One of the first characters that caught my eye back in the late 80’s was Wolverine. I followed his series and started reading the Clairmont X-Men run. I couldn’t get enough of the character. That was until the 90’s when he was everywhere and I lost interest. Over the years I’ve found a few decent runs. Old Man Logan was a fun read, it scratched the itch. The Remender run on Uncanny X-Force was another book that I enjoyed.
When I saw Ultimate Wolverine #1 on the shelf it caught my eye. That is until I saw the price tag. $6.00 for a 30ish page book? C’mon Marvel. Give me and my wallet a break. For those of you who complain about the DSTLRY books costing a few bucks more when you get more content but still have no problems shelling out $6 for a Marvel book with a ton of ads, we should talk, but I digress. I flipped through the book and the art looked like something I would enjoy so I gave it a go, even if I have no idea what is going on in the rest of the Ultimate universe these days. Or any day, come to think of it.
Chris Condon is the writer on this series and he did a great job jumping between timelines and filling in the story so even someone like me who isn’t keeping up with anything Marvel can understand what’s happening. In this series Wolverine was been reprogrammed (Clockwork Orange style) and is a killing machine. It reminded me a lot of the old Weapon X stories where Wolverine has lost his sense of identity and is being used. We see some familiar faces from the X books, and Condon doesn’t shy away from violence or killing off characters to start the series off with a bang. Whether they will stay dead or not (it’s Marvel, does anyone really die?) remains to be seen. But it’s still a swing and I respect that. If you haven’t been keeping up with the Ultimate universe comings and goings, don’t let that keep you from giving this book a try. I’m sure it would be a little more fulfilling if you were up to date with everything, but I still followed along without a problem.
The artwork by Alessandro Cappuccio is dark and dreary, fitting the style and tone of the story. I like the design of the Ultimate Wolverine, wearing a mask and being denied another way for him or anyone else to identify or see him as a person. He’s a weapon, not a person. He isn’t given the option to talk or communicate easily, his only means of communication is violence. There are some panels that make Wolverine appear as a ghoul or demon, but in my head that’s because he’s viewed as something from another existence. He’s feared and seen as something from the depths of hell. I know some people have complained about this, but to me it made sense.
Is Ultimate Wolverine the best Wolverine story I’ve ever read? Of course not. Is it something I’m over the moon about? Nope. But it is an entertaining read and I was left with someone I can’t say I’ve been left with after reading the first issue of a Wolverine story in damn near 15 years, which is hope that this story will finally… finally… scratch that itch.
