SAVAGE WOLVERINE #12

[ HUNTING FOR A BARGAIN ] 

Last night I went on a tropical safari with Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan, and a potato, and we unearthed this great comic book adventure created by Phil Jimenez and Scott Lope; Published by Marvel Comics, in November, 2013. Then again, maybe I shouldn't eat too much cheese before I fall asleep. Ops!

Using GENERAL terms, answer the following 4 questions about this FIRST PART of 'Come Conquer the Beasts'.

• WHAT'S THE MAIN THRUST OF THIS TALE: 'Get the f*ck off of me' says Ranger Josephine to Wolverine, whilst he's trying to rip her bloody throat out. 'Come on pal, see sense!' she continues 'We want to track down those evil and murderous ivory poachers as much you do'.
• ARE THE MAIN OBJECTIVES ACHIEVED: Well, let's just say that thanks to Professor Kitty Pride, Logan is prudently pointed in the right direction, but only after she wraps up her costume designing class back home.  
• ANYTHING ELSE HAPPEN: We get to see the exotic sights of such glamorous locations as sunny South Africa and Tyger Tigers' dubious empire situated in Madripoor,
• HOW DOES THIS STORY END: With Logan coming face to face with an old friend who turns out to be his new enemy.

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

Now if I ever wanted to sound menacing towards a henchman that was going to attack me, I think I'd say the same thing Logan did to his opponent in this very heartfelt adventure...

'Take one step closer and you'll end up another smear on that piece of dung you call "art" back there. Scram. The boss lady and I need to talk business'.

See? Sound's pretty tough, doesn't it? And it must be a lot more effective than 'Grrrrr'.

What are the BEST bits about this issue?

(+) My God! How the hell did Marvel manage to poach all of those amazing artists they've assigned to this book? First it was Frank (I love women) Cho. Then is it was Joe (I am f-ing) Mad. And now -- Mama-Mia -- Phil (I love detail) Jimenez. I mean, who are they going to snatch next? God? Cause that's who they'll need if they want to surpass Jim's fantastically poetic illustrations!

(+) In my opinion this global adventure was far more than chartering Logan on his quest in capturing a hoard of money grabbing poachers, folks. From my point of view there's a message behind this adventure too. A message about how certain business people use animals as nothing more than a commodity in the game of profit and loss. Good job, Jim and Scott. This type of story needs to be addressed at times like these. Just so people know that this sort of thing still goes on.  

(+) Even though I thought it was kind of predictable how Tyger Tiger fitted into this tale, at the same time I did like the mystical ambiance she added to this piece by default. Yeah. I like to think of her as the exotic spice that jazzed up this parable no end.

(+) Hey! While I'm on the subject of the exotic, wouldn't you say that this said-same word defines this tale to a tea? Especially when you factor in its flashback structure and its global locations? What? What do you mean 'no'? Spoil sports.

(+) The stand out scene for me in this entire issue was the one in which Logan had to put an elephant out of its misery. Boy-oh-boy wasn't that one hell of a powerful scene! Plus in many ways it defined what type of a mind-set Logan will have from this point on-wards. Snik-Snik! Wink-Wink!

(+) Please put up your hands if you didn't like that jovial scene involving Kitty Pryde and her class? What? That many? Two? Tut-tut-tut! Both of you go to your rooms this very instant. There'll be no supper for you.

What are the WORST bits about this issue?

(-) I suppose the only slight problem I have with the adventure is that its narrative structure was a tad too expansive in tone, and this inadvertently made the overall story-line rather philandering in execution. You know. Just in the way it jumped from location to flashback to location in a very bubbly manner.

Choose TWO CHARACTERS out of this comic book, and then compare them to FRUIT.

A FIG AS TYGER TIGER: I've never liked the look of figs, and I've never liked the look of this bad-girl either. Hint-hint!

A JUJUBE FRUIT AS RANGER JOSEPHINE: No. I haven't made the name of this fruit up, folks. A Jujube is a type of a 'date' that is very sweet plus is grown in hotter climes. Just like our Josephine in fact.

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

'We admire elephants in part because they demonstrate what we consider the finest human traits: empathy, self-awareness, and social intelligence. But the way we treat them puts on display the very worst of human behavior' -- Graydon Carter

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

'THE LION SLEEPS TONIGHT' BY THE TOKENS: OK. So maybe this is just a me thing, but whenever I see the sight of a jungle in a film or in a comic book, I can't help but hum the aforementioned melody. Come on. All together now. Weeeeeeeeee...

ANYTHING Else?

I thought that it would be a good idea if I concluded my review by presenting some relevant facts about pouching. Here. Please check this out.  

• According to a report commissioned by the United Nations in 2010, it's possible that gorillas could disappear from the larger parts of the Congo Basin by the mid-2020s.
• One of the reasons why rhino's are killed by the thousands every year is because there are many countries that falsely believe their horn is an important medical ingredient.
• At present there about two animals poached from South Africa per day.
• There was over twenty-three tons of ivory confiscated in 2011 alone, and this is the equivalent to at least two-thousand five-hundred elephants.
• Some of the counties who still market for horn and tusk, include, China, Thailand, Vietnam, and Korea.
• In certain territories it is believed that the antlers of a big-horned sheep can fetch up to twenty thousand dollars.
• Tigers are poached and killed primarily by the Asian underground black market, who sells their organs, pelts, and bones, for herbal remedies and cloth. 

Anyway. That's enough of that methinks. All I have left to say is that this issue of 'Savage Wolverine' reminded me of a really good looking and sexy teacher. Great to watch. Fine to follow. And if you're lucky, you might also learn something in the process.

Nuff said.