Savage Wolverine 7
Zeb Wells, Joe Madureira
Spoiler alert! You have been warned!
What a genuine delight this title is. Not only do I suddenly find myself caring about a character that has held little-to-no interest to me in the past, but I’m actually legitimately excited to talk about a company that I feel has been very lackluster in the last five-or-so years. That’s right. The second part of writer Zeb Wells and artist Joe Madureira’s Savage Wolverine is just as good as the last issue. And it feels good to call myself a Marvel fan again. Even if it’s only for one title per month. Baby steps…
This issue features Wolverine being the best at what he does, but for once, I didn’t find it boring that he’s pretty much unbeatable, grumpy, and not very clever when it comes to dialogue with others, enemy or ally. We get the extra bonus of on-again off-again love/hate (lust/trust?) relationship between Logan and Elektra being explored, albeit subtly, through the expression of the two killing a bunch of ninjas and fighting the new Big Bads from the Hand, who aren’t quite ready for Wilson Fisk (the Kingpin) to take over their elite club of professional assassins. They are doing so in order to stop them from resurrecting the thought-to-be-deceased Bullseye as one of their greatest weapons. But, of course, because it can’t ever be easy for these reluctant heroes, they are too late, and the body is gone. But the twist comes when they are told that “she” is gone. Now, at first, I thought it was a terrible typo and was all up in arms and wanting to go back to Marvel-bashing ways, but then the cliffhanger happened. It wasn’t an accident. They weren’t talking about Bullseye. After all, he’s unpredictable and, well, already crazy. No, they wanted someone to truly test the Kingpin’s mettle. They brought back his dearly departed wife, Vanessa, and if long-time Fisk fans remember anything about her last few years on this plane, they’ve certainly got some issues to work out.
Now, don’t get me wrong. I’m the first to admit that really, when it comes down to it, not a whole lot happens in this issue. But any comic that can simultaneously capture the magic necessary to make me feel like a child reading comics for the first time and create the illusion that it’s so much more than just a transitional issue is a true gem in my opinion. That and the fact that it came immediately after a great premiere part and is leading to a battle that will probably make me giddier than a schoolgirl at her first middle school dance. It’s a fun and exciting time for Marvel fans. This is a Wolverine book, yes, but it’s also a mid-90s-feeling masterpiece that encompasses characters across the entire universe and themes that were relevant when I stopped reading Marvel books. I mean, come on. It’s like fate. After all, the last time I cared about Marvel was during Ed Brubaker’s run on Daredevil. It’s like these creators made this book for me. And for that fact, among many others, I thank them yet again.
My Rating: 5/5
