Review: DEATH OF WOLVERINE #1

Writer:  Charles Soule
Penciller:  Steve McNiven
Inker:  Jay Leisten
Colorist:  Justin Ponsor
Letterer:  Chris Eliopoulos
Publisher:  Marvel Comics

You may not have heard, but Marvel plans on killing Wolverine.  This is a big deal because up until recently, Wolverine has had a healing factor.  He essentially couldn’t die.  After losing his healing factor, it has become open season on the Canadian mutant.

While the ongoing Wolverine series has felt like its been spinning its wheels, working its way to its finale and the start of Death of Wolverine, this issue one launches readers headfirst into Logan’s final battle.

Death of Wolverine #1 interior art

What I Liked

First let’s get to the art team of Steve McNiven, Jay Leisten, and Justin Ponsor.  McNiven is a master of illustrating a grizzled Wolverine.  As the extras in the back of the comic point out, McNiven does not make it easy on Leisten by making Wolverine as hairy as can be.  Every panel has a dramatic weight to it.  Whether it be close-ups of Wolverine’s hands with bones popping out of them, or Wolverine and the villain Nuke sizing each other up during combat.  Ponsor’s colors also have weight and set the entire mood throughout the comic.  As the image above displays the shine from sun rays or shadows in the deep forest.

Charles Soule brings the reader up to date on Wolverine’s current status minus a healing factor, and the different routes he’s taken to find a cure.  Of course, these routes have been unsuccessful so far.  Wolverine knows word will get out and his enemies will come after him.  Instead of asking for help, Logan stays true to form and goes about it solo.

What I Didn’t Like

Our primary villain this issue is Nuke, a Captain America nemesis.  We recently saw Nuke in an arc of Rick Remender’s Captain America.  I’m pretty sure Nuke was blown to bits by the end of the arc.  So how is Nuke able to hunt down Logan?  I enjoyed the overall story, but this nagged at me a great deal.  Especially since Nuke recently appeared in Captain America.  I’m sure the explanation will be that this takes place before the events in Captain America, but with this coming out 3+ months after the fact makes me lower my overall score of the story.

Death of Wolverine #1 cover art

Summary

I am intrigued by the story Soule has crafted for this four-issue goodbye to Wolverine.  Someone has put a unique hit out on Wolverine.  Normally a bounty would want the person terminated, but this one sees Wolverine more valuable brought back alive.  The person behind the bounty is familiar to Logan’s history.  Things will only get more bloodier before its culmination.

Rating:  4 out of 5

This review is written in partnership with Pop Culture Network.  They can be found at their website http://www.popculturenetwork.com/

#ComicBookChronicles @CBChron founder. Editor-in-Chief of @thekliqnation. Comic book reviewer, podcaster #RABBLERABBLE

  • Zarathos No Daimaōh

    Glad to see i’m not the only one that felt bothered by Nuke’s presence . For a moment i had doubts and checked if there werent another existing character named Nuke as well . Characters come back alive all the time … but for us readers , Nuke was just recently destroyed in Remender’s Captain America . It would be nice it editors paid more attention to such details

    • Thanks for having my back on that Zarathos. Some kind of recognition would have been appreciated.