Wolverine #1 Review: Logan’s Walk on The Wild Side

The Wolverine has had a big year in 2024. Deadpool & Wolverine has become one of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s biggest success stories, seeing actor Hugh Jackman returning to the role following the critically acclaimed Logan. Wolverine’s misadventures are more often than not fit to bursting with blood and violence, and the new creative team has kept that well in mind in Logan’s new status quo. Writer Saladin Ahmed and artist Martín Cóccolo have forged a brand new path for the ever-healing X-Man as he trades in Xavier’s School For Gifted Youngsters for the great outdoors.

Following the fall of Krakoa, the X-Men have been somewhat scattered to the winds. Now that mutant-kind has lost its new nation, Logan finds himself returning to his more feral side, running with a pack of wolves that has long offered James Howlett respite in some of his most trying times. Rather than being stalked by Sabretooth or Lady Deathstrike, the villainous Cyber is hunting the Wolverine to disastrous effect. Unfortunately, both Kurt Wagner, aka Nightcrawler, and a handful of random civilians are finding themselves caught in the crossfire as the winter woods are set to receive a fresh coat of carnage.

For quite some time in Marvel Comics’ recent history, Wolverine has been a “team player”. Logan has been attached at the hip to many various super groups, including the X-Men, Avengers, X-Force, the Midnight Sons, and more. This idea of distancing Logan from his superhero cohorts is one that feels fresh, once again diving into Wolverine’s connection to the wilderness and in doing so, the berserker that lies beneath the surface of the X-Man. Unfortunately, this first outing tends to get lost in exposition and inner monologues rather than relying more on the idea of isolation and solitude. 

As a long-time comic book reader and X-Men fan, Cyber is one of those villains that typically doesn’t get top billing. For Logan, opponents like Sabretooth, Lady Deathstrike, and Omega Red are far more likely to get page time than the adamantium-coated antagonist. It’s a welcome change to see Silas Burr hunting down Wolverine but again, there are some issues in terms of how he is presented here. The exposition used her to establish Cyber and his origins with James Howlett feels heavy-handed at times, taking away from any potential horror elements that could be injected into the one villain that was previously billed as one of the only men to scare Logan.

Luckily, Ahmed has a great understanding of Logan as a character here, specifically when it comes to his friendship with Kurt Wagner. The relationship of Kurt and Wolverine has long been one of the more interesting aspects of both X-Men and Saladin has a strong handling of it here. Wolverine’s decision to return to the wintery “wonderland” of Canada feels organic, especially considering how Krakoa had previously fallen. Another strength of this premiere issue is that both Ahmed and Cóccolo hold nothing back when it comes to the brutality of Logan’s world, as Wolverine is more than willing to dish out some brutal pain onto Cyber.

Martín’s art here might be the star of the premiere issue, capturing both the ferocity of Logan and the cold indifference of the wilderness around him. Color artist Bryan Valenza also lends a major hand here in capturing the cold, unforgiving forest that Logan now calls home. Wolverine in an arctic environment feels like peanut butter mixed with chocolate, creating the perfect environment for this iteration of Logan who is attempting to find himself post-Krakoa. Focusing more on the brutality of both Wolverine and the wilderness itself feels like the best way to hammer home the new status quo of Logan and my fingers are crossed we see more of it in future issues. 

Ultimately, Wolverine’s new series is one that has a few stumbles before it crosses the finish line. There are a lot of interesting aspects here but the first issue can often be held back in not leaning further into the stillness of its environment, in pulling back on exposition for both the characters and the situation itself. The series might have benefitted a bit more from a “slow burn” approach rather than immediately giving Logan his latest losses to mourn. That being said, Logan’s new story does have plenty of potential and the set-up is one that could have some serious legs, so let’s hope that the creative team can stick the landing moving forward.

Published by Marvel Comics

On September 11th, 2024

Written by Saladin Ahmed

Art by Martín Cóccolo 

Colors by Bryan Valenza 

Letters by VC’s Cory Petit

Cover by Martín Cóccolo & Bryan Valenza