Wolverine Origins#1

The title itself has a simultaneous effect on Marvel fanmen; one that stimulates boundless enthusiasm, an ebullience that can only surround one of a handful of Marvel’s most prominent characters or DC’s Big Two. This reaction must soon be followed by a chronic déjà vu-like sensation, as the terms ‘Wolverine’ and ‘origin’ have been associated with each other much too often over decades for it to still be a mystery. Indeed, I vividly remember reading past promises, a wide-eyed child picking up issue #50 Wolverine - die cut cover and all – and through another mini-series (entitled Origin), and now a new monthly series that finally chronicles a Logan armed anew from recent occurrences gifted to him in Marvel's House of M crossover.

Aldous Huxley said, “Every man’s memory is his private literature”, and with this series we are given the opportunity to read the past as Logan chooses to encounter it. The beginning – and by this I mean the first sentence - is apt. The questioning of Logan’s motto, an axiom in Marvel lore; the first words we see after a promising cover by Joe Queseda (whose work I have enjoyed since he was penciling Colin King), a dark, feral Logan and a wolf staring at their truth revealing reflections belies the motley coloring of the book which may be the single most evident detraction of the first issue. The coloring is atrocious, the contrast from cover to interior presenting a synthetic feel from the beginning that is only bearable due to pleasure of seeing Wolverine donning the Byrne brown and tan again.

The first issue is essentially present-day Wolverine breaking into the White House to apprehend a lead that is a government official, only to cause the appearance of a Shiva to kill the lead. It felt like filler deemed necessary to reintroduce a character in the end to set up a confrontational reunion in the next issue. Origins is written by Daniel Way, and due to not being familiar with his prior work I can’t say whether he is regularly an ineffective writer or not, but this is not an effort that would convince people quantifying the potential value of adding the title to their prospective pull list to do so in my mind. It simply lacks any form of tension, sequences simply occur, leaving no lasting residue, making thoughts lead immediately to the next issue, and not pondering what was just read. The art is by Steve Dillon who collaborated with Garth Ennis on the simply sublime Preacher run at Vertigo, yet even if we somehow overlook the aforementioned coloring debacle, this title seems not to be the proper canvas for Dillon’s unique abilities. It just doesn’t inspire, and in this regard perhaps paralleling the narrative too closely. Regardless of what reason one picks up this issue beyond the beginnings or continuation of completist motivation, I can see perhaps only the basest of expectations being either fulfilled or confronted with an equally stimulating alternative with this issue.

I know the sword wielding Wolverine will most likely be the subject of most questioning quips, and admittedly Wolverine carrying a sword is a lot like Megatron carrying a sawed–off, but the far eastern aspect of Logan, always represented a spiritual dynamic to the character I enjoyed, and the sword is symbolic of the warrior, and what is Wolverine if not Marvel’s ultimate every-man warrior?

Luckily there is time, and continued covers by Joe Q and the popularity of Wolverine will give the series a long line to dangle out to fans, but issue one is simply more of the continuation of a seemingly inexhaustive reel - void of hook or meat at the end of it.

Jay Tomio
The Bodhisattva