Wolverine #33: Ready, Set, Clone

Wolverine #33 is the eighth chapter in Ben Percy’s Beast Agenda arc, one made up of two separately titled stories that have now coalesced into this hulking monster of a story that has moved at half the pace it should. This has been made up for with well-written character moments, bouts of amazing action, and a solid conceptual basis for the story, but as this tale has dragged, their charm has all but worn away.

That isn’t to say Percy’s writing has become dull or even harmful. It has remained consistent with this entire arc so far; his ability to manage multiple weaving plot lines and characters is never better than it is here. It This issue sets up all the chess pieces necessary to bring this tale to a close. It rings Maverick, Jeff, and Wolvie together for a soon-to-be grandstand against Beast but cuts it short enough to have something for the next issue.

The most interesting part of this storyline has been Beast’s motivations, which have been wrapped up in many mysterious and philosophical ideas regarding Machiavellian thought. The more depth this is given, the more interesting it grows. There’s also a fantastic extended sequence of the Beast’s many clones realizing that the intent behind their creation was not in the name of science or mutant kind but in the name of ego.

There’s a lovely bit of the character work here, but all that pales in the fact that the plot itself has barely progressed. This issue moves the dial a bit, but it still feels slow. This arc will read better in one sitting and when it’s complete. Juan Jose Ryp’s art continues to amaze me. While it is admittedly unconventional for Western superhero comics, it serves this story well.