Writer: Benjamin Percy
Art: Joshua Cassara, Frank Martin, VC’s Cory Petit, Tom Muller, and Adam Kubert
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Price:$5.99
Release Date: February 2nd, 2022
WOLVERINE has gone by numerous titles and lived various lives in the course of his rather long existence. Now, with a bizarre time-traveling Omega Red haunting the past in order to kill Charles Xavier before he ever gets started, WOLVERINE is now tasked with visiting his past in order to protect the closest thing to a father he’s ever had. Let’s dive into X LIVES OF WOLVERINE #2 by Benjamin Percy and Joshua Cassara as WOLVERINE navigates the time stream in hopes to save his mentor as well as his past at the same time.
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THE DISPATCH
X LIVES OF WOLVERINE continues to be fast and fierce. From Jump Street, Percy comes out guns blazing with relentless action and excitement. Moreover, the summary page quickly clears up what exactly is happening and fortifies my theory from my X LIVES OF WOLVERINE #1 Review, which was that Logan is hopping through time via Cerebro. Now unlike the last issue, readers will get a variety of WOLVERINE’S this week… about four to be exact. Percy’s manner of storytelling this week is ultimately what causes the intense narrative ignition. Yet, it’s also what induces a bit too much choppy sequencing making aspects of X LIVES OF WOLVERINE #2 a bit confusing. Alas, I’d just forewarn fans to be prepared to re-read the issue at least once more to really soak it all in.
Furthermore, readers will see a unique twist that continues to add depth to this entire Hickman HOPOX/ INFERNO era, as well as the beginning machinations of the DESTINY OF X era. You see, since the end of HOXPOX, many fans have argued who the real villains of this story were. This version of the X-MEN has blurred many lines and has ultimately played god one too many times.
And, what fans will discover with Omega Red this issue, these sneaky Krakoans continue to mess with things they shouldn’t and provoke their own drama. Charles and his X-MEN continue to blur that line which has been a huge underlying theme since HOXPOX began. And what readers will uncover about X LIVES OF WOLVERINE #2 is that Xavier just can’t quit the manipulation.
Lastly, as much as this may appear to be a spoiler, if you’ve been reading X LIVES/ DEATHS OF WOLVERINE to this point, you know Omega Red is time hopping somehow. Therefore, it’s no surprise. However, the “how” is still left up in the air in which I hoped would be ironed out a bit more in this week’s X LIVES OF WOLVERINE #2. I just wish readers got some more answers or at least a few more clues. There is an attempt to explain a few things with “Sage’s Logbook Entries”.
However, they ultimately make things more confusing and are incredibly hard to follow. I think throughout this Hickman era, these “word” pages and log entries were made to add a unique way of telling the story while adding some extra information in the process. Nevertheless, regardless of their intent, I feel like they’re hindering the story and becoming wasted page count. This week’s Log Entries didn’t do much to advance the story and took two pages that could have been utilized for a bit more.
ART
Joshua’s Cassara must have had a field day this week as this creative team showcased their wide range of WOLVERINE depictions. From a scrawny twerp of a boy to a vulnerable lover in the arms of Itsu, WOLVERINE’S from many walks of life were illustrated with precision and immense detail. Furthermore, the almost demonic possessions by Omega Red added a sense of horror and darkness to this issue that just couldn’t be denied. However, there was one oddity that I noticed. It appears as though Cassara likes to draw his characters squinting or without eyes a majority of the time… unless they’re possessed. I would argue a good 90% of the issue shows no eyes with the characters. Why is that? It’s just a weird facet of the issue fans should keep their eye on (see what I did there?).
FINAL THOUGHTS
Readers get a strong depiction of WOLVERINE throughout the years and witness a wild ride filled with insane action and intriguing speculation cluttering the would-be history of everyone’s favorite Canucklehead. Furthermore, fans witness somewhat of an opportunistic exploration for a character that’s been so drastically scarred by so much hate and deceit. This clever time-traveling consortium will leave fans excited for WOLVERINE’S aftermath in the present day. Just like the new 1985 after Biff’s Gray’s Sports Almanac alteration in BACK TO THE FUTURE #2, what changes to the timeline will WOLVERINE have waiting for him?
Nevertheless, the quick jumps from time period to time period did make the narrative a bit more jarring and hindered the flow and feel of the issue. I think X LIVES OF WOLVERINE #2 may have been better suited if Percy stayed in one time period per issue before he jumped to another. Additionally, I wish Percy was a bit more straightforward as well as spent more time on an explanation of how and why Omega Red is also traveling through time. Yet, other than playing script doctor, I found myself really enjoying this issue of X LIVES OF WOLVERINE and lamenting on what I thought the entire Hickman era would be like story-wise. These types of exciting stories are what I anticipated from the beginning. Let’s hope this enthusiasm stays kindled throughout this DESTINY OF X with Duggan, Percy, and Gillen at the helm. Let me know what you think, have a great week, and God Bless!