Wolverine: Killing Made Simple #1: Ain’t No Coming Back From That

Wolverine: Killing Made Simple finds its footing early on with a fun method of recounting all the ways Wolvie can actually be killed, but it’s also incredibly convoluted in its structure, making it a frustrating reading experience when it has all the potential to be a truly exciting one.

The premise is simple, it’s Wolverine versus Nanny and Orphan-Maker to save a little mutant girl you may have heard of named Hope Abbott. Things unsurprisingly don’t really go to plan and we find Wolverine in the position where he is attempting to portray his own limitations in an effort to inspire Hope herself to find her inner strength. Putting Wolverine in a place where he must endure to be a real superhero, especially contrasted with the fears of a child, allows the creative to find some really interesting character moments. That’s the best of what the story has to offer.

In order to get this message unfortunately, you have to sort through an awkward structure that flashes back seemingly every other page and fails to find a consistently enjoyable pace until its just too late. There is a lot working in the creative team’s favor with this story, but the execution comes across as haphazard. The confusing layout distracts from the heart that the issue is obviously trying to establish and the result is a book that is more forgettable because of it.

The artwork is heavily stylized and shines with a lot of fun opportunities to kill Wolverine. These were certainly the highlights from the issue and even if they are the only thing you remember after putting it down, some fans will say it’s worth it to see Wolverine de-age out of his own skin as his Adamantium skeleton bursts through. If these more violent moments were more cohesively contrasted with the heartfelt dynamic unfolding between Wolvie and Hope, the issue would be a lot better off. It’s a well executed book visually, with only minor inconsistencies, but everything from the colors to the letters shows this team is capable of pulling off a great story.

Fans of the character will most likely find enjoyment in Wolverine: Killing Made Simple #1 if only for the concept alone. It doesn’t really offer anything unique for the character or push him in new directions, but if you are looking for some solid fan service with Wolvie beating up on some baddies, this is the issue for you. The short story featured at the end titled Disturbing Consequences plays into a very similar theme as well, though arguably slightly better executed. Pitting Wolverine against a deadly virus in Antarctica is an intriguing approach to using his powers and within just a few pages, strikes to the heart of what makes Wolverine such a tragically enduring character. It helps to end the issue on a high note and it’s certainly difficult not to appreciate that!