WOLVERINE #314

[ WOLVERINE GOES CHEEP ] 

Wow! What a very nice jumping on point. It's fresh and mild like a joint. Not as in the craft of wood-work. But rather as in a stark and hidden quirk. Shared by some poets and some bishops who anoint. Though I could be mistaken! It could be shared by Writer: Cullen Bunn; Artist: Paul Pelletier; and Publisher: Marvel Comics in November 2012. Allegedly.

So what’s the STORY morning glory?

Alright, what's worse? Losing a portion of your memory? Being sent on a mission by an innovative hologram? Getting shot in the face by an old college's daughter? Or like Wolverine in this story entitled 'The Covenant', all three of these scenarios combined into one?

• Yes, dear reader. I'm afraid to say that Old Logan has been sent on a mission by the ex-Covenant member, Vanessa Barker, to retrieve somebody he whacked sometime ago -- 'The Dreaming Maiden'.
• However, like how night follows day, this task isn't very easy for him to accomplish you know. 
• First off, 'The Maiden' isn't where Wolverine stashed her all those many-many moons ago.
• Moreover, after he is suddenly attacked by 'The Twelve Horrors', he is then subsequently attacked by the big lady who helps him defeat these fiends -- Elsa Bloodstone.

To be continued just as soon as Wolverines ex, Melita Garner, gets an unexpected visit from Vanessa.

What is the most memorable SENTENCE OR CONVERSATION spoken in this issue?

Now I did get a kick out of Wolverines initial tête-à-tête with Vanessa, and found it to be one of the pithiest pieces of prose in this comic book.

VANESSA: My apologies, old chap. This visit isn't going to exacerbate any domestic problems you are having.

WOLVERINE: Now that you mention it, I was just going to comment on how exacerbated I was feeling. What do you want, Vanessa? I thought you were dead.

VANESSA: No Logan, I'm still fighting the good fight.

Ha! Just from this small snippet of dialogue you can tell that they're both chalk and cheese, huh?

What was the BEST thing about this issue?

Alright, I know that I may sound a little soppy for saying this, but one of the best things about this issue was that Cullen and Paul are back on this book again, and that they've started to tell a story that appears intriguing on face value.

Well, hidden societies? A broken pact? A mysterious woman come back to life and haunting all in sundry? Monstrous Martial Artists? What's not to like?  

What was the WORST thing about this issue?

Like many of you, I'm sure; I can't afford to read every single comic book that Wolverine is in at the moment. So it pains me to say that when I see a character I've never seen before -- like Elsa or Vanessa for example -- it would be nice if the writer in question -- namely, Cullen Bunn -- would give a bit of back-story within the exposition he presents.

It's a 'sign-post' thing. Not a bit gripe. A nano-gripe for clarification.  

What was the most CREATIVE thing about this issue?

STORY: Now it's not everyday that I see a character like Vanessa in the comic books. She's English. She's a hologram. Different parts of her body are kept in Petri dishes for the sake of preservation. And she cunning and cute too.

Wow! Isn't that very creative?

ART: Paul Pelletier is a God. Paul Pelletier is a God. Paul Pelletier is a God. Paul Pelletier is a God. Paul Pelletier is a God. Paul Pelletier is a God. Paul Pelletier is a God. Paul Pelletier is a God. Paul Pelletier is a God. Paul Pelletier is a God. Paul Pelletier is a God. Paul Pelletier is a God. Paul Pelletier is a God. Paul Pelletier is a God. Paul Pelletier is a God. Paul Pelletier is a God. Paul Pelletier is a God.

Do I have to go on? I like Paul's art. He's the Alan Davis of the modern world. And presently he can do no wrong in my eyes.

Poke! Ouch!

If you had to CAST TWO CHARACTERS in this comic book, who would they be and why?

VANESSA: OK, so what blond actress looks like a porn star and can do an English accent even better than I can? Yeah. That's what I was thinking. Charlize Theron is a perfect match, Guv'nor!

THE TWELVE HORRORS: As soon as I clapped my eyes on these grotesque being's, I thought to myself 'Hellraiser Monsters'. Agreed?

If this issue had a MOVIE TAG LINE, what would it be?

Who Said Loosing Your Memory Is A Bad Thing? Especially If You Was A Murdering And Womanizing B*stard In The Past!

If this issue were a MOVIE, an OBJECT, or a piece of MUSIC, what would that be and why? 

Conceptually this story is about a group of adventurers who've now decided to fight against each other because of a girl. So why not compare it to the Woody Allen flick 'A Midsummer Nights Sex Comedy' -- just with less love and less laughs, ha!

FINAL thoughts...

All in all this was a fairly so-so issue of Wolverine. Granted, it was much better than last issues offering. Yet, in the same breath, there was a rather loose and flimflam nature about this piece, which just let it down here and there where the story was concerned.

Still, I have every faith that Cullen and Paul will be back with a vengeance next issue, primed and ready to elaborate more on who is who and what is what.

By the way, if any of you out there in cyberspace could direct me towards any comics starring Vanessa and Elsa, please drop me a spam, OK? Much appreciated.

MARKS out of 10? 8.7