Wolverine #31
Wolverine and X-Force are forced to deal with Beast’s newest plot in Wolverine #31, by writer Benjamin Percy, artist Juan Jose Ryp, colorist Frank D’Armata, and letterer Cory Petit. Percy is on fire with this current story arc, and this chapter adds even more interesting wrinkles to the whole thing.
Beast stands atop the Pointe, thinking about his work on Krakoa. He goes inside and activates the Beast Agenda. The Pointe comes to life, an entire body sprouting out of the skull. It walks off Krakoa and into the ocean. Back with Beast’s body, Wolverine and Sage get ready to take Bannister to Krakoa for medical attention when Wolverine realizes something is wrong with Beast’s corpse. His head pops open and fungal blooms take its place. Wolverine is forced to fight this new monster and prevails. Meanwhile, the Beast keeps moving through the ocean and ends up destroying a submarine that had been stationed outside Krakoan waters to watch the island. Once that’s done, he awakens clones of himself, all ready to help him continue his mission to protect his people. Back on the island, Wolverine and Sage watch as Cecilia Reyes works on Bannister, hoping to reunite the family after everything Beast did. Wolverine visits the Five and requests all of Beast’s memory logs, learning he has erased all of his back-ups from the five cradles. Black Tom lets everyone know that the Pointe is gone before Beast gets in touch with X-Force, telling them he’s still fighting the good fight, but without them. For Beast, X-Force is over, but he has his own projects: the Weapons of X.
While this is an issue of Wolverine, Percy makes it mostly about Beast, which just feels right. Since X-Force started, readers have gotten to spend very little time in Beast’s head. All they’ve seen are his actions and the way he’s rationalized them. This issue giving readers his narration really helps sell what he’s been doing. Beast has completely embraced amorality, something that’s been building for years. So many fans have been angry at Percy for turning the bouncing blue-furred Beast into a monster that they’ve ignored that Beast has been going in this direction for years now. Percy is taking the character to his logical conclusion.
Since M-Day, hell since the Legacy Virus days of the ‘90s, Beast has been trying everything to protect mutants. He’s constantly failed and watched his people fall. This has taken him to dark places, and his current actions are more of the same. Percy really sells that Beast believes in Krakoa and that he’s willing to do anything to protect it. This is very important; Wolverine and company have been on the bleeding edge of things, but they have qualms. They have limits. Beast has none, and Percy does a fantastic job of getting all of this across. Beast taking control of his own resurrections? Definitely par for the course. An info page reveals that Beast only left the memories of being an Avenger with his friends, perhaps the last time he was truly happy. All of these decisions are perfect and make him X-Force’s ultimate frenemy. Plus, the final page reveal of what the Weapons of X is - obvious to anyone who knows Wolverine history - is a tantalizing glimpse of the future battles Wolverine and X-Force will have to fight.
Ryp and D’Armata are such an impressive art team. Ryp’s style was completely different from Kubert’s and the other art teams, but it’s really paid dividends. It’s hard to think of another artist who could have done so well with Beast’s heel turn. His Beast is monstrous in all the right ways. Hank McCoy has never lived up to his name as well as when Ryp is drawing him. The fight between Wolverine and the fungal Beast is another example of what Ryp does well, giving readers a quick, visceral action scene that thrills readers. D’Armata has stepped up as well, his colors livening up the art wonderfully.
Wolverine #31 is an all-around well-done issue. It’s the line in the sand, the big change for Wolverine and X-Force. Percy, Ryp, D’Armata, and Petit have taken readers for a white-knuckle ride with this story, and this issue does a great job of selling everything.
