WOLVERINE #4: Hello Darkness My Old Friend

Percy keeps the time frame tight as issue 4 picks up immediately after 3 with Logan facing the council for several transgressions which all boil down to Wolverine having done things his way without council approval. The animosity between Magneto and Logan is really captured well in a single page as we are reminded that there is a history between these characters, a past filled with violence and trauma that, while set aside in the new status quo, is not forgotten. Percy also delivers the only joke at Magneto’s expense on that first page which is hilarious (sorry, I have a crass sense of humor).

The stage is a backwater drinking hole way up north called The Red Tavern, a place Logan goes to drink and be alone. Narratively this issue, Percy leans heavily into several Wolverine tropes we have seen before, his need to get away from his family and friends to be alone as well as gaps in his memory. One of the central themes though is consequences of past actions, this is borne out in the human characters that ambush Logan, the appearances of an old enemy at the end in the form of Omega Red as well as one of the data pages which quite honestly is written in that fake friendly, conspiratorial and deeply disturbing type way so reminiscent of actual things that go on with groups on social media that it actually put me on edge to read it. Percy keeps Logan in-character, he never shy’s away from the trauma he has caused his human adversaries, but when things go really pear-shaped at the end of the issue Logan’s concern isn’t for himself but for the very humans who are trying to put him on ice so to speak. It’s a grim bridging issue that leads into the next arc ending with Wolverine in the worst position possible. The Krakoan at the end speaks to what is to come and translates as Bleeding Hearts.

A change of artist happens this issue as Adam Kubert, who did a superb job on the first arc, gives way to Viktor Bogdanovic. Bogdanovic’s style is very reminiscent for me of Greg Capullo although not quite as polished. The combination though of Bogdanovic’s angular ink heavy style combined with Matt Wilson’s moody dark background coloring does a good job of creating the bleak cold atmosphere suited to the story being told. I am also a huge fan of when artists use paneling to communicate the character’s mood or state of being and Bogdanovic does this very well in a scene where Logan finds himself woozy in a men’s room.

Adam Kubert’s cover is of course, as usual, a class affair, and overall the art is good this issue. Following an act like Kubert is tough but the art team manages to pull it off with good aplomb across the board from line art through coloring as well as lettering.