WOLVERINE #15

[ WOLVERINE GOES CHEAP ] 

There are many different ways for someone to absolve themselves of past sins. There is the religious path – there is the redemptive path – or like Logan in this issue of Wolverine, there is the path of self-deprecation – one Written by Jason Aaron; Drawn by Goran Sudzuka; and Published by Marvel Comics in September 2011.

THE STORY:

Now why is Wolverine punishing himself so laboriously, by climbing up the side of a mountain, and then throwing himself off of it again and again and again? Well, the genesis for all of this is illustrated three days earlier, when he takes one of the children whom he has killed due to the actions of the Red Right Hand, William, to be buried by the side of his respective parent, Dolores Downing.

Worst still, is that as soon as Logan bury his last child, that he is then confronted by his estranged son, Daken, and his half-brother, Dog, whom both punish him verbally and physically, before leaving him to stew in his own self-worth.   

Alas, Wolverine is in a very dark place at the moment, and he turns his back on his girlfriend, Melida, and his comrades, the X-Men, so that he can rip himself to shreds – literally.  

To be continued...

THE REVIEW:

Now this issue of Wolverine is called ‘Wolverine No More’, but I find that a better name for it could be ‘Wolverine hits the skids’. OK, I have to admit, that this issue does feel like a ‘stop-gap’ within the life of the Immortal side-burned Canadian. However, at the same time, it does continue a very compelling aftermath, and does delve into a subject matter than is not always touched upon in conventional comic book fare – depression.

Well – come on – lets face it – how would you feel if you just found out that the people whom you have just killed, turn out to be your children from a previous life? And to maker matters even worse, that your bastard of a son helped arrange for all of this in the first place! Crazy, right? And that is precisely why Wolverine appears so desolate in this issue – the poor shmuck.  

Granted, this issue is a quick read, and it does feels a bit sparse in tone too. Still, that is why this book is so good, as it gives the reader the opportunity to ‘fill in the gaps’ on a more subconscious level. Moreover, to enhance the overall feel of this story, the pacing and the layout is very well done by writer, Jason Aaron, and artist, Goran Sudzuka, as well. Lavishly, they have both managed to express the bleak vibe of this issue without being overtly contrived.

I especially liked the minimalist panels of Wolverine climbing up the side of the mountain at the end of the tale, as it expressed without too much fan-fare, that Wolverine is going to need a lot of help to overcome his turmoil. And who do you think will help him out with this? Hmm? Well, I like to think that Melida will, as it will give her a bit of time to shine, rather than being Wolverines ‘token girlfriend’ – which she seems to be at the moment. Though I suppose that time will tell if I am right or wrong, huh? As it is entirely possible that it could be someone else.

Who? Why don’t you take a guess? And if you are right, I will send Melida round to give you a lap dance, OK?

Nice simple issue – standalone in feel – and sparse in realisation.

THE RATING: B+