Wolverine 29
Suspended Animation Classic #74
Originally published May 27, 1990 (#21)
Wolverine #29
By Michael Vance
“If you can’t write anything nice, don’t write anything at all” is a hard mandate to follow when reviewing “Wolverine”. The nice news is that it isn’t the worst comic book ever published. Elaborating further on this title does require a peculiar editorial slant, however.
Wolverine is not visually boring. His hair is cut like the crown of an owl and his knuckles sport a vicious set of slashing blades much like Freddie Kruger in the horror movies. If he isn’t a standout among his hundreds of superhero peers, at least he’s a little different.
The writing on this comic is only slightly below average. It’s basically another character-centered title full of jumping bodies, pumping fists, or power blasts, and angst. Half of the twenty-ninth issue is a plot summary from past issues, but it’s beneficial to occasionally be bored to tears. Eyes do need cleaning every once in a while, and this helps.
The artwork on this burly, grouchy, side-burned superhero isn’t terribly flawed. It’s average for comics, filled with visual clichés, crazy anatomy that frequently bares little resemblance to human limbs and joints, and poor composition, it looks like the artist was in a hurry.
And all of these nice things – a character not visually boring, writing that’s slightly below mundane, and artwork that is average – have earned Wolverine a bi-monthly publishing schedule and a niche in the best-seller list of comics shops.
So, why is this book one of the top-selling titles? Well, it could be because Wolverine is also a character in the country’s best seller – “X-Men” – and has developed a fan-following that ignores quality just to read anything about this character.
Surely not.
Did I forget to mention everyone in this series is searching for an incredible source of power that looks like the base of a table lamp?
“Wolverine” #29: The Lazarus Project/Marvel Comics, $1.75/newsstands and comics shops/Jo Duffy, writer; Barry Kitson, penciler.
Wolverine 29
Suspended Animation Classic #74
Originally published May 27, 1990 (#21)
Wolverine #29
By Michael Vance
“If you can’t write anything nice, don’t write anything at all” is a hard mandate to follow when reviewing “Wolverine”. The nice news is that it isn’t the worst comic book ever published. Elaborating further on this title does require a peculiar editorial slant, however.
Wolverine is not visually boring. His hair is cut like the crown of an owl and his knuckles sport a vicious set of slashing blades much like Freddie Kruger in the horror movies. If he isn’t a standout among his hundreds of superhero peers, at least he’s a little different.
The writing on this comic is only slightly below average. It’s basically another character-centered title full of jumping bodies, pumping fists, or power blasts, and angst. Half of the twenty-ninth issue is a plot summary from past issues, but it’s beneficial to occasionally be bored to tears. Eyes do need cleaning every once in a while, and this helps.
The artwork on this burly, grouchy, side-burned superhero isn’t terribly flawed. It’s average for comics, filled with visual clichés, crazy anatomy that frequently bares little resemblance to human limbs and joints, and poor composition, it looks like the artist was in a hurry.
And all of these nice things – a character not visually boring, writing that’s slightly below mundane, and artwork that is average – have earned Wolverine a bi-monthly publishing schedule and a niche in the best-seller list of comics shops.
So, why is this book one of the top-selling titles? Well, it could be because Wolverine is also a character in the country’s best seller – “X-Men” – and has developed a fan-following that ignores quality just to read anything about this character.
Surely not.
Did I forget to mention everyone in this series is searching for an incredible source of power that looks like the base of a table lamp?
“Wolverine” #29: The Lazarus Project/Marvel Comics, $1.75/newsstands and comics shops/Jo Duffy, writer; Barry Kitson, penciler.