REVENGE is a blood-soaked, wild ride through the Marvel Universe (review)

WARNING! Spoilers for Wolverine: Revenge #1Wolverines In his latest Marvel Comics miniseries, he seeks revenge and has a creative team of superstars at his side to ensure he gets his bloody revenge. Wolverine – Revenge of the Fallen united Jonathan Hickman And Greg Capullo for the first time ever, and the end result is shaping up to be a modern Marvel classic. The first issue of this planned five-issue miniseries delivers on all counts, and is packed with thought-provoking ideas and bloody superhero action in equal measure.

Taking place in its own continuity, Wolverine – Revenge of the Fallen begins with a text page informing the reader that Asteroid M exploded over North America, triggering the strongest EMP in history and leaving the Northern Hemisphere in darkness. Wolverine is then recruited by Nick Fury for a dangerous mission to save everything.

Fury informs Logan that the only functioning power source is located at Tunguska Station in Russia, which is currently controlled by Mastermind and the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants. Fury sends Wolverine, Captain America, the Winter Soldier, and a team of SHIELD agents behind enemy lines for a heist before things go horribly wrong.

Wolverine – Revenge of the Fallen Has the potential to become an all-time Marvel classic

The lack of continuity in history makes Wolverine – Revenge of the Fallen more accessible because potential readers do not need to have read previous issues. X-Men Comics to understand what’s going on. It also gives the creative team freedom to explore the Marvel Universe in ways that were never possible in the current continuity. The death toll in this series is astronomical: millions of people died when Asteroid M crashed, and billions could follow if Wolverine and the others fail to complete their mission.

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It’s a great starting point for an action blockbuster story, and the creative team takes the opportunity to provide fan service at its finest. Have you ever wanted to see Wolverine ride a triceratops? Ever wanted to see Logan disembowel a murderous dinosaur? How about Captain America, the Winter Soldier and Wolverine parachuting out of an exploding helicarrier? Wolverine – Revenge of the Fallen offers all that and more, delivering one memorable moment after another in a smorgasbord of badass emotions. The “what if?” nature of the story also allows for major characters to die (and presumably stay dead), providing a whole new level of shock value that truly shocks.

And while the story never lacks cool and epic moments, there’s more going on beneath the surface. Wolverine – Revenge of the Fallen than is obvious. The heroes’ mission to retrieve the energy source from Russia sounds like a noble endeavor until Wolverine discovers that Colossus is working with Mastermind and the rest of the Brotherhood. When he asks how his former teammate could betray him in such a way, Colossus questions the nature of his mission: “Do you believe that your cause is right and your theft is therefore just? That the West deserves it and we should just let you take it?”

Greg Capullo’s artwork shines in Wolverine – Revenge of the Fallen

The highlight of the issue is that artist Greg Capullo can once again roam through the Marvel Universe. After a series of variant covers, Capullo celebrates his big return by creating the interior design for Wolverine – Revenge of the Fallenand the storyline seems tailored specifically to the artist’s strengths. Capullo gets to draw a wide variety of characters, and his portrayals of Nick Fury, Captain America, Deadpool, the Winter Soldier, and others alone are worth the price of admission.

The imaginative layouts and detailed renderings made Batman: The Court of Owls such a memorable comic can be seen here in full, and Capullo’s Wolverine already seems like an iconic representation, much like his Dark Knight. Since Capullo began his career at Marvel, it is nice to see the artist come “home” and lend his talent to a high-profile wolverine Story. The entire art team deserves praise, as Tim Townsend’s crisp ink drawings capture the energy of Capullo’s linework and FCO Plascencia’s expert palette ensures that the red flows abundantly across the pages of this “Red Band” series.

If there is anything to criticize here, it is the fact that the comic often tells the reader what is happening rather than showing it. This isn’t a major flaw, as all the relevant information comes across to keep the story clear, but comics are a visual medium. This is most evident in Nick Fury’s briefing at the beginning of the issue, where we learn about the explosion of Asteroid M and its aftermath through Fury’s dialogue alone. This would have been much more impactful if readers had been able to see it play out, even if only in a flashback or two.

Wolverine – Revenge of the Fallen Delivers on all fronts

Despite minor defects, Wolverine – Revenge of the Fallen #1 is a book that comic fans shouldn’t miss. Featuring a gripping blockbuster story by Jonathan Hickman and stunning illustrations by Greg Capullo, Wolverine – Revenge of the Fallen is an action-packed journey that more than delivers on the promise of its title. The end of the issue details Logan’s quest for revenge, and the showdown with the likes of Omega Red, Deadpool, and Sabretooth should be epic to watch. It will also be exciting to see if more familiar faces appear in future issues as fans learn who survived the apocalyptic event that set the story in motion.

The eventual confrontation between Wolverine and Colossus will also be exciting to watch, as Logan doesn’t seem to be in the mood to forgive at the end of the issue. The former friends and teammates have a lot to process as the fate of the world hangs in the balance, but thankfully they have four more issues to sort things out. With billions of lives at stake, the stakes couldn’t be higher for the title character in this alternate continuity, but wolverine seems to be concerned with only one thing at the moment: revenge.

Wolverine – Revenge of the Fallen #1 (2024)
	Author: Jonathan Hickman Artist: Greg Capullo Ink artist: Tim Townsend Colourist: FCO Plascencia Letterer: Cory Petit from VC Cover artists: Greg Capullo, Tim Townsend and FCO Plascencia

wolverine

Human mutant Wolverine (aka Logan) was born James Howlett and is blessed with superhuman healing powers, senses and physiology. Logan underwent experiments to reinforce his skeleton and claws with adamantium. He is as deadly as he is ruthless, impulsive and short-tempered, making him the fiercest and deadliest member of the X-Men and one of Marvel Comics’ biggest stars. He has been played by Hugh Jackman in the Fox and Marvel film franchises.