his teaming-up with Fury Jr. could push more doors open, possibly changing Wolverine's life in a big way, and if that is the case I look forward to seeing it.
On a different note to finish, I happily noticed that my first letter to a comic team was printed in this issue, and although this doesn't affect my grading for the issue itself, it was a nice surprise (as I never expected it to be printed), and thought I'd share that with you's.
Final Verdict
Although a step above last issue, this issue was still slightly poor, and the lack of an ending, along with slight confusion was the key reason for that. There was however some brilliant action, and some amazing dialogue, with even a more lightheated sequence to open the issue, which was nice. The series does however still show potential, as although this issue, as well as last issue were far from the level expected, the series still has some life to it. I would only recommend this issue to anyone that's been following so far, as otherwise I'd recommend waiting till next issue, and seeing if the next story's any better.
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