Rating: 3/5 – Stegman delivers great art despite the rushed storytelling.
by ComicSpectrum reviewer Shawn Hoklas.
When I heard that Ryan Stegman would be leaving the Superior Spider-Man series to work on Wolverine, I was a tad disappointed as his exaggerated and fun style fits Spider-Man and his supporting characters so well. After seeing his art on Wolverine, I can say I’m pleasantly surprised with the way he draws and portrays this character. Unfortunately the story doesn’t match the art, but after only one issue I’m confident in the creative team’s ability to make it all work together.
Stegman’s Wolverine is cartoony and exaggerated yes, but he’s also drawn much like you’d expect him to be. He’s short and stocky. He looks older (which he should), and although the costume design is not a positive update to the character, there’s enough nods to the yellow and blue outfit that has him stand out on the page. After the events of the first series Wolverine is no longer indestructible, he no longer has his healing factor. That leads to Wolverine donning the armor you see on the cover, as well as a gun…which still seems a bit unnecessary considering all the other tools and weapons at his disposal within the Marvel Universe. Stegman is giving Wolverine a unique look that’s different and exciting, but the story should back that look up, and that’s where this issue falls short.
While there’s a lot of references to the previous “Killable” storyline that brought Wolverine to this place, the story jumps around too much to make you care for any one scene or character moment. The best scene in the book is a quiet moment between Wolverine and Storm that could have gone deeper, making you really feel the changes that have happened to Wolverine. Writer Paul Cornell regrettably jumps too quickly to the next scene showing how and why Wolverine uses a gun. Then that scene also feels rushed, as Cornell doesn’t get you to buy into Wolverine using a gun. This is a pretty big change for Wolverine so seeing all these changes happen so fast feels like they’re rushing into the next adventure, without further exploring Wolverine’s motivations and behavioral changes.
Reviewed by: Shawn Hoklas
(shawn@comicspectrum.com)
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yeah, that last panel made me so angry