What do you do after reading All New Wolverine #01 a few months after it was released? You go on to read #02. Then you review it. For you blog.
All New Wolverine #02
Writer: Tom Taylor
Artsits: David Lopez, David Navarrot
Colorist: Nathan Fairbairn
Publisher: Marvel
Quick Review: This issue basically does everything that I was hoping wouldn’t happen after issue one. Clones. Evil corporation. Maybe that is why the quipiness that I enjoyed in that first issue just seemed a little tired here. As did the art. Which I guess shows that I am into comics more for the story than for the art, because even though the art didn’t sit well with me there was nothing really wrong with it. Really the only part of the comic that got me was the surprise in the last two issues. Although, my fear is that the surprise is just a set up for a “get the evil company” story no later than issue 4 if not the second half of issue 3.
Spoilers Lurk Below
Analysis: So, about that art. Like I said, it wasn’t bad. There was just a few things about it that didn’t sit well with me. One was the coloring. There was an overly done rosiness to all the faces that made almost everyone seem caked in makeup, like in a poorly done TV show. I noticed it mostly in the faces, but the weird color blinds were throughout the issue and doesn’t do the art any favors. Also, the eyes are constantly overly inked which give the characters a pigginess or a caveman look. And speaking of faces, Laura is overly lippy. This might not have been something I would notice if there weren’t four characters with her face. It seems a little too exaggerated to have so much of it in one issue.
I also had questions about why Laura spent so much time in costume but with her mask off. You’d think she was in a Spider-Man movie or something.
But really, this is all just secondary complaints compared to just being really bored with the story. Clones used for evil against their will (I guess) who escape and want revenge against their evil overlords. It almost seems like the definition of tired and overused. That is the big flaw for everything in the book. When the actual plot is one that seems like a slog, everything suffers. I’m guilty of actively looking for things to dislike in this comic just out of boredom with the story. The possibly clever dialogue sounded like it was trying too hard to be clever. I spent about ten minutes just thinking about how she cut her own handcuffs off since it seems impossible to get her knuckles behind her her wrists like that. Then I said, “foot claws” and stopped caring as much.
The last page appearance of Taskmaster and the actions that announced his appearance was a little of a curveball. Enough at least to make me pick up issue 3, but I would be more interested in just skipping to the next arc entirely.
Wrap Up: As harsh as I am above, this isn’t a terrible comic. It is instead really obvious and therefor rather dull. It’s biggest failure is that this is the opening arc which is supposed to be what immerses me in the world of the comic and instead all we get is something that should be a test comic in some kind of anthology.
Deadly Troubadour 