Death of Wolverine #1 Review

Written by: Charles Soule

Art by: Steve McNiven

Inker/Colorist: Jay Leisten/Justin Ponsor

DEATH OF WOLVERINE: PART ONE

Losing his healing factor during the battle with the Apocalypse Twins, Wolverine is no longer the indestructible force. Having to deal with his own mortality, Logan had to learn new ways to fight and rediscover the world around him. But even with all the improvements he has made in his life, will his dark and bloody past not allow him to find some peace? Maybe even a cure to restore his healing factor?

The Ups: The End. Those two words are the first thing you see when you read this issue. So if you weren’t sure that Wolverine is going to die after this story, I think Charles Soule wanted to make that point very clear from the beginning that this indeed is the end of the Canadian X-Man. Soule sets up the story with a slower pace where we see Logan still struggling with the fact that he is indeed dying. While Logan is looking for a way to lay low and hoping he can be healed, his past wants to make sure he is never left alone. All his enemies know he can be killed and they are on the hunt. We all know Wolverine has been in countless dark stories, but Soule takes this story to a more emotional place. This story is more about survival and the possible redemption of Wolverine, granted there was very little story progression in this first issue but the vibe is certainly there.

The best part about the start of this series is the absolutely incredible artwork done by McNiven, Leisten, and Ponsor. McNiven bring sharp and slick detail to the entire issue, all while helping Soule display the tense emotions Wolverine is experience. Normally we see Wolverine fierce and ready for a fight no matter what the cost but McNiven displays a man battered both physically and mentally that conveys a sense of invulnerability. Leisten and Ponsor help bring out the feeling of survival with the intense dark lines and the gritty colors. The deep lone forest and bloodied beaches shows the art team handle on the theme of survival and death which sells the story even more.

The Downs:  There were time when the scenery was not as detailed as the rest of the issue.

The Overall: A very strong set up for the beginning of the end. Soule has left me with the feeling this is only a small scale of how intense this story will be in its emotional and action packed story telling. I personally don’t think a better art team could have been put together for this than McNiven, Leisten, and Ponsor. Surprisingly, being that I’ve never been a big Wolverine fan, this story made me realize how sad I feel for the character’s impending death. At least I know he’s going out with a very bloody and explosive bang with this creative team.

Grade 5 of 5