Robb Ghag reviews Wolverine: Origin II #1…
“A few years after the events of ORIGIN finds James Howlett running with the wolves…until something unexpected brings him back into the world of Follow the first “X-Man” as he finds his way back to civilization and falls afoul of someone Sinister, who’s just discovering mutantkind and the horrors he can visit on them. Plus, discover the secret behind James’ greatest enemy! At some point, the mutant who will become The Wolverine must choose: is he man or is he beast?”
The first thing you take notice of with Wolverine: Origin II is the amazing cover by Adam Kubert. His artwork as always is amazing, but definitely makes this issue, especially considering there isn’t a huge amount of dialogue, but really a setting of the tone, which Kubert does exceptionally well (if the transparent cover of Wolverine’s bloody hands and claws didn’t already give it away).
Ultimately the origin storyline delves into the history of Wolverine in the wild, hunting with his pack. Truly animalistic in nature and acting as if he is part of their world and family. Kieron Gillen does a great job in exploring Wolverine’s splintered mind and explaining (mostly through his internal thoughts) why Wolverine is here, and why he continues to do what he does best.
The artwork again throughout is amazing and credit to Kubert as his attention to detail, whether a simple snow and forest landscape, or a splash page of Wolverine’s bloody battle, continues to keep the reader engaged and re-reading the issue over and over.
The cliffhanger for my tastes didn’t have a huge payoff, however, considering this is just issue #1. I have a feeling as some of Wolverine’s more deadly villains are re-introduced, the stakes will be much higher. Not to mention the teaser for the next issue… “Enter Sabretooth”.
Robb Ghag works for an Arts & Entertainment Brokerage in Toronto Canada. An Animation and Film school graduate, he specializes in Risk Management of Animation and VFX studios throughout North America.
Originally published January 21, 2014. Updated April 11, 2018.
