The Last Wolverine #1: Slashed Expectations

X Years Later, the X-Virus has devastated the Earth, humanity is on the brink of extinction, the X-Men have all but fractured, but the legacy of the “Best There Is” must continue. 

Leonard, the kid-Wendigo deuteragonist of the Wolverine has assumed his mentor’s mantle in the wake of the Age of Revelation. Going by the “Wonderful Wolverine”, Leonard is adjusting to being a hero, but that doesn’t make the mantle any less heavy. When someone breaks into his house, he finds himself on a mission that could allow him to do for Logan what Logan once did for him. 

If I’m being honest, Saladin Ahmed’s run on Wolverine has been sort of a mixed bag for me. There is nothing inherently wrong with the book, but it struggled to really separate itself from its fellow X-Books before AoR kicked off. The hook for this series is that Leonard has become the protagonist, but how much you like the book solely hinges on whether or not you LIKE Leonard. For me, he’s fine. As of this first issue he’s a likable enough lead and his struggle to live up to what he believes are Logan’s expectations are very real. Nightcrawler also makes an appearance through a majority of this first issue, and his new look is…interesting to say the least. 

I feel an opportunity was missed here to have SOME mention of Logan’s children and how they feel about Leonard taking their father’s name (if they even are aware of it given what’s happening in Laura’s book), but perhaps that will be explored later. There is also a flashback of Leonard meeting this new version of Logan that helps add to our protagonists story. 

Edgar Salazar’s art is on the right track, but as of this first issue nothing really catches the eye, save Kurt’s new design. The action is minimal, but easy to follow, and the colors are pretty much how you expect them to be.