Review: Daken #9.1

Written by Rob Williams
Illustrated by Ron Garney

Special POINT ONE issue. START READING with this Point One issue! In his bid for power, Wolverine’s son Daken has already singlehandedly taken over the underground criminal element of Madripoor, but he’s just getting started. Next on his list is the city of angels. That’s right, Daken’s headed to Hollywood but first he’s got a stop to make and score to settle. Enter Wolverine! Guest starring the Avengers!

I have only been tangentially following the adventures of Daken post-Dark Wolverine/Wolverine: Origins, so I know what’s going on but haven’t been actively invested in it. However, Rob Williams – from the few things I’ve read from him – is turning out to be a hidden gem at Marvel. While I haven’t enjoyed Way’s work with Daken through Dark Wolverine and the first 9 issues of Daken, there’s no reason not to give Marvel up and comer Rob Williams a shot, right? Especially with the Point One initiative catering to the “new reader” aspect.

Let’s find out if the gambit was worth it after the cut.

So Daken has moved to Madripoor. For some reason that is not entirely clear to me, he has decided that in order to get out of his father’s shadow he needs to rule Madripoor, despite Logan’s previous stay in Madripoor as Patch the benevolent protector. Now with the latest issue, Daken finds himself going against the final opposition to his complete dominance in Madripoor, but thanks to an old story Daken ends up questioning his motives and his general purpose in life, and decides to take action against the taunts of an old dead man. That’s the gist of it then – the character with perhaps the most daddy issues in Marvel’s headlining line-up has another issue full of daddy issues. It’s not really the thing that I would think would catch my interest, but despite my inherent negative disposition, the issue ended up being quite the surprise, and definitely a quiet gem of the week that I did not expect.

The character of Daken is a curious one. If you’ve ever had trouble figuring out his motivation as a character, there’s a good reason for that: his apparent motivation is simply just complete anarchy that he controls. It’s an oxymoron, but it makes sense given how Daken operates. While I can’t say I know the full story of what happened in the previous 9 issues, from my research there is nothing here to really give a definitive reason for why Daken is doing what he is doing. First he wanted to remove himself from the known world in a short crossover with the Wolverine Goes To Hell storyline, and then he just decides Madripoor is his next destination. Now he has control of it – so what? What’s a boy to do, especially one that is as impulsive and crazy as the son of Wolverine?

Apparently, the trick is to give him to Rob Williams. It’s a bit meta, but this Point One is as much a literal as it is a figurative passing of the torch. Way’s storytelling as of late is often unambitious to a fault, focusing instead on just going from story to story. It can have a positive effect, with his Astonishing story so far being highly entertaining, but it doesn’t make for the kind of comic that you need to read in singles over trades. With Williams taking the over from here on out, it makes sense that the issue should essentially be a complete change of pace, particularly in that Williams gives the book a direct focus. Williams and Way aren’t the same writer, and this is easily the first thing noticable for anyone that has read Way’s Wolverine story since Wolverine got his memories back post-House of M. The inherent problem with Daken is that the character has no motivation for existing anymore; first he wanted to kill Wolverine, then he wanted to help Wolverine, then he wanted to disgrace Wolverine, then he wanted to usurp Wolverine – but now that’s all apparently done with. Say what you will about Wolverine: Origins, but there is no denying that Way – in all his continuity porn loving ways – had a point to the story and a focus to what was supposed to happen in the end. Now Romulus is out of the picture, Daken is out of Wolverine’s shadow, and the world has moved on. Way has since attempted to give Daken a place to call his own in Madripoor but it still felt like floundering about, as directionless as Way’s Deadpool work that just moves from punch line to punch line whose end results is the wearing down of the character to a point of total disinterest.

Now it’s Williams’ job to keep Daken relevant and have it make some kind of sense. And what exaclty does Williams do? Well, for his Point One issue, he does exactly what the Point One issue should do: he lays the ground for his upcoming run on the title and writes a good one-shot of a story enough to entice the reader (me) to come back for more. We wrap up the Madripoor assassinations, and Daken travels back to the States for one last stab against his father. The issue is thusly split between two scenes: Daken’s last kill, and the Avengers in New York. While the murder scene is about as much as you’d expect from Daken (who, once more, is upset about being compared to his father), it’s the Avengers sequence that really sells the entire issue. Williams’ handling of the adjectiveless Avengers and the team-up/burgeoning bromance between Wolverine and Spider-Man really help to sell this issue as an active participant in the greater Marvel U. It’s a sharply written issue, full of all the trademark “twists and turns” that have followed every single one of Daken’s actions since he joined the title (whether you like them or not). Daken is a character who is underestimated consistently, and he hates that. It’s time to do something – and that’s the plan.

Williams’ final page of the issue is probably the one that bodes well for the series. While I can’t say I really care for the character still, I would like to see the established canon and personality for Daken dealt with as Way created him. As the book ends and Daken (spoiler alert) walks into a house whose previous tennants have been murdered, whilst staring off into the distance and deciding to do something better with his new life in Madripoor, it both shows what Williams wants to do with the character whilst also establishing that yes, he gets that Daken is still going to be an asshole. I mean, that was the reason people took to him, right? Daken is the “Dark Wolverine,” an anti-hero in the making who hates his lot in life. Sure, he might want to do something better with it, but just because the writers change doesn’t mean that the character has to explicitly change (which, believe it or not, is a regular issue in ongoing titles). Let’s face it: Daken is a spoiled little child who gets away with murder. I’m all for this new positive direction with the book that doesn’t just focus on Daken having everything go right for him 24/7 due to being “oh so clever”, but that doesn’t mean he should stop having his schemes. It looks like Williams is still willing to work that in, even if Daken is going “good.”

So while the Point One doesn’t make me a full fledged fan of the title, we’re at least off to a good start. Williams’ writing here is strong and humorous, and his intents seem clear and fair. Ron Garney’s work also helps sell the book even further. Definitely one of the more underrated talents that Marvel has used (see Wolverine: Weapon X), Garney’s work outdoes those that came before with clean and bright artwork that pops off the page. There’s a few splash pages in here that come off rather superbly, with Daken’s “assault” on Wolverine and all that leads up to it visually adding tension and emotion to the scene between father and son. For a one and done story, it’s certainly well crafted between the two creators. It’s a shame Garney isn’t here for the long haul, but this one brief moment is certainly nothing to snub noses at.

Daken is not a character whose adventures seem like they greatly appeal to me. I’m not very interested in a character whose sole purpose is to be infinitely smarter than everyone else with few redeeming qualities. Since his inception, Daken hasn’t grown out of his initial persona, and that’s a fairly dull thing to realize. However, with Way finally stepping off of the character’s main title and newcomer Williams looking like he has an interesting take on what to do with the man in charge of Madripoor, the title could be in store for a rather serious upswing in quality. From everything I’ve seen Williams do before now, he’s not afraid to mix a story with a good amount of humor and a fair deal of heart. We’ll see if the rest of his Daken is as entertaining as this, but as of now I’m officially interested for an issue or two (and, as a side note, rather curious to pick up Ghost Rider).

Final Verdict: 8.0 – Go on, give it a shot