If you’re a fan of Wolverine, this book is worth picking up. With this issue, it feels like the series has taken another step closer towards jelling into a solid title. With that being said, it reads best if approached as an abstract work instead of as a straight narrative.
There’s a story being told here, but the writer’s focus seems to be more on capturing the spirit of the title character than on adhering to any rules or history that have been established in the regular Marvel universe. Once you’re able to let go of the existing Wolverine canon, the story reads like a solid Wolverine solo adventure, only without the safety-net of an “all-ages” title. Things that are mostly hinted at in mainstream Wolverine comics are depicted here with no beating around the bush. There’s profanity, sex and violence. The sex is depicted without a sugar coating. The violence is raw and often ugly.
The story itself is pretty straight-forward, with a few themes that might be familiar to fans of Millar & Claremont’s original Wolverine mini-series. The art is a lot more even and well executed than what we got in the first issue of the series.
Overall, this book was an enjoyable alternate look at one of Marvel’s most popular characters. As a Wolverine fan, I’m looking forward to the next issue.