Fanboys Anonymous

"Oh, look, it's another Wolverine book" does not even begin to describe my thoughts when Wolverine was announced for its fifth volume. After my disappointment with Savage Wolverine, I was just about ready to give up on any new Wolverine series for the time being. Still, being the Wolvie fan boy that I am, I just had to pick up this first installment just to see what it was about.

I'm glad to say that where Frank Cho lacked in his characterization of Wolverine, Paul Cornell excels beautifully. Despite not having much prior experience with Logan, it's clear that Cornell knows what he's going here. Dialogue is kept short and gruff; "flowery" language is appropriately added when needed. This is the Logan that I know and love, the Logan that is straight and to the point.

The book puts us into the action right away, and we quickly realize the gravity of the situation at hand. There is a surprising amount of death in this issue, even for a Wolverine book. On one level, it's a little shocking, but, on another level, it works very well, especially when the "innocent" child is thrown into the mix. The book runs the full gamut of emotion, and we get a little bit of everything. But, most importantly, it all flows naturally; nobody is "out of character" as in the Savage Wolverine counterpart. Art-wise, it's hard to screw up Wolverine, and Alan Davis does a fine job. He does an especially good job at facial expressions, which further draws us into the book and evokes emotions.

All in all, I'm glad that this little Wolverine project came into being. Wolverine is a timeless character that can be placed in pretty much any situation. While this particular situation looks a little predictable and played out, I'm happy to stick along for the ride. The writing and art in Wolverine #1 complement Logan's personality to a T, and, with that in mind, do you really need another reason to pick up this book?


Score: 9/10