WOLVERINE #17

A monkey and a wolf have a lot in common. Because they both have hair made out of cotton. But this is not a dilemma, especially for Logan or a Gorilla, because they both wash their locks with their bottoms. As Written by Jason Aaron; Drawn by Ron Garney; and Published by Marvel Comics in November 2011.
So what’s the story morning glory?

In this initial chapter of ‘Goodbye Chinatown’, Wolverine finds himself with an obligation that he has to tender to.

As you see, on the one hand, he wants to leave San Francisco, and open up a School in Westchester – to his girlfriend, Melida’s, chagrin. Whilst on the other hand, he is the leader of the Black Dragons – acting as a protectorate for organised shenanigans in the area – which is why he has to comply with his Master, Po’s, wishes, and halt a feud that has been brewing within the vicinity.

During Wolverines investigations, he beats up some bad guys, reluctantly teams up with Gorilla man, and is then confronted by two large dragons, in a pathway that leads to China.

Ooops!

What is the most memorable sentence spoken in this issue?

Now this is a tough one for me to answer, as it could either be when Wolverine says to Melida ‘Did I forget to mention that I am the Kingpin of the Chinatown Underworld?’. Alternatively, it could be when Po says to Wolverine ‘You are officially the worst Black Dragon ever. And need I remind you, the last few were murderers and butchers’. And my particular favourite was when Po says to Shen ‘I trained him [Wolverine] in the finer points of eighteen different styles of Kung Fu, and yet he still charges headlong into a hail of bullets’.

Plus, I love the majority of Wolverines and Gorilla mans exchanges as well.

Was the story any good?

YES – YES – YES – YES. Can you tell that I loved this story? Heck, this is the type of tale that really floats my boat! It has a gruff nutter in it – an old wise kung fu master – a wiseass kid – and a talking monkey. What is not to like?

In addition to this, I loved how story, plot, character, and style, all meshed together, thus making this issue a very nice introductory issue to read.

Was the art any good?

Ron Garney draws a mean looking Wolverine – and he draws him as he should look too: scruffy – tartan shirt – angry looking – short – and a bit of an ass-whole as well. I also liked the way in which the art and the colour pallet really complemented each other – making this comic book look like a late seventies Shaw Brothers film – class.

On the flip side of this though, on occasion, Ron’s Gorilla man does look a bit overtly done, coming across as too one dimensional in composition.

What is the best thing about this issue?

For me, the humour worked in this issue the best – making it a much more enjoyable read. I liked the way in which all the main characters appeared to ‘take the p*ss’ out of normal comic book conventions (such as the team-up premise). Also, I really enjoyed the oriental flair, making this introductory tale that much spicier.

What is the worst thing about this issue?

I have one slight niggle with this book, and that is all to do with Melida’s skin colour. Is she black-black? Light-skinned black? Mocha? What? She seems to be changing hues by the issue – and this needs to be addressed for her sake alone – because how else is she going to fill in an ‘equal opportunities’ application, huh?

If you could sum up this issue in a phrase or saying, what would that phrase or saying be?

Animal House reference ‘Toga-Toga-Toga’.

If this issue were a movie, an object, or a piece of music, what would that be and why?

For this story, two references come to mind straight away. Now the first one is the film ‘Big Trouble in Little China’ (for obvious reasons really), and the second one is the song by the Travelling Wilburys ‘Tweeter and the Monkey Man’ (ditto).