Savage Wolverine #1 Review
Writer & Artist: Frank Cho
Colorist: Jason Keith
Letterer: VC’s Cory Petit
The first Wolverine title to launch in Marvel NOW! is Savage Wolverine. Wolverine wakes up and finds himself in the middle of the Savage Land, with no memory of how he got there. He has to unravel this mystery while also staying alive from the wildlife and natives. Could a familiar friend in Shanna help get Wolverine back home? Or is he the one who will end up providing the help?
What I Liked
I knew that Frank Cho was doing the art for Savage Wolverine, but it was a surprise to see his name credited with writing too. I wonder if there are other books where he has done the dual job of writer and artist. One thing with Cho’s art that I did notice was the use of white space to split up the panels on pages. He made sure to fill the white space with dialogue also. I’m still learning to pay attention to the lettering and coloring, so I am not sure if the letterer or the artist gets credited with filling empty space with words. Most likely the letterer, who is VC’s Cory Petit. I liked how different it was from other comics.
The coloring was bright, which I enjoyed for a sometimes-dark character like Wolverine. It made the action scenes stand out that much more. And boy was there a lot of action in this issue! Wolverine was slicing and dicing body parts of neanderthals all throughout the comic. Very graphic images. It is good to see Wolverine fully let loose like this, compared to being the headmaster of the Jean Grey School.
Very nice portrayal of Shanna by Cho. She comes across as strong and able to fend for herself. And she should, since she is the only cast member who is familiar with the Savage Land. She should know the lay of the land and how to survive.
Issue one is easily accessible to new readers. By the time we’re done reading, we have a clear understanding of what has happened and what the plot of the story is.
What I Didn’t Like
Even though I did enjoy the violence, the beheading of neanderthals could be too graphic for younger audiences. I wasn’t sure that was even allowed in Marvel comics nowadays. I had no problem with it, but I can see others being offended by it.
Summary
Savage Wolverine #1 was a fun comic. It is simple and straightforward storytelling, aside from the mystery of the island which has trapped Wolverine and Shanna on it. I hope the reveal of how/why Wolverine ended up on the Savage Land is worth the investment I make in keeping up with this book.
This review is written in partnership with Pop Culture Network. They can be found at their website http://www.popculturenetwork.com/
Timdogg
#ComicBookChronicles @CBChron founder. Editor-in-Chief of @thekliqnation. Comic book reviewer, podcaster #RABBLERABBLE
