Wolverine #44: In a Sentimental Mood

With the Sabretooth War being touted as “The Most Violent Wolverine Story Ever Told,” it’s hard to know when the calm before the storm is, but Wolverine #44 might just be it despite being anything but calm. We are now on part four of the ten-part event, and so far the war between Wolverine and Sabretooth has cost countless lives, with many meaning a lot to Wolverine. If this issue does one thing, it raises the emotional stakes of the story and realigns Wolverine’s motives for the readers. It has always been personal between Wolverine and Sabretooth, with around a century of in-universe history between the two, but this feels extra personal, so hats off to Benjamin Percy on that. If this event has one downside then it is the pacing. On one hand, Percy and Victor LaValle are using the bi-weekly release schedule to build up suspense so the payoff will be huge, but on the other things are a little drawn out. Parts three and four lost momentum but it does set up Wolverine going to Krakoa alone to face Sabretooth, which is what most readers want. The writers and artists are switching between issues and it is somewhat obvious, but tonally it works because LaValle handles Sabretooth issues and Percy handles Wolverine. 

Regarding the art, Cory Smith and Alex Sinclair are doing great work. Smith delivers so many great moments like a classic fastball special at one of the Sabretooth variants in the snow. There is something so visually striking about gore in the snow, and Sinclair pumps up the gore with his coloring. Smith also does an incredible job of capturing Wolverine’s emotions in this issue. At one point, Colossus has to pull Wolverine off of Sabretooth while Wolverine is screaming that he killed his son. In another touching moment, Wolverine opens the gift from Laura. These things are handled extremely well and make one wish that more of Percy’s run focused on this kind of stuff. It feels a bit tacked on but very much appreciated.