All-New Wolverine #4 - Marvel Comics

ALL-NEW WOLVERINE No. 4, March 2016

Containing a somewhat surprisingly ‘out of place’ guest star appearance by Doctor Stephen Strange, this particular edition of “All-New Wolverine” undoubtedly provides something of a bizarre, albeit amusing, twist to Tom Taylor’s multi-issue depiction of Laura Kinney obsessively defending her clones from the questionable intentions of Alchemax Genetics’ security force. For having established a rather seriously-themed morally-fraught undertone to his lengthy story-arc concerning genetic experimentation, murder and Machiavellian manipulation, the Melbourne-born writer suddenly (and arguably inexplicably) transports X-23, Gabby, Zelda and Bellona into a fantastical adventure featuring a winking wardrobe, “a doorway to horrors” and an enormous gruesome-looking extra-dimensional monster.

Admittedly this somewhat tongue-in-cheek tale is initially fun to read, and doubtless many of this comic’s 49,978 owners in January 2016 enjoyed the presence of an axe-wielding Sorcerer Supreme who seems far more a man of action than his creator Steve Ditko ever envisaged. But “the primary protector of Earth against magical and mystical threats” seems a rather unlikely bedfellow to so ferocious a living weapon as the Facility’s former assassin, and as such this team-up sadly smacks more of a desire to pair the titular character with one of the publisher’s more recognisably sellable heroes than anything which the comic’s ongoing narrative requires.

Blatant marketing concerns aside however, Doctor Strange’s involvement in Kinney’s search for a cure as to Zelda’s terminal condition does provide Wolverine with some ‘stand out’ moments, not least of which is her burying the Defender’s double-edged weapon into the skull of a huge Lovecraftian-inspired horror before it manages to eat several innocent bystanders stood outside the Sanctum Sanctorum. Indeed the entire plot darkens quite perceptibly when it becomes clear that the “Sorcerer Brain Surgeon” is unable to halt the “nanite technology” killing Gabby’s sister and he realises that his patient “is beyond my magic. And beyond my medicine.”

Slightly more upbeat is the quality of David Lopez and David Navarrot’s artwork, with the Spanish illustrator’s rendering of the Ancient One’s protégé proving especially impressive and well-drawn. Disappointingly though the same cannot be said for the creative team’s pencilling of Laura’s "not sisters" and it is little wonder that the sketcher has to “argue a lot about what shot works best and what’s the best way to show something or what’s the most important emotion we want to transmit in a specific panel” with their Assistant Editor, when his figures’ faces appear so amateurish.

The "Deadpool" variant cover art of "ALL-NEW WOLVERINE" No. 4 by Tom Raney

All-New Wolverine #3 - Marvel Comics

ALL-NEW WOLVERINE No. 3, February 2016

Despite the best thing about this comic book’s artwork being French designer Bengal’s cover illustration of X-23 flying towards two armoured Humvees packed full of gun-toting security staff, Issue Three of “All-New Wolverine” still doubtless pleased it’s disappointingly declining 50,990 strong readership as a result of its non-stop pulse-pounding script by Tom Taylor. In fact this twenty-page periodical’s narrative doesn’t come to any sort of a pause in its action-packed proceedings until near its very end, when the titular character, having bested both “the mercenary known as Taskmaster” as well as a heavily armed Alchemax Genetics taskforce lead by Captain Mooney, escorts her “not sisters” to the home of Doctor Strange.

However simply because the Australian author’s storyline is overpoweringly pacey and contains a plethora of panels crammed full of “armour-piercing bullets” and enormous explosions doesn’t necessarily mean that the Stan Lee Excelsior Award-winning writer’s script makes for an entirely entertaining read. This is certainly the case when it comes to the Aussies’ handling of the supervillain Tony Masters, for although “Contingency T” initially proves as formidable a fighting force as his reputation suggests by outfighting Laura, the occasional criminal training instructor is shoddily treated once defeated by ‘pitifully’ pointing out that Kinney “don’t kill anymore” and then by having both his kneecaps shot by Zelda whilst he’s lying helplessly unconscious on the ground; “There. Now, if the Taskmaster comes after us, he’ll have to crawl.”

Taylor’s usage of Alchemax Genetics’ Head of Security is no less irreverent, as the Captain once again finds himself semi-conscious on the ground at Wolverine’s feet, left “in the wreckage of a car crash, alone and bleeding.” Yet so treacherous a desperado as Mooney arguably deserves no less a fate and his self-righteous rant at Logan’s departing clone that he’ll seek revenge upon the mutant, her X-Men friends and Angel once he’s recovered from his latest set-back really does make one wonder just how much longer the woman “created to be a weapon” can stop herself from killing him.  

Sadly this comic’s greatest let-down however must be David Lopez and David Navarrot’s disconcertingly anaemic artwork. The creative team are to be applauded for “magically… finish(ing) the pages on time”, and whilst costumed the duo’s pencilling of the Taskmaster is perfectly acceptable. But just how Editors Mark Paniccia, Darren Shan and Daniel Ketchum are able to approve some of the pairs’ panels containing Wolverine’s poorly-pencilled clones or an ultimately unmasked Anthony Masters is difficult to comprehend.

Writer: Tom Taylor, Art: David Lopez & David Navarrot and Color Art: Nathan Fairbairn

All-New Wolverine #2 - Marvel Comics

ALL-NEW WOLVERINE No. 2, January 2016

Having arguably started the titular character’s “shift from X-23 to Wolverine to her place in the larger Marvel Universe” with this series’ “oversized opening” edition, writer Tom Taylor continues to create a storyline within Issue Two of “All-New Wolverine” which is both “very personally about Laura”, and also begins to address many of this book’s unanswered questions. Indeed within the space of this magazine’s first dozen panels it becomes evident that the young man” Logan’s clone “saved… from an assassination attempt” in Paris was the son of Robert Chandler, the director of Alchemax Chemicals”, and that the masked sniper… [who] could not feel pain” and had Kinney’s face was actually one of four errant experimental duplicates responsible for destroying “an Alchemax genetics laboratory” along with “every single one of our scientists” who worked there.

Armed with the knowledge that these ‘terrorists’ were created using her DNA, the mutant heroine unsurprisingly vows to find her ‘siblings’ and “stop them from killing innocents.” A rather stern-faced given statement which possibly promises this publication’s 55,634 followers an enthralling global ‘hunt’ for Wolverine’s duplicates, coupled with the added spice of interference from the research company’s untrustworthy Head of Security; “Tell Captain Mooney I don’t like being followed. Now -- run away.”

Frustratingly however, the New York Times bestselling author’s subsequent narrative proves something of a bitter disappointment and provides a rushed, almost lazy solution to Laura’s emotionally-charged predicament. For no sooner has Kinney fended off the unwanted attentions of two black-suited Alchemax goons in an alleyway, than she is approached by the adolescent Gabby in her mentor’s old apartment and thus able to track down the rest of her targets “deep underground” through “the sewers of New York.”

Just as infuriating as this plot’s wasted potential is David Lopez’s artwork. Wolverine looks every bit the all-action super-hero when she is slashing through Mooney’s gun-toting security soldiers and preventing Bellona from cold-bloodedly murdering the facsimile’s unconscious jailer. But whenever the comic’s tempo slows down to a more sedentary pace, and the Spaniard’s figures have little to do but stand and talk to one another, then the illustrations regrettably appear to be far less convincing and well-drawn.

Writer: Tom Taylor, Art: David Lopez & David Navarrot and Color Art: Nathan Fairbairn

All-New Wolverine #1 - Marvel Comics

ALL-NEW WOLVERINE No. 1, January 2016

Whilst replacing so iconic a comic book character as the “tragically… fallen” mutant super-hero Logan was never going to be the easiest job in the world for the “New York Times bestselling” author, Tom Taylor’s script for Issue One of “All-New Wolverine” arguably raises far more questions than it answers; especially for those who are unfamiliar with the history of X-23 and her creation “to be a weapon.” Indeed despite the narrative starting in the best possible way, with an ‘undercover’ Laura Kinney desperately trying to save a Parisian VIP from an assassin’s bullet and taking a few slugs herself in the process, the fast-paced chase to the top of the Eiffel Tower never pauses long enough to identify just who the ‘diplomat’ is, why someone is trying to murder him, and just who has asked the yellow and blue spandex-wearing heroine to undertake “her first solo mission as Wolverine”?

Confusingly things only seem to get even more befuddling when Logan’s protégé falls from France’s cultural symbol and is ‘swooped up’ by her evident partner Warren Worthington. The Melbourne-born writer has already gone on record to say that he wants the female clone to experience “more support and friendship” during her adventures. But trying to develop the “budding romance” the titular character ‘enjoyed’ with Angel in “All-New X-Men” so early on within this story, as the duo are busily pursing an aerial drone, is awkwardly handled at best and bizarrely results in the preposterous situation of the flying X-Man patting the supposed killing machine on the head when she destroys the “exploding predator drone.”; “A little awkward. I didn't say stop.”

Equally as questionable is the “powerful monkey wrench” Taylor purposely throws “in the works” at the end of the comic. Clearly an awful lot of exposition has taken place ‘off-screen’ or in other titles, as Kinney reveals the masked assassin to be her cloned twin. Unlike the uninitiated bibliophile however neither Angel nor Wolverine are surprised by this revelation, with Laura actually stating it’s her intention to save the rest of her duplicates. Such assumed foreknowledge is hardly desirable within the opening edition of a brand new book series surely?

Arguably this magazine’s biggest disappointment though is the inconsistent artwork of David Lopez (and David Navarrot). The majority of the Spaniard’s drawings of a fully-costumed Wolverine are superb, especially his “I want them to see the Wolverine coming” splash page, and it’s clear just why the publication’s writer thought “he was the right guy to bring Laura to life” when he first saw the artist’s “early character sketches”. Yet the illustrator’s inability to draw credible-looking faces constantly grates and at times makes the likes of Angel, Logan and Kinney appear as if they’ve been sketched by an amateur…

The regular cover art of "ALL-NEW WOLVERINE" No. 1 by Bengal