The Harriers step in as the crime war between Tyger Tiger and General Coy heats up! The only way to tell the good guys from the bad guys is to watch who Wolverine throws down on!
Written by Chris ClaremontCover by John Buscema
Pencilled by John Buscema
Inked by Al Williamson
Colored by Glynis Oliver
Lettered by Janice ChiangLogan and Karma throw down with Bloodscream and Roughhouse.
The cover of issue six of “Wolverine” promises a fight between our hero and Roughhouse and Bloodsport; but surprisingly undersells the conclusiveness of the issue, as well as the amount of fighting that takes place in the pages.
Despite the action taking up half the comic, most of the action takes place in the second half of the comic, with the first half building up to it. The slow build up starts with Karma infiltrating her way into the Prince’s of Madripoor’s Palace with a splash page showing three low level guards gawking at her beautiful flowing red dress. John Buscema takes advantage of Chris Claremont creating a supporting cast for Logan that almost exclusively consists of beautiful women particularly in this comic. Thankfully, this never strays into the realm of feeling exploitative thanks to Claremont’s writing.
Buscema, Al Williamson and Glynnis Oliver continue to utilize dark shading to emphasize the environment the characters are in. One moment in particular worth mentioning is the umbrella shielding the lowly soldier and Karma being shielded from the rain and therefore not affected by rain; fr every other character, the rain obscures them in darker tones and makes them look even more like they’re in the background.
The Prince’s palace is dark and decadent, emphasizing the rift between the haves and have-nots is even wider in Madripoor than we originally thought. One of the characters compares it to Versailles and given the context it’s very appropriate. The wealth isn’t glamorous or awe inspiring, but shamefully excessive when compared to prior issues’ depiction of the poorer areas of Madripoor.
While we taking a stealthy tour of the palace with our point of view characters, “Patch”/Logan and Karma, Karma explains why she is associating herself with her evil Uncle, Nguyen Coy. The mystery being resolved made all the more clear how little emotional investment there was in her inner conflict and change of heart. Perhaps having prior knowledge of her time as a superhero would have helped but Claremont and the rest of the creative team hasn’t effectively managed to create enough interest in Karma compared to Tyger, Lindsay and Jessica, who felt more integral to the plot in which they were introduced to.
Admittedly, there have been a total of four other characters introduced as well; all of whom are in the palace along with Lindsay and Jessica, where Coy is being especially villainous. They really cement home what a horrible person he is before the fight breaks out. If Coy had a mustache he likely would have twirled it, so Evil with a capital “E” was he towards the captured Lindsay and Jess. This, along with the majority of the first half, effectively built the hype for the fight to come.
The fight that transpires between the various characters, beginning with Roughhouse slugging it out with Wolverine. Wolverine’s need to keep his claws hidden from his allies is beginning to become irritating as a literary device to put an asterix on any fight he loses but in this fight it isn’t too bothersome. What is especially fun about this fight is how Wolverine manages to fend off Roughhouse and re-enter the palace, only for Bloodsport to use his vampiric powers on him until Roughhouse recovers from the beating and forcefully throws him back outside. This feeling of lost progress and Wolverine not being able to handle both of the hired killers at once makes it all the more satisfying when the entire ensemble cast triumph over Coy and his two elite henchmen.
Because everybody slowly trickles into the fight, there is a gradual escalation that effectively gives everyone a moment to shine. Despite the fight being five against two, this method ensures that the fight against Bloodsport and Roughhouse never feels one sided or like it’s a sure thing. Jessica even manages to give Roughhouse his comeuppance for his misogynistic enthusiasm for the ladies.
