The girls are on form and out for blood, it’s time to take out the trash. But what has happened to Psylocke?
THE HUNT FOR WOLVERINE: MYSTERY IN MADRIPOOR #3
Writer: Jim Zub
Artist: Thony Silas
Colors: Felipe Sobreiro
Letters: VC’s Joe Sabino
Cover: Giuseppe Camuncoli, Roberto Poggi & Dean White
Variant Cover: Chris Bachalo & Tim Townsend
Publisher: Marvel Comics
What You Need to Know:
With Rogue, Storm and Psylocke already captured it’s up to Kitty, Jubilee and Domino to solve the mystery of who took Wolverine’s body, save the day and stop Viper in her tracks. All that stands between them are the Femme Fatales. Oh and…the death of Psylocke?
What You’ll Find Out:
Domino gets her turn at the memory wheel and we see Neena in her adventures with Wolverine in X-Force: Sex + Violence. Her reverie is cut short when we find the girls trying to enter Viper’s secret base in the pouring rain, in order to stop the rocket launch. Bringing along Stenya, their captive and the source of the intelligence on gaining entry to the base, they make their entrance and Kitty takes out a guard before they decide to split up to accomplish their dual objective of stopping the missile and locating their missing allies. Stenya isn’t pleased to learn he is going on to the launch pad with Domino and insists he only agreed to get them to the base, but Neena has some choice motivational words for him.
Meanwhile Viper is in discussion with her mysterious contact about the delay to the plan, stating the weather is hampering the launch, but he demands Soteira wants the launch to go ahead as planned and that she use her engineers to boost the rocket. As she grudgingly agrees she is interrupted by the arrival of Sapphire Styx, babbling incoherently that ‘he’ never left. As she mindblasts Snakewhip, Sapphire is barely stopped by Viper, who holds a gun to her head, demanding some answers. To which she replies it is Wolverine himself, but only she can see him as he menaces her and threatens her with his claws. Mindblast and Knockout are called away from watching Magneto to come help and as they leave him Knockout says she wants to fight Rogue some more but Mindblast reveals Soteira has plans for all of the X-Men. When Knockout asks about ‘the dead one’ and gets the reply to forget her and leave her to Sapphire she just curses under her breath and Mindblast assures her they will find her more people to punch. That’s clearly Jubilee’s cue to arrive as they are attacked from above.
As Kitty and Jubilee take on their adversaries Domino spies the capsules containing Rogue and Storm being loaded into the rocket and is surprised by the arrival of Bloodlust, who takes Stenya out before attacking Domino. Neena is not shaken however and enters into some verbal ribbing, until Bloodlust takes out the barrier and they both fall from the rooftop. Back with Kitty and Jubilee, the girls discover Mindblast has some tech built into her and this gives Kitty the in she needs to tip the scales in their favor. Once she is handicapped she reveals to Knockout they have to run, without her enhancements she isn’t able to control minds. And Magneto is free. The presence of the Master of Magnetism in all of this is news to our girls, but it isn’t long before he makes himself known.
Up above and now Snakewhip is seeing things too as she witnesses a spectral Wolverine battling with Sapphire. Although Viper is still unable to see her ex-husband and is distracted by the news that there is more trouble with the launch site and so demands they launch ahead of schedule. And it’s all going on outside as Domino recovers and feels the effect and Magneto deals with Mindblast. Kitty tells him to focus and help stop the rocket from launching and as the countdown continues Domino deals a swift kick to Bloodlust, while above them all ‘Wolverine’ hurls Sapphire out the window to fall at the feet of the other X-Men and their opponents. Domino is shocked to hear Sapphire mention Logan’s name and demands to know what she is talking about, as Sapphire refuses to give up the souls she has taken and Magneto attempts to stop the launch. A voice in all their heads vows to Sapphire that it ends now and as Domino thinks she hears Psylocke the voice continues, “No More”…
What Just Happened?
Characters: The Femme Fatales were pretty much last seen in Amazing Spider-Man #343 in 1991 so this updated version is compelling and new and yet keeps faithful to the original characters. Interesting that the shadowy villain seen here and in The Claws of a Killer is being touted by Soule as a new character called Soteira. We do know of another woman called Soteira, a female religious Morlock scientist from the Wolverine/Punisher: Revelation in 1999, but she died. Could this woman attempting to bring people back from the dead be linked to that character? Jubilee is brilliantly used as the distraction again and Magneto finally lets them know he isn’t to be held captive in true Master of Magnetism style, in a scene that had me almost feeling sorry for Mindblast, remembering Zaladane and her punishment in Uncanny X-Men #275 for doing much the same thing to him. And speaking of X-Men not letting the villains get away with mistreating them, could it be the spectral Wolverine is, in reality, Psylocke, based on ‘his’ comments to Sapphire Styx here…or am I just grasping at straws?
Writing: Jim Zub has excelled in ensuring the characterization of both heroes and villains is as true to form as can be, with Viper being typically nefarious and Kitty on form with her good old ninja skills and taking out the guard in true ghost girl style. The action comes thick and fast this issue and it’s a good thing too, as if this were all crammed into the final issue it would come off too rushed. However, the pacing was well suited here and backed up by some interesting repartee to distract from the big question as to the fate of one Betsy Braddock or the fact there was nothing seen of Storm and Rogue in action this whole issue. Domino punning with Bloodlust about their shared traits and stating she is a 90’s girl…inspired and funny as hell. The team-up of Jubilee and Kitty, both Logan’s protégés, was also fun to see this issue and reminds us it is at heart a story about him.
Art: Thony Silas has shown each of the team in their element each previous issue with regards style and substance and you can see he was clearly enjoying it. However, this issue he made both Magneto and Domino the stars, making Magneto a force to be reckoned with upon awakening at last and I only hope Storm gets her chance in the finale, as even unconscious she is clearly affecting the weather. Once again the colors of Felipe Sobreiro show the highs and lows of Madripoor in all its glory, still don’t want to go there on holiday though.
Cover: Greg Land, though often a controversial choice on any cover these days, has delivered two exceptional covers for the previous issues and as such it was a stark about-face to see the cover for #3 so diametrically opposed in style, as shown by Giuseppe Camuncoli, Roberto Poggi & Dean White. Though it is striking in and of itself and shows Kitty in full action mode in Madripoor, I can’t help feel we have lost a little something in the substance and the flow in continuity. And though it doesn’t affect the interior story it does set you on the back foot before you’ve even opened the book. It’s like saying at the start “Hey, here is the look we’re going for folks. Enjoy the tongue in cheek poses and the sheer chemistry of our girls as they seek to find what happened to their ally” but then…“Oh wait, we forgot what we were aiming for. Here, have a completely different look that bears no relation to what we’ve shown you so far and doesn’t even compare to the genre we were going for in the first place”.
Rating: 7/10
Final Thought: One issue to go and we are still no closer (in ANY of the miniseries) as to the whereabouts of the ol’ Canucklehead. Where IS he and just who IS Soteira?
COMING NEXT…
Hunt For Wolverine: Mystery In Madripoor #4. Past and present clash in a final battle on an island of secrets and sin! What darkness lies within Sapphire Styx? Can a ghost from the past save Psylocke from oblivion?
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