WOLVERINE #10

[ WHO WANTS TO BUY A MONK? ]  

If the past can shape the future, does that also mean that the present can shape the absent? Well? If you come to think about it, and try to transpose the reality that it is trying to convey, I do have a point – don’t I? HUH? What do you mean go and shove my head up my own ass? Just like Writer: Jason Aaron; Artist: Renato Guedes; and Publisher: Marvel Comics, did – in July 2011.

  

THE STORY:

With the information that Wolverine has ‘scalped’ from Mystique, he has managed to track the Red Right Hand down to a cabin located in Mexico. However, once he announces his presence at this lo-cal, not one is there to great him – except for a brutish ape-man called Clubfoot, whom battles Wolverine while the Red Right Hand watches from a distance.

Amidst this battle, the leader of the Red Right Hand recollects his own origins eighty years hence. How his father picked himself and his family up out from the gutter – how his father eventually managed to own a coal mine – and how a labour dispute that his father was having with the coalminers prompted Wolverine to show up, and defended there actions, resulting in his fathers death.

Aghast by Wolverines actions, the leader of the Red Right Hand dedicated himself to maintaining his father’s legacy, whilst at the same time tracking down the man who killed him. Unfortunately, though, the former of these two tasks were easier to accomplish than the latter, thus forcing his hand to gage the services of likeminded individuals.

Meanwhile, back to Wolverines battle with Clubfoot – next please.

 

THE REVIEW:

Question: When is a parallel story not a parallel story? Answer: When one of out of these two story-strands does not have much to say. Correct – right? And the reason why I say this, is because this is precisely what this issue does – tell a lop-sided tale, with one half action and the other half story. My own personal grievance with this type of thing is that the ‘action’ segments seems kind of like wasted pages to me. If you want to tell a story about times past – as this issue does – why don’t you just tell a story about times past? Why the duality in tone? Its does not make sense!

Listen now, I do not want to sound disrespectful to Renato Guedes gritty pencilling – as I really do like his work on this book. And in the same vein, I don’t want to sound disrespectful to Jason Aaron’s writing either – as he does tell a good tale of times past. But (and there is a but), I just don’t see the point of mindless dialogue-less panels, full of static poses and inane grunting.

Still, I suppose you cannot keep everyone happy, right? Anyway, the tale of times past did compensate somewhat for the battle, and in someway it did give a bit more back-story on the motives behind the Red Right Hand too. And was this any good? Well, a bit hit and miss really. As we did get to see the true motives behind the leader of the Red Right Hand, whilst simultaneously it was just a simple ‘revenge’ plotline. Personally speaking, I would have much rather have seen something a bit more different, something more than ‘Wolverine killed my Daddy’. Granted, it did convey this segment in a period style – which was nice – and it does serve as a foundation for whatever else the creative team want to build upon latter – which is also nice.

Overall, though, this issue of Wolverine was a fairly OK-ish issue, with some nice moments thrown into the mix what could have easily been a maudlin affair. Maybe next time we might get a bit more story – please.

THE RATING: B