SAVAGE WOLVERINE #13

[ BURNING THOSE BARGAINS ]

So what happens when you write a comic book that seems to be an attempt to appease PETA? Well, what you get is a very lackluster story that relies heavily on some very hit and miss art to tell the actual tale. Tut-Tut-Tut, the Writers: Phil Jimenez and Scott Lope. Boo-Hoo-Hoo, the Artists: Phil Jimenez, Palmer, Florea, Olliffe, and Green. And Grr-Grr-Grr, the Publisher: Marvel Comics, in January, 2014.

To QUOTE Robert Heinlein: ‘If you happen to be one of the fretful minority who can do creative work, never force an idea; you'll abort it if you do’.

THE STORY:
This is the second and final part of Phil Jimenez’s story for Savage Wolverine. It starts off with a flashback sequence that basically serves almost no purpose other than to give back-story to a dead Kraven. It then moves onto telling the tale of Wolverine investigating the exotic animal trade that is going on in Madripoor, while switching back and forth between the Jean Grey School with Kitty Pride, and Cypher, trying to help Wolverine’s elephant friends back home in South Africa.

THE GOOD:
The overall issue is fair. The things that I found nice about it include being able to use Madripoor as a setting and presenting enough information to explain why Madripoor is in the shape it is in.

Another good part are the few sections drawn completely by just Jimenez. They're real diamonds in the rough, making you wish he had drawn the entire issue all by himself. Besides those things, there really is nothing to point out as being good.

THE BAD:
Probably the worst thing about this issue is the story in itself. It just wasn't thought out properly and appeared very rushed. Something that should have probably needed four issues to get a nice flow to was only done in two. The parts that take place at the school are almost worthless, and could have been and should have been told in an entirely different way.

Also, some choices in the story may have led to good ideas for the art (even though they really didn't work out because of the messy style), but were never really that good for the story overall.

Speaking of the art, I don't know why Jimenez was not able to fully draw the art himself, as the issue suffers so much from him not being able to do it. There are some panels so bad that I had to put down the comic to get away from it.

THE MUSIC:
The song that I would chose to go along with this issue is 'We Are the World' by the super group 'USA for Africa'. Very much like the song, this issue really misses the point it really was trying to make.

THE COMPARISON:
This adventure is like a four course dinner, this especially being the last two courses. Whilst the first two courses were fine to digest, these last two courses used spoiled and rotten ingredients, and kind of hoped no one would notice.

THE CONCLUSION:
While the idea behind the story may have been well intentioned, that does not give it enough to make a rushed story and have more than half of the art be bad. It came apart at the seams and it busted wide open into a big nasty by-product that should not been made in the first place.

What a shame.

*** This review was brought to you by the one and only, Jimmy Coffey.