Wolverine Weapon X #16 is important for a couple of reasons. The first is that this sees an end to Jason Aarons sublime Weapon X run, the second and more striking reason; this deals with the aftermath of Nightcrawler dying better then any of other X books on the stands, in fact this is essentially essential reading for any fans of the elf or for those who want to squeeze just that little bit extra out of Second Coming.

Aaron very cleverly weaves an emotionally complex story together, touching upon major times and events through Wolverine and Nightcrawler’s sometimes troubled relationship. It serves as both a wonderful reminder of past times and a tribute to how far the characters have come in the last 30 plus years.

The book is still classic Aaron, who won’t find a smile creeping onto their face as we watch Logan struggle to complete Kurt’s final request. It is during this time that we get to see how expertly the tale has been weaved. With Logan hitting upon the five stages of grief as he slowly struggles to scale cliff faces up a mountain with a concert piano attached to his back is worth the price of admission alone. Throw in flashbacks of past memories at each stage of grief and Logan, a usually emotionally strong character, finally beginning to break down; it not only serves to set up Aaron’s Wolverine #1 launching next month but also serves as an important moment in history for both Nightcrawler and Wolverine.

Sadly the art doesn’t quite match with Aaron’s wonderful story, Gianfelice’s pencils are quite honestly – terrible. If the story weren’t written so well this would have quickly turned into a disaster. The faces are inconsistent and emotionless; the backgrounds are a slab of detail-less colour, For such an important story I’m surprised this went out looking like it does, the pencils and colouring of Ron Garney and Jason Keith (the arc that just wrapped up) would have given this the depth, detail and attention the book deserves…

Then again, the twist at the end of the book makes up for any misfortune the art brings. If it doesn’t put you on the way to welling up then you have no soul – Logan on the other hand, well he certainly has one… the next arc is sure to be an interesting one, and I for one can’t wait to see where Aaron takes the book next.  

-Josh "origami kid"

twitter.com/origamikid

origamikid.wordpress.com