Fanboys Anonymous

Death in comics isn't something readers are shocked or worried by anymore. However, Marvel hopes it has a hit on their hands this September with the self-descriptively-titled Death of Wolverine.

"I'm the best there is at what I do. And what I do…is die."

When DC killed Superman off in 1992, kicking off a 22-year fad of dying heroes, they knew they had to make it seem real. They presented a foe who was Superman's equal, but first they spent weeks tuckering Man of Steel out. Years later, they did the same thing when Bane broke Batman's spine. Batman was exhausted from weeks of sleepless nights capturing his entire rogues gallery. Bane attacked and defeated a man on his last legs.

Marvel seems to be taking a similar approach with Death of Wolverine.

The book will release weekly throughout September but will be preceded by this summer's 3 Months to Die, which first robs Wolverine of his healing factor.

“For a long time, no matter who Wolverine was battling, he’s been the eternal victor,” says Michael Marts, executive editor at Marvel. “He almost always comes out on top. Now he finally comes up against an adversary that he cannot win against, he cannot fight. What does that mean for this character who’s been around for hundred years?”

The book will feature an adventure that takes Logan out while reflecting on his past. Readers can expect it to feel like a "remember why you love Wolverine so much" retrospective. The aftermath will be the other heroes of the Marvel Universe reacting to, and moving on from, his death.

As most fans are aware, however, Logan will be back at some point. He already died, anyway, in a story titled "Logan Goes to Hell" where he literally died, went to hell, and clawed (again, literally) his way out. Heck, as I write this, we are experiencing the return of Peter Parker from his death in the Spider-Man books. Not to mention the recent return of X-Men's Nightcrawler.

Here is an early sketch from the upcoming series, showing Logan in pretty rough shape.
Image courtesy of Entertainment Weekly:


So enjoy this story for what it is: a series to highlight what we love about Wolverine, a character who has been on multiple teams for so long that this will ultimately have a lasting effect when he disappears. How will the Avengers carry on without their mad dog? How will X-Force continue without their rogue leader? How soon before they wear dog tags reading "What Would Wolverine Do"?

Death of Wolverine will be written by Charles Soule and drawn by Steve McNiven. Issue #1 hits shelves on September 3rd, with the final issue coming out September 24th.

What do you think? Could we use some time off after decades of Wolverine overkill?