Wolverine #26: Into The Logan-Verse

Issue #26 of Wolverine takes the titular mutant on a type of adventure that he rarely goes on: a multiversal one. As a character, Logan isn’t unfamiliar with the multiverse; he’s encountered it a few times before. However, very few multiverse-hopping stories involving Wolverine are about Wolverine: he’s typically just another player in the overall storyline (2024’s Deadpool & Wolverine was an exception, not the norm). Saladin Ahmed throws Logan into a story that feels more reminiscent of a Spider-Verse comic than a standard Wolverine comic.

As with any modern superhero multiversal storyline, Logan encounters multiversal versions of himself. The Savage Champions, alternative versions of Wolverine that helped him defeat the Adamantine in issue #20, return to assist Logan against their multiversal foe. What makes the Savage Champions special in comparison to other multiversal variants is their designs: these characters look nothing like Wolverine; nonetheless, they still carry the essence of Logan in their designs. Red Hare wears blue and gold armor with exaggerated shoulder pads and three metal claws on each hand; Boneclaw is an animalistic beast with a stocky frame and distinctive triangular hair.

Julius Ohta returns as the artist for issue #26, once again replacing Martín Cóccolo; Jesus Aburtov remains as the colorist for this issue. Ohta’s art style and Aburtov’s colorwork truly excel in a multiversal storyline such as this one; each new reality has a defined visual language. The first dimension that Logan visits has a distinctly fantastical element to it: Ohta draws towering cliffs and bamboo forests, reminiscent of an East Asian landscape. The second dimension is a cold wilderness, full of deep blues and vibrant whites. Red Hare’s entrance is grandiose, bleeding over the panels on the page and giving the character a regal feel. The action in this comic absolutely excels. During combat, panels blend into each other to show pace, and leading lines are used to show motion. When Wolverine pops his adamantium claws, the “snikt” appears in yellow; when he pops his bone claws, the onomatopoeia appears in red. It’s a very subtle choice by Aburtov, but it really adds emphasis to the difference between the two types of claws.

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