SAVAGE WOLVERINE #7

[ A MAD SALE NOW ON! ] 

If Wolverine slices, and Electra dices, what in Stan Lee's good name does Spiderman do? Play backgammon with a gaggle of left-handed monks from Tibet? Or what about something weird? As seen in this rip roaring adventure created by Zeb Wells, and Joe Madureira; Published by Marvel Comics, in June, 2013.

Using GENERAL terms, answer the following 4 questions about this SECOND PART of 'The Arbiters'.

• WHAT'S THE MAIN THRUST OF THIS TALE: At the bequest of Wilson Fisk, Wolverine and Elektra both battle against the dark forces of the Arbiters, with the intent of stopping them from resurrecting a dead Bullseye.  
• ARE THE MAIN OBJECTIVES ACHIEVED: No. Not really. Still. Never mind, hey!
• ANYTHING ELSE HAPPEN: Yes. A lot of people get punched in the face.
• HOW DOES THIS STORY END: With Wilson's better half paying him a surprise visit.

All in all, what is the most memorable SENTENCE OR CONVERSATION spoken in this issue?

I really got a kick out of that battle scene where Wolverine mused to himself by surmising...

'Truth is I ain't much good in a fight. Not at first. Then I take a few hits and something in me starts to wake up. Part a' me admittin' is there... starts pushing up from the gut, hot and fast, pushin' me out of the way. When it boils its way into my eyes, vision goes blurry. I've fought it back before. Held it at bay. Can count the times on one hand. This ain't one of them'.

ARRRRGHHHH!

Wow! Wasn't that a scream to read? Especially in conjunction with Joes mad pencils!

What are the BEST bits about this issue?

(+) I don't want to say Joe Madureira's artwork blew my mind. I don't want to say that I will miss him when he eventually leaves this book. And I don't want to say that if his artwork was some sort of communal celebration, it'll be Christmas, Hanukkah, and whatever else I can think of all rolled up into one. But I have to, don't I? He's a f*cking fantastic artist. And everything he draws comes to life as soon as he puts pencil to paper. Brilliant. Poster-worthy every panel.

(+) I did get a kick out of Wolverine competing with Elektra as if this battle driven story was some type of a competition. Granted, he did do it on a very subliminal level. But then again, that is him staying in character, right?

(+) The ending of this comic was the kicker for me, and I can wait to see what will happen next. 'Divorce: be not proud', Ha!

(+) I'm still sitting on the fence where those Arbiter characters are concerned. One part of me is intrigued by them. Another part of me feels they're very disposable. And yet another part of me wants to know where they buy their wonderful clothes from. Hmmm.

  

What are the WORST bits about this issue?

(-) With some benefit of hindsight, the only thing I can find at fault with this issue is that it didn't have much going on in it. In essence, it was a stepping stone story, and all it did was to showcase Wolverine and Elektra fighting a lot, without them accomplishing anything much by tales end. Hey! Don't get me wrong. I did enjoy reading it. It's just that it wasn't very plot driven.

(+) Where's Spiderman? Grrrrrr!

Choose TWO CHARACTERS out of this comic book, and then compare them to SOMETHING YOU CAN BUY ON EBAY .

A PACKET TO TOOTHPICKS AS WOLVERINE: OK. I know that this may sound silly. But when I was a kid I used to call Logan 'Captain Toothpick' because of his claws. My bad.

THE ARBITERS AS PLAY DOH:  Well, that's what this bunch of bad-guys looks like, right? All mushy and pliable like the aforementioned kiddie-doh.  

What QUOTE would be appropriate to sum-up this story?

'Every parting gives a foretaste of death, every reunion a hint of the resurrection' -- Arthur Schopenhauer

What SONG, THEME-TUNE, or MELODY, would complement this tale, as well as add and extra dimension to it by default?

'(YOU GOTTA) FIGHT FOR YOUR RIGHT TO PARTY' BY THE BEASTY BOYS: Even though I do frown when people use the word 'party' as an adjective, I'm still compelled to compare this song to this story mainly because they are both bold, dynamic, and have a nice kick to them.

ANYTHING Else?

Picture the scene. One of the Arbiters goes shopping for some clothing, and he walk into a bespoke department store where this then transpires.

SALES CLERK: Ohhh! Hello, talk dark and handsome. How can I help you today?

ARBITER: Me, want, clothes.

SALES CLERK: OK. Sure. What do you fancy? Me? Ha. Just kidding. How about something by 'Dolce and Gabbana' perhaps? They're very in vogue you know.

ARBITER: No. I want something that makes me look like a tramp.

SALES CLERK: Fair enough. We do have a budget section for you to peruse if you so wish?

ARBITER: No. Can't be bothered. Get me clothes. I will buy them. Or else I will curse you and your whole family to death.   

SALES CLERK: Hey! My family is cured enough as it is, handsome. Don't worry though. I'll grab you something right now.

[Five minutes later]

ARBITER: Here, funny face. I got you you're clothes.

[Without a care in the world the SALES CLERK hands the ARBITER a bin bag full of stuff]

SALES CLERK: I stole the janitor's clothes from the stockroom. I'm sure he won't mind. He's sick. One minute he's tall and fat. The next minute he's short and thin. Plus I'm sure you'd love them too. They're just fabulous.  

[Slowly, The ARBITER then peeks into the bag, meticulously inspecting the contents within]

ARBITER: Err? Do you take Visa?

Alight. I best stop right there I think. Or else I won't have enough time to tell you how much I loved reading this issue of 'Savage Wolverine'. The art was on point. The story was lacking plot.  But overall it was a very nice tale, and well worth reading.  

Nuff said.