Wolverine: The Long Night #4 (of 5): Them Bones

As it not so much barrels as leisurely strolls headlong toward its conclusion, Wolverine: The Long Night pushes readers no closer to the answer to its mystery, instead adding more questions to the mix. Although I wasn’t expecting anything so prosaic as a cackling villain standing revealed at the end of this issue, I’d like to feel that whatever ending writer Benjamin Percy has in mind won’t feel rushed and/or forced in the remaining space of just one more issue left to finish this tale.

It’s important to remember, though, that this is a Wolverine story where Wolverine isn’t actually the lead character. He’s omnipresent, moving through the background and acting as a change agent while the rest of the players react to him. And that’s a fine way to tell a story, especially when adapting from a podcast, where the medium by its very nature lends itself to more subdued storytelling. But it doesn’t quite adapt to a pulse-pounding serial, either.

Artist Marcio Takara continues to impress, rendering his rough-hewn line work against lush, almost delicate natural backgrounds. His inks enhance the pencils in the best way, and along with Matt Milla’s coloring, this book is extremely pretty to look at, even if the reader is let down by the lack of overall superhero slam-bang action. It sets the mood for the story, low-key and muted and then exploding with passion and heart as each scene demands it.