Wolverine #3 // Review
The Pale Girl and the Flower Cartel are about to get a rude awakening in Wolverine #3, by writer Benjamin Percy, artist Adam Kubert, colorist Frank Martin, and letterer Cory Petit. This is a great comic, but Percy does something so clever that it takes it to the next level.
Yesterday, Wolverine and Magneto were drinking at the Green Lagoon. Magneto passed out, and Wolverine took his helmet. On the boat that the Pale Girl hijacked, Wolverine thinks about his life and how it’s got him to where he is. Yesterday, Wolverine used the Stepford Cuckoos to convince Quentin Quire to help Wolverine take down the Pale Girl. The boat pulls into a giant artificial island that is very Russian, and out of its hold comes Wolverine, wearing Magneto’s helmet, and the Marauders. Yesterday, Wolverine convinces the Marauders to help him in his mission. The Wolverine that Pale Girl thought she was in control of is Quentin Quire, using his powers to copy Wolverine’s mind and appearance. As he brags to her about how thoroughly he played her, she uses Agent Bannister to knock him out.
Meanwhile, Wolverine and the Marauders make short work of the Cartel’s soldiers and destroy their crops. Wolverine confronts the Pale Girl, but she escapes by having Bannister threaten to kill himself if Wolverine comes closer. Later, at Bannister’s house, he and Wolverine have a talk about things, and Bannister thanks Wolverine for getting his daughter to the top of the waiting list for the Krakoan drug. Wolverine leaves a Krakoan gate plant in his backyard.
Benjamin Percy gets Wolverine better than any other writer has in a very long time, and this book is proof of that. People too often portray Wolverine as a guy who jumps in without a plan, like he’s a fighter but not a thinker. This issue shows that this is not the case at all. Wolverine has been around for a long time and done many things, and he knows how to make a plan, put together the best team, and implement it successfully. Sure, he’s a great fighter, but he’s also smarter than his enemies or even a lot of his friends give him credit for, and this issue showcases a side of him that most fans and writers don’t see but has always been there.
However, Percy isn’t done in this issue because he does something brilliant and ripped from the headlines that it needs to be discussed. It’s revealed that Russia is behind the Flower Cartel, and the whole point is to destabilize Krakoa by selling tainted petals to the world and making Krakoa look bad. That’s basically what Russia is doing right now to the United States, and while Percy doesn’t come out and say that, it’s all right there in the text. It’s taking real-world happenings, putting them in a comic, and leaving it in plain sight for readers to either pick up on or just see as a cool story idea. Regardless, it’s wonderfully done, and this definitely isn’t going to be the end of Russian meddling into Krakoan affairs. Hey, that sounds so familiar.
Adam Kubert’s art is terrific. He’s definitely going through an artistic renaissance lately, and his work on this book is proof of that. It’s pretty much impossible to point to one part and say it’s the best because everything about his art in the whole book is excellent. Percy gave him plenty of great stuff to draw, from the fantastic double-page spreads, the flashbacks, killer action, and a giant spiral island coming up out of the sea. Kubert’s Wolverine is still one of the best representations of the character ever.
Wolverine #3 is a casually brilliant comic. In three issues, Percy has shown he gets Wolverine better than just about anyone who has written his books since Larry Hama. The poetic internal monologues are pure, Hama, and they’re a joy to read. The stuff about Russia is both a great indictment of the country’s action towards America in the real world and just makes sense from the fictional standpoint as well. Kubert’s art is pretty much perfect. In fact, that’s pretty much the best word to describe Wolverine #3 and Percy and Kubert’s work on this book so far- perfect.
Grade: A+
