This latest issue of Wolverine, the penultimate offering of “Wolverine’s Revenge!” sets all the dominoes up for the knockdown next month. The problem is that it feels like this storyline has been going on forever. The Old Man and his Red Right Hand have been like a sidekick to Wolverine during their journey of vengeance.
Instead of the customary knock down-drag out one would come to expect from a set-up issue there is a surprising lack of physical confrontation. Jason Aaron uses a good portion of this installment to weave a tale of yet another lackey of the Old Man, a young woman who too has experienced anguish by way of Wolverine. In her case, she loses her whole family to the mutant before she too meets her demise by his claws, only to be resurrected as a tool of the Hand. This series of tragedies has now defined this girl and has set her on a path of destiny to one day confront the masked mutant known as Wolverine and avenge her family once and for all.
The lackeys of the Red Right Hand once again find themselves facing Logan, this time the individual called Gunhawk. Let’s face it, these creations that Jason Aaron concocted to oppose Wolverine are in no way even remotely in his league. Sure they are charming in a cheesy sort of way but they can’t hold their own against Logan, and we have learned that over the course of this arc. That formula remains true here as Wolverine doesn’t even flinch in the face of this latest adversary.
The real bread and butter and what made this issue for me from a written standpoint is how eloquently Aaron uses his descriptions, particularly in the case of the lady who is the center of the issue (and if she has a name I can’t recall it). Her inner monologue grasps you and romanticizes her circumstance even though it is traumatically sad. Plus the Renato Guedes pencils and Matthew Wilson colors, which compliment one another nicely, set up an ominous mood and further drive home the magnitude of the set piece.
Perhaps if we weren’t in an era of writing for the trade, this storyline could have been wrapped up already. I like what is unfolding it just feels like it has been an eternal process to this point. Yet there are some cool elements unfolding and I hope that Jason Aaron leaves some things to simmer in the creative pot to be used somewhere down the road. Admittedly though, I am ready to have this wrap up with next months offering. Wolverine still remains a solid ancillary title in Marvel’s vast stable of X-Men books.
Robert Tacopina is just your typical average everyday comic book fan. Robert is equally fascinated by both the print and digital formats and loves a multitude of titles. He spends his time waiting for next Wednesday by video gaming, reading, watching movies, following his sports teams, and desperately trying to spread the comics word. Proud to let his geek flag fly.