Murderworld: Wolverine #1 - Marvel Comics

MURDERWORLD: WOLVERINE No. 1, March 2023

Fans of Stan Lee’s co-creation Leap-Frog will doubtless have taken some satisfaction from Jim Zub and Ray Fawkes’ narrative for Issue One of “Murderworld: Wolverine”, due to the collaborative pair penning an incredibly serious incarnation of Vincent Patilio rather than the ordinarily somewhat tongue-in-cheek criminal. In fact, the revelation that one of Arcade’s “two hundred willing contestants” is actually the failed Daredevil foe from the Sixties arguably soon becomes one of this comic’s biggest moments, especially when the middle-aged ex-con continues to demonstrate some modicum of care for his fellow beleaguered competitors; “He doesn’t ask me why I’m helping. I’m not sure what I’d say if he did.”

So surprising a disclosure, wonderfully exposed via a prison-based flashback sequence and then later reinforced when the crook instinctively leaps away from the deadly claws of a remorseless robot, also strangely appears to act as the cement to bind the rest of the survivors together into a cohesive band. This camaraderie genuinely helps win over the readers’ sympathy for the fast-dwindling cast, and resultantly makes any subsequent deaths or life-changing injuries, all the more impactive. 

Frustratingly, what isn’t debatably quite so enthralling is the use of Wolverine as little more than a mechanical gimmick. The sudden arrival of the “mindless mutant animal” momentarily proves quite mesmerising, as “the best he is at what he does” attempts to skewer Leap-Frog on a snow-caked cliff-top. But this effect is then completely deflated when in the next panel it becomes clear the incredibly dangerous X-Man isn’t actually present, and is just one of several colourfully-costumed robots designed to repeatedly shout the anti-hero’s catchphrase “Bub!”

Perhaps just as ‘hit or miss’ as elements within this publication’s plot is its artwork by Carlos Nieto, which in the main is perfectly proficient to aid in the storytelling. However, doubtless some bibliophiles were slightly confused by the similarities between Black Widow and the design of Marina Komarova, courtesy of the “real piece of work” looking very similar to Natalia Romanova in both hair style and predominantly-black costume. Indeed, if not for the slightly different colours applied by Matt Milla the pair are almost identical.

Writers: Jim Zub & Ray Fawkes, Artist: Carlos Nieto, and Inker: Victor Nava