Wolverine #50
Kevin Rossi
Recap
CREED VS. LOGAN — THE FINAL SHOWDOWN! It's all come down to this: the final battle between WOLVERINE and SABRETOOTH. The Sabretooth War concludes in the way it began — a violent, bloody battle — but WHO will be left standing?
Review
This is a strange and wonderful time for X-Men fans. Between Disney+’s X-Men ‘97 smash success, Deadpool & Wolverine coming to theaters soon, and the exciting new lineup of books being announced, there is something for everyone to be happy about. Despite the excitement for the future of X-titles, the current release books should also be celebrated. With the conclusion of his run with Wolverine #50, Benjamin Percy’s work and contributions to the character will be looked at fondly for years to come, and easily already one of the definitive eras of Wolverine. The Sabretooth War was a ten-part event that acted like a grand finale for Wolverine and Sabretooth. Joined by Victor LaValle, they took the last ten issues of Percy’s run to give readers the face-off they’ve been waiting for. The Sabretooth War stuck the landing with Wolverine #50.
The art of this issue is especially fantastic. Sabretooth War had alternating artists switching off between issues, but like part one, the gang was all here for the finale. Geoff Shaw handled pencils and inks on pages 1-11 while Cory Smith handled pencils with Oren Junior handling inks for the remaining half. Along with Alex Sinclair on colors and Cory Petit on lettering, this issue delivered everything that might have been missing from previous issues. There is dynamic action with a huge scale, gory violence, and emotion. The creative team did an excellent job packing a lot into one issue, which felt like an obstacle in previous issues.
It’s hard not to hear Percy in Wolverine’s closing monologue, and those who have heard Percy’s voice might already read Wolverine’s dialogue in his voice. With the final fight between Sabretooth and Wolverine and the closing narration, the strengths of Percy’s run glimmered through the pages. It seems he got to do everything he wanted to accomplish, including the Sabretooth War. With a new creative team and shiny new #1 coming in September, this might be the end for a while for some readers, and that is okay. Percy’s run on Wolverine stuck out as one of the best series from the Krakoa era, and Percy did a fantastic job making this feel like his grand finale with the character, not Wolverine’s.
Final Thoughts
As mentioned in the review, this might be the end for a while for some readers, but Wolverine is one of those characters that will always have great stories. This is evident with the two bonus vignettes at the end of the issue. The first is “Mutants on the Edge of Town,” written by Larry Hama, illustrated by Daniel Picciotto, colored by Yen Nitro, and lettered by Cory Petit. The second is titled “Endless,” written by Benjamin Percy, illustrated by Javi Fernandez, colored by Matt Hollingsworth, and lettered by Cory Petit. Overall, Wolverine #50 is a triumphant end to Percy’s run and Wolverine in the Krakoa era. It is also a great example of Wolverine’s versatility in storytelling. There’s more where that came from, so hopefully readers stick around for what is next.
Wolverine #50: The Best There Is, Bub!
- Writing - 9/109/10
- Storyline - 8/108/10
- Art - 9/109/10
- Color - 9/109/10
- Cover Art - 8/108/10
