Two “Wolverine” #1’s this week! Oh, Marvel. You’re spoiling us.
Well, not really.
Written by Cullen Bunn
Illustrated by David Messina• Jimmy Hudson’s quest to discover the answers about his past begins here!
• What mission was Wolverine on that led to the birth of Jimmy?
• A story that will rock the Ultimate Universe’s family tree forever!
The Ultimate universe is in trouble and it seemingly has been for a while now. There was some hope when things relaunched under the guidance of Jonathan Hickman and Nick Spencer alongside Ultimate staple Brian Bendis, but both writers quickly left for bigger (and better) things and left the universe in a heavy state of constant clean-up (although, truth be told, the fact that a relaunched universe has now gone through three relaunches itself wasn’t a good sign, anyway).
Now, the standard operating procedure of the Ultimate universe seems to be to have three ongoings and a mini. Amidst “Ultimates,” “X-Men” and “Spider-Man,” all of which now seem to have a larger emphasis on being intertwined, there’s always some kind of fourth option that’s short and sweet, starring guys like Hawkeye or Iron Man. This week we’re given a new book starring the new Wolverine, his son Jimmy Hudson, and after the previous few it’s clear: if this really is the way things are going to go with Marvel’s Ultimate line, then it’s in more trouble than they’re giving it credit for.
Here’s the thing – there is nothing ostensibly wrong with an ancilary mini. A lot of comics do it, whether they be mainstream superhero books or creator-owned releases; every now and then, it’s just time for an additional side story to run along side the main one. The question becomes in whether that mini does anything, or if it just sort of patters alongside the book in a hope to drum up any additional interest. After all, Wolverine’s role in “Ultimate Comics X-Men” is pretty miniscule, considering Wood is focusing all his energy on Kitty Pryde. But Wolverine is a guy who sells books on his own! Multiple books, even! So isn’t there something to do with him?
Well, if “Ultimate Comics Wolverine” is any indication, no, not really (as harsh as that sounds). The Ultimate Universe has an incredibly convoluted history, granted, and the story of who Jimmy Hudson really is is a big one leftover by Loeb and Adams from “Ultimate Comics X” a few years ago. Answering that question is precisely what this book aims to do, but after the first issue it becomes obvious that only really interested parties are going to find anything to be interested in here. That is, in so many words, the book’s primary drawback: it’s completely inaccessible for those unfamiliar with the Ultimate line. For better or worse, books like “Hawkeye,” “Iron Man” or “Spider-Men” were all easy to jump into due to the open nature of those stories; “Wolverine” is so specific here that the fact you pick up a book with “Wolverine” that stars a character who doesn’t identify himself as Wolverine is an issue, since there’s no real reason to care about the character’s problems if you just met him. And for something like this, that’s a bigger problem than the book perhaps wants to own.
On top of that, All things considered, this is not Bunn’s best work for Marvel. “Fearless Defenders” with two issues has become quite enjoyable as well as “Venom,” but here Bunn seems to be a bit out of his wheelhouse. Perhaps it’s the incomprehensible twisted wiring that is the Ultimate form of continuity, but Bunn’s work stutters a bit here. It’s particularly visible in the dialogue, as some of it seems quite unnatural, which isn’t particularly helped by moments that are spaced out in the lettering, such as Wolverine’s opening repeated insistance that no one shold be doing anything without his command. Throw that in with a few modern versions of characters seemingly behaving in ways that don’t line up with the book this spins out of, and the book seemingly suffers from what appears to be too much editorial direction.
To Bunn’s credit, it’s actually an interesting plot for the initiated. It’s always an uphill battle when you are resolving other writer’s stories, and Bunn has the task of picking up leftover threads Loeb left on the massively stalled “Ultimate X,” perhaps the biggest cliffhanger left over. Bunn is an incredibly talented writer and manages to find a few cracks in the previous seams that he can exploit for the story’s benefit, although to reveal any more would be to spoil the fun. Suffice it to say, if you’re an Ultimate fan and curious about Hudson, this book does look like it can answer a few questions and offer the character some closure. So there are still things to enjoy, and I’d generally hope Bunn could make the best out of what seems to be not the best situation – assuming my assumptions about the book’s purpose are correct, as redundant as that sentence may sound.
Continued belowHowever, where the writing seemingly works at the flip of a coin, Messina’s artwork is mostly strong throughout. Messina has a great eye for action and introduces a few intriguing new characters here with Bunn, and his work on the individuals are quite strong. Mind you, there are a few slip-ups; Messina’s Kitty Pryde, for example, is illustrated in a peculiar fashion, losing the hard exterior that Wood, Medina, Barberi, now Asrar and more have built for her and replacing it with an apathetic visage. Yet things like the opening sequence gives the book a strong and compelling visual start, and there is a lot to like about Messina’s pencils and Gary Erskine’s inks. Hudson has been almost made a background character, and Messina’s work shows a character that’s worth following, assuming you’ve already made that previous connection with him. It’s always tough to follow a guy like Art Adams (because, really, not too much else was done with Hudson following that book, even in Spencer’s “X-Men”), but Messina does a comendable job turning him into a leading character.
“Ultimate Comics Wolverine” is a decent start to a mini, but it’s one of those things where if you’re not an Ultimate fan, there’s not much to see here. That’s pretty much the general state of the Ultimate universe, actually — what was once created to be infinitely accessible has now warped its way into becoming so insular that, in order to (assumedly) get the end of a story started three years ago, we’re given a spin-off mini written by a different author. That’s not inherently bad, especially if you’re an Ultimate fan already, but if you’re coming for Bunn, Messina or just Wolverine in general, you’re better off looking at their work elsewhere.
Final Verdict: 5.0 – Browse
