Jason Aaron is clearly the go-to guy for Marvel when it comes to writing the character of Wolverine these days. It just feels right that he would hold the reigns for Marvel’s first big weekly digital story given that Wolvie is at the center. That said, your mileage will vary on this one for a variety of reasons.
Written by Jason Aaron & Jason Latour
Illustrated by Yves Bigerel & Paco DiazMarvel Comics’ latest innovative Infinite Comic is here! Wolverine stars in a weekly adventure from the mind of super star writer Jason Aaron (WOLVERINE AND THE X-MEN, THOR) that pits Wolverine against classic villains and a threat unlike any he has ever faced!
Man of few words that he is, we begin with Wolverine perched atop a gorgeously lit Tokyo skyline regaling us with one of his world-weary and sullen narrations. Yes, this is a solo Wolverine story through and through. And there is a voice here that’s certainly been missed since Aaron’s solo run with the character ended a couple of years ago. Aaron launches a barrage of ninja at Wolvie that have him once again turning into the now signature “pincushion Wolverine” – again, a bit of comedic familiarity that is at once welcome, but also expected. AS surely as ever, Aaron barrels the unconquerable Wolverine through a wringer of enemies and traps, all perpetrated by one of his greatest enemies, so why isn’t it more satisfying?
Wolverine may give us a bit of narration to set the scene, but we are afforded no sense of exactly what he hopes to accomplish or who brings him here. We can guess – pretty easily, one surmises – but the mystery of what’s going on and who Wolverine’s enemies are doesn’t manage to take hold. Some of his choices are too erratic without more information and his motivations, as well as his enemies, are just as cloudy. It’s the type of thing that is forgivable down the road in episodic storytelling, but for now it just doesn’t make for a memorable comic. Actually, if you were to write a “Wolverine in Japan” story, this is about as unremarkable a plot as you could come up with. The voice sounds right, the action beats are there, and the art is solid, but the end result feels like everybody is treading the same ground that has been tread so many times before. It’s hard to find unique avenues to a character who has been so overexposed for decades, but there’s just nothing new here.
All of that makes it hard to swallow the price. As a fair warning: this part may contain some editorializing. There is nothing wrong with the $2.99 price point for comics. It takes a lot of work to produce these and the price should reflect that. For this sort of entertainment that we all enjoy so much, these creators should be paid handsomely. The price is not an issue on its own. That said, when the competitor offers a similar product for considerably less, it invites comparison. And the $2.99 price point is something to keep in mind, given that the “page” content of this issue is roughly equivalent to that of the Distinguished Competition’s at $0.99. The choice is ultimately yours to make. And thereby ends the “consumer information” segment of the review.
Yves Bigerel and Paco Diaz draw a terrific digital comic. Their art pops off of the screen, thanks in no small part to colorists Marte Gracia and Izrael Silva. The neo-Tokyo cityscape is a brilliant place to drop the brutish Wolverine. He looks like the last cowboy dropped in an unfitting city, but willing to take on all comers. Diaz gets his body language and his proportions just right, which is the most important visual aspect in creating a compelling Wolverine. As Aaron puts Wolverine in each new situation, Bigerel and Diaz reflect the increased stakes in their tight visuals. Wolverine feels fear, at times, in this issue, and it’s all over his face. His eyes peer out from the mask, darting to find ways to escape. His mouth gapes in panic or seethes in anger. The acting is so terrific that you want to see these guys draw Wolvie in a more interesting story.
Continued belowThe visual presentation of Marvel’s “Infinite Comics” succeeds, for the most part, with “Japan’s Most Wanted” #1. There are a handful of moments where the narrative benefits from what is or is not shown to you until a click of the mouse or the tap of a keystroke. These moments are more often neat mini-demonstrations of the sorts of things that animation can do. There are other moments, regretfully, where the strength of the static medium of comics shows itself. Moments where the “Infinite Comic” is stuck between a comic and a cartoon, and the movement of its characters isn’t as clear or as elegant as it should have been. There are full page spreads do a good sequential job of layering narration and dialogue over button-clicks, but these can be broken up by split-screen and multi-panel presentations that juxtapose with these oddly, or tell the story in the classic comic book style, when they could have just as easily gone for the “Infinite” route. Character movement from one panel to the next do not always follow the same rules, leading to a couple of noticeable hitches.
While “Wolverine: Japan’s Most Wanted” is a noble effort to advance the medium, there are clearly some problems that need to be ironed out. It’s an extremely young medium, so the storytelling choices and logical approaches to the technology will get better and better. The technical complaints are, to be sure, very minor. Still, this digital comic does suffer from a story that feels redundant. If the intent was to focus more on this being a presentation of the technology, then they’ve succeeded. As a compelling story that will get you to click the “Buy” button next time? Wolverine comes up a little shorter than usual.
Final Verdict: 5.9 – Browse. I guess on a friend’s iPad or something.
