WOLVERINE BLACK, WHITE & BLOOD #1 : A Life Of Violence

There are three tales in this new anthology series set at different periods of time in Wolverines life…

The Beast Within Them

Gerry Duggan, Adam Kubert, and Frank Martin take us back to Logan’s early days in the Weapon X program in a tale that cleverly balances the violence on the page, brought to life masterfully by Adam Kubert and Frank Martin, with Logan’s inner voice as he examines the nature of what he is and what the Weapon X program has made him. Duggan manages to capture the feeling of Barry Windsor-Smith’s Weapon X series perfectly in tone and in fact, this vignette fits very neatly into the continuity of that period. Adam Kubert is simply ASTOUNDING on art with splash pages and multipanel grids that are just jaw-droppingly detailed and Frank Martin’s use of red is brilliant because he uses it as both a story mechanism to drive home the violent confrontation in the tale but also more subtly as he paints certain characters other than Logan in crimson which makes a statement of its own.

I Shall Be a Wolf

Matthew Rosenberg, Joshua Cassara, and Guru-eFX whisk us off ton a spy caper next as Wolverine goes up against HYDRA in a yarn that eschews the inner monologue but is no less brilliant than the previous tale as Rosenberg very cleverly plays cat and mouse with us plot-wise. It’s a clever dance between Wolverine and the subject of his mission that twists back and forth in an almost spy versus spy type story that ultimately shows just how wiley Wolverine can be but at the same time emphasizing just how brutal and committed Wolverine can be in his pursuit of an enemy. Shout out to Rosenberg for the smart reference in his title which I wont spoil but if you research it you will see what I mean. Along the way, there is fantastic dialogue between Wolverine and several other characters including Nick Fury. Joshua Cassara has become one of my favorites artists thanks to his run on the current X-Force book and he doesn’t disappoint with amazingly detailed panels of both wild and violent action (who doesn’t enjoy seeing Logan eviscerating several bad guys at once???) as well as the more static panels. There isn’t a single panel that isn’t brilliantly detailed in his very unique style while Guru-eFX uses red to great effect to emphasize Cassara’s art and mood in each panel it’s used.

Cabin Fever

Declan Shalvey does it all (except lettering which is handled brilliantly this whole comic by VC’s Clayton Cowles who is very much one of the top letterers in comics in my opinion) as we join Wolverine on one of his time out’s from heroing (Wolverines attire provides the clue to the time period the story is set in) up in the snowy wilderness. It’s an interesting and tragic story that examines just how violence finds Wolverine and conversely how he always manages to find it himself. A deadly ambush proves to be the undoing of several unfortunates as Shalvey has the old Canucklehead go full judge jury and executioner. Shalvey is on song here and clearly enjoyed making this comic and it shows in the art, in the writing and in his use of red which is all excellent. It’s one hell of a flex to have your singular name next to artist colorist, and writer especially when all three are very well executed.

This opening salvo in this new anthology series is long on violence and blood with Wolverine doing what he does best but at the same time manages to keep the thread of Logan’s humanity there amongst it’s beautifully rendered and blood spattered pages. Every person involved has brought their A-game to this issue and it shows in all three stories from the masterful cover by Adam Kubert to the last page of the issue. If you a Wolverine fan and if this series is the benchmark for the rest of the series well then WOLVERINE BLACK, WHITE & BLOOD #1 is a must-have.