Hello everybody, Donlinedude here and welcome to my review of Wolverine #1. It seems like it was only last year when everyone's favourite Canadian mutant was relaunched in a new series...Oh wait.
Synopsis:
We open to Wolverine slashing his way through several robots, before one of them is suddenly blown up by a new ally with electric based powers. Logan yells that he could have been killed, but the guy points out that Wolverine's new armour could withstand a nuclear blast. They then rejoin their teammates, who are waiting nearby to break open a door. They do just that and proceed to lay the smackdown on the guards waiting behind, though not before Wolvie steals a smooch with the girl on the team (It's a good thing Storm isn't here, or that girl would be fried). Observing this in an unknown location in New York are Wolverine's new boss, the Offer, and a representative of Sabretooth. Apparently the Offer is so named because he makes the best possible deal to his clients, and is planning to grant Sabretooth's organisation the use of Wolverine. The team meanwhile have found what they were looking for, a cell containing a member of the Hand ninja, The Reflex. Logan breaks the door down, only to get hit in the chest by a laser from the security system guarding the ninja.
The story then flashes back five weeks ago to the Guernica Bar in New York, where Logan is drowning his sorrows with Ororo Munroe, aka Storm, who is trying to talk to him about the recent loss of his healing factor, as well as his humiliation at the hands of Sabretooth, though Logan dodges around her questions. Victoria Frankenstein then joins the conversation, remarking how everyone heard about what happened with Sabretooth, which only serves to fuel Logan's sadness. He leaves the bar soon after, with Storm asking that he do something address the fact that he's now mortal, to which Wolvie admits that he should probably look into some new training options. One such exercise involves the help of Black Widow, who assists Logan in re-acclimatising to the use of guns by making him practise on a Life Model Decoy of her (...Okay).
Back in the present, Wolverine is shown to be relatively unharmed by the laser thanks to his armour. His new crew help him to his feet and carry him to their getaway vehicle, a shuttle, before making their escape from the prison, which is also a space station (...Okay). As they activate their cloaking mechanism, Logan thanks his new friends for their help.
Sabretooth's representative meanwhile is getting quite jittery now that Wolverine is on his way back and attempts to leave, saying he's on a deadline. But Offer smells a rat and has his bodyguard, Heavy, restrain the man, who is actually a Daily Bugle reporter tracking Sabretooth. At this point Logan and his team arrive back from their mission. Offer tries to lead Wolvie away while the Hand ninja goes to "take care" of the reporter, but Logan susses what's going on and heads up to meet him. The reporter urges Logan to break out of whatever undercover operation or mind control he's under since he's about to be killed. Logan assures the man that Offer's men aren't going to kill him...right before he shoots the man in the head and adds "I am"...
Thoughts:
It's undeniable that the Marvel NOW! initiative has benefited the company extremely well since it launched in 2012, in fact it was quite helpful for me as I was just getting back into reading modern comics regularly, so it's not that surprising that they've decided to repeat this success a year later with All-New Marvel NOW!, with plenty of new titles like the Punisher, Black Widow, Moon Knight, All-New Invaders and of course, a new volume of Amazing Spider-Man (YIPPEE!!). It's bizarre then that Marvel feels the need to relaunch several series such as this one that only started last year. I understand that Wolverine has undergone a radical shift in status quo, but the same effect could easily have been achieved by a Point One issue, which would have made things less confusing.
Anyway, as it stands, this is a fabulous start to the new volume. Paul Cornell is doing a very good job exploring the notion of Wolverine operating without a healing factor, as well as the effect it has on both him and his loved ones personally. His new position as part of a minor super villain team is an effectively jarring shift from his being a school headmaster, especially after his murder of the reporter, though I doubt that Logan has really gone rogue. I wouldn't be surprised if he's in fact just acting as a sleeper agent to deal with this gang, and the reporter could just be an L.M.D since Logan would have access to them thanks to Black Widow (whose cameo here is very welcome). Wolvie's new teammates don't get an awful lot to do beyond showcasing their powers and hints of their personality, but hopefully they'll be fleshed out in future issues. I'm also really interested to see how the Offer is able to broker "the best possible deal" with his clients, as well as what kind of offer he made to Logan.
The art by Ryan Stegman is just amazing! Nearly every panel is a thing of beauty and Wolverine looks as badass as ever. I wasn't that sure of the new costume when I first saw it in previews (as I preferred the previous look), but it makes sense in the context of this ongoing story and Stegman sells it really well anyway. The inks and colours by Mark Morales and David Curiel respectively provide some excellent detail, which leaves this as one very good looking comic. While the issue numbering is a bit questionable, Paul Cornell and Ryan Stegman have nevertheless launched this new volume spectacularly, and I can't wait for the next instalment, especially as it guest stars a certain web-headed impostor...
Score: 4.0/5.0
