Not about to be outdone by Steve Rogers, Logan gets a circumstantial son of his own to feel a complicated sense of guardianship towards in this entertaining but overly slender issue from writer/artist Jock.
Written & Illustrated by Jock
Part 2 of a futuristic sci-fi Wolverine adventure from fan-favorite writer/artist Jock! Logan has managed to survive so far on the alien planet he’s been forced to call home. But now, a mysterious child has arrived on the planet with a single-minded mission – to kill Wolverine! When the truth of the child’s past – and its connections to Logan’s own – is revealed, Logan will have more than mere survival on his mind!
With artistic sensibilities that play fast and loose with structure no matter which project he’s working on, the scrappy Wolverine seems like the perfect character for Jock to have tackled next. And it ends up proving true that Wolverine gives Jock a lot of opportunities to run wild. Wolverine is, by nature, a reckless character that will throw every bit of caution to the wind to get the job done. Jock nails that side of the character and most of it is accomplished visually.
Jock chooses a spare desert wasteland of a planet for his first foray into the character (and into writing, itself). Wolverine is stranded on this desolate planet for reasons unknown as of yet, but at this point “Savage Wolverine” has been something of an exercise in tone for Jock. His Wolverine is the ultimate loner – a fact that he captures by making Logan an unstoppable speck in the eye of a greater, unforgiving setting. It’s nothing new for the character, but it’s done right – right down to the adamantium bones. In the last issue, a young boy came hurtling into Logan’s miserable life. A boy who seemed to know too much about Wolverine’s circumstances for it to not be really suspicious. “Savage Wolverine” #10 loses that sweet sense of identity when Logan is forced to become the boy’s protector. It’s a role we’ve seen Wolverine fill over and over again with the X-Men youth (His unique kinship with Rogue, Jubilee, and Kitty Pryde come to mind – along with his role as headmaster of the Jean Grey School), and this version of the story lacks the intimate connection that’s been built between Logan and his fellow X-Men or the mutant students.
But because this kid has information that Logan needs, the relationship is a little different. Logan has a heart of gold, so he would still probably protect this kid even if he wasn’t valuable to him. Whatever the reason for the inclusion of this kid happens to be, he’s just not a compelling character and he doesn’t bring out anything new in Wolverine either. So much of the issue concerns the supposed connection between these two that it makes the whole exercise feel too sparse and inconsequential. Jock doesn’t aim to compel with plot or with dialogue though, as he shows a considerable amount of restraint with the script. The script isn’t particularly clever or insightful, but it gets the Wolverine character right and I suppose some words have to be in there, right? It’s too bad though, because the moments where all the words fall away and our hero is put to the test are the shining moments of an otherwise middle-of-the-road story.
Jock’s scratchy visual style completely fits the grim and gritty aspects of Wolverine that make him one of comics’ most popular characters. Most notably, he has a tremendous sense for use of negative space on the page and a smashing of the barriers that traditional panels provide. Jock establishes Wolverine’s status in the intergalactic wilderness as a man vs. nature situation. Wolverine walks heavily against the harsh blowing of the desert sands and unwieldily storms. Later, Wolverine uses his unconventional talents to board an enemy ship – not once, but twice – in two completely different, completely awe-inspiring sequences. In the former sequence, Wolverine is displayed against a sparse background, again made to look tiny against the insurmountable circumstances. Of course, he surmounts them – he’s the best there is!
Continued belowIn the latter sequence – one of the finest in Jock’s Marvel & DC career – Wolverine is faced with even greater odds. With a literal timer counting down throughout the pages and panels, Jock executes a clear and propulsive set piece that sends Wolverine soaring. Wolverine is a larger than life character – the kind of guy who survives all the skin and muscles being torn from his metallic skeleton – yet this sequences will still make you shake your head and grin with its blend of character and visual mastery. “That magnificent bastard Logan is doing it again.” And we get to see Jock stage it all.
If anything “Savage Wolverine” is an experiment that fails as much as it succeeds, but when it succeeds, it reminds us why we love artists like Jock. There is a strong visual sensibility here that proves that artists have just as much to do with the storytelling process as writers do. It also shows us that you still do need a snappy or, at minimum, an interesting script to make a fully compelling read. Jock doesn’t show the ability to deliver that yet, but does turn in a visually magnificent book that any fan of his should check out. In a comics landscape where Marvel seems more than willing to take risks with storytelling, “Savage Wolverine” is a better message of goodwill and a recognition of great artistic talent than it is a great book.
Final Verdict: 5.8 – Browse. Jock fans buy.
