Just when you think Marvel's MAX imprint is dead, they resurrect it with a new high profile launch. Short of Frank Castle, Wolverine is probably the Marvel character most inherently suited for the mature readers only treatment. And with so many of Wolverine's adventures these days centering around his roles as an Avenger or mutant teacher, there's a little room now for a book that focuses on the darker side of Wolverine's world. Fortunately, Jason Starr doesn't take the easy route by simply banging out a script full of slicing and stabbery and foul language. The first issue shows more ambition than that.
Like most MAX books, the series isn't set in the traditional Marvel Universe, but nor does it appear to take place in the more realistic wold of Punisher MAX and Fury MAX. Wolverine is still an un-aging superhuman with a healing factor and unbreakable claws. Whether mutants or superheroes exist in this landscape is unclear. Starr offers up his own take on the iconic "Wolverine goes to Japan" storyline. Wolverine's amnesia is also a major focus, though in this case it's apparently the result of a plane crash rather than medical tampering. Starr also overhauls one of Wolverine's familiar rogues, with the assumption that more will follow. Essentially, the series offers a streamlined take on Wolverine without much of the baggage the character has accumulated over the decades.
Starr takes a very sparse approach to depicting Wolverine. Particularly during the chaotic early pages, Wolverine's monologue is little more than a stream of curses and angry reactions. Though he eventually calms down and becomes more eloquent, this is not a Logan overly burdened with the need to talk or ruminate. No "I'm the best there is at what I do" here. Though Starr only reveals a little bit of his hand as far as what direction he's taking the character, his initial treatment is enough to pique my interest. Honestly, outside of a few F-bombs, the book isn't any more mature than a lot of Wolverine comics, so it needed more than a M-rating to stay afloat.
Roland Boschi and Connor Willumsen divide the art duties in this issue, with Boschi handling the present day sequences and Willumsen tackling the sporadic flashbacks. Boschi's dark, muted style suits the tone of the book well. Willumsen's visuals are a little overly stylized, however. Though he lends a nice texture to his pages, Willumsen's exaggerated figures and Kirby-esque approach to perspective don't mesh with the general tone of the story.
If you're simply tired of reading Wolverine comics in any shape or form, Wolverine MAX isn't necessarily going to win you over. But for fans of the character who crave something a little darker and a little different, this might just fit the bill.
Jesse is a writer for various IGN channels. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter, or Kicksplode on MyIGN.
Source : ign[dot]com
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