Savage Wolverine 6
Zeb Wells, Joe Madureira
Spoiler alert! You have been warned!
I know what you’re thinking. What the hell? Doesn’t Jeff hate Marvel? Isn’t he the DC guy? Well, I don’t want to mislead you in any way. And the last thing I want to do is get your hopes up. But I do have a regular column in which I beg the Powers That Be at Marvel Entertainment to “Make Mine Marvel… Again.” And even though I do my fair share of whining and complaining (and calling out) the recent “Big Guns” over at Marvel Comics in the comments section of this site, in my “Stir the Pot Saturday” column, and, well, pretty much any time anyone will give me the opportunity to spout my obnoxious fanboy gibberish, there is a part of me who still remembers growing up reading BOTH Marvel and DC comics. And loving them. Both. So with that being said, let me just say, I actually bought a Marvel comic for the first time in… Well, a long time. And enjoyed it. Immensely.
This issue has everything that I remember being great about Marvel in one single story. Elektra being awesome and looking for Bullseye’s stolen body. A snarky editorial comment telling continuity Nazis to take it easy and just enjoy the read. Kingpin being brutal and terrifying. And, of course, fun banter. The scene between Elektra and Spider-Man, wherein she is recruiting Wolverine to accompany her on a secret mission, is enough to make even the most cold-hearted and jaded readers chuckle. Zeb Wells captured what it means to be Spider-Man for the first time since J. Michael Straczynski’s run. Yes, I have hated Spider-Man since Brand New Day, which is part of the reason I slowly gave up Marvel. But, credit where credit’s due, Joe Madureira brought me back to Marvel. And, if this book was any indication, he should stick around. The guy’s still got what it takes. His art is, simply put, beautiful. There wasn’t a single panel of this comic that wasn’t breath-taking. The fight between Lady Bullseye, Elektra, Wolverine, and the Kingpin made me realize, you know what? I don’t hate Marvel. I actually love Marvel. I just want all of my Marvel comics to be this good.
So even though it’s only one issue into the new storyline, this comic really did a great job making me want to not only read this issue, but go back and read the work of Zeb Wells. His pacing, plotting, and dialogue are top-notch. And anyone who can weave the Kingpin, my favorite Marvel villain, into a story is okay in my book. And the fact that he is not only threatening to his own men, but also to the heroes and anti-heroes of the Marvel Universe is something that hasn’t really been seen since Ed Brubaker’s run on Daredevil. This one’s got it all, folks. And I can’t wait to see our heroes (and villains) go up against the mysterious and creepy trio featured on the last page cliffhanger. I know I might be jumping the gun a bit here, but I’m going to be checking out Avenging Spider-Man, Dark Reign: Elektra, and anything else by Zeb Wells from Marvel. Maybe it’s not quite time to Make Mine Marvel again, but you know what, going by just this issue and this issue alone, I’d be a fool not to at least be open to the idea. Needless to say, Marvel can take 3.99 from me monthly for the duration of this story. Great work, guys!
My Rating: 5/5
Well said. This really was a great book. Sometimes you read something and feel like, "this is something special," and this was one of those titles. Joe Mad and Wolvie has always been a great combo, too.
Also, for those wondering, the dialogue in the panels posted in here are something along the lines of Spidey telling Wolverine to "take that mask off… it's healing to your face!"
I just liked the fact that he was playing with Wolverine's swords and hinted that he probably broke one. It was also nice to see Spider-Man written as Peter Parker, rather than the current crap we have to put up with with Otto Octavius in control across the rest of the Marvel Universe.