Death of Wolverine #2 Review

Writer: Charles Soule

Artist: Steve McNiven

Inker/Colorist: Jay Leisten / Justin Ponsor

DEATH OF WOLVERINE: PART TWO

After finding out he has a hit out on him, Logan sets out to confront the person behind all the trouble coming to him lately. When he learns it’s his old love Viper, Logan sets out to Madripoor to settle the score once and for all.

The Ups: Poison. The theme Charles Soule has chosen for part two of the series. We are taken to Madripoor where Logan decides to take the fight to his old lover Viper, who has put the bounty on Logan which has caused him some trouble. The vibe set throughout was all of the poisonous people in Logan’s life. As Logan confronted Viper and his life long enemy Sabertooth, Soule shows us a Logan who wants to move past all the hate and the anger these individuals have caused him. This great character development for Logan is a huge breath of fresh air for a man who has lived his life with no regards. Soule has made the idea of morality in Logan’s mind creates a man who understands how to get the job done but not creating hell in the process, something Wolverine has done so well in the past.

Once again Steve McNiven, Jay Leisten and Justin Ponsor shine so brightly in this issue. The greatest thing for me was seeing Wolverine look just like Max Payne straight out of Max Payne 3. Then throwing Logan into a nightclub with women on each arm while he conducts business with one of Viper’s lackeys shows me that this art team wants to make Logan go out as awesome as possible. The next great step up from the last issue is the much more lavish scenery in the corrupt city of Madripoor. While there’s only a few places Logan goes to, each scene is done beautifully and the dark inking brings out the intensity to each moment.

The Downs: The one huge disappointment I had was the confrontation between Wolverine and Sabertooth. I might be getting ahead of myself, but if this was there last confrontation then this was not the way it should of gone. They had a short fight scene which was interrupted by a surprise guest appearance but the conclusion left me with a bad taste in my mouth. With two more issues I can only hope Wolverine’s greatest villain is involved.

Overall: Soule definitely picked up the pace in this issue, but we still have no real idea what exactly is going to bring Wolverine to his death. McNiven, Leisten and Ponsor’s outstanding art made me read the issue a number of times, just to admire the amount of work this team put into this book. Anothher strong entry in the story and I am definitely sticking around to see it to the end.

Grade 4 of 5