Wolverine #4

The Team
Writer Paul Cornell Artist Alan Davis

So far Wolverine has been something of a mystery to Marvel Now! The past few issues were interesting but the first two proved simply boring. Writer Paul Cornell constantly talks about how in the series he is trying out some new concepts for the character in question. He has mentioned above all else that he is changing some of the speech patterns of the character. This idea started to be explored in the third issue of the series, which also introduced some new characters. Thankfully in the fourth issue these themes resurface with the supporting characters in the bar. A scene with Nick Fury shows the differences between the two characters in an elegant manner. The new elements of humor from the leading man also prove enticing. At the end of the day this is a character who seems very limited in how he can be used. Although Jason Aaron has sparked some of the lighter magic within him in his title, Cornell is doing wonders here by opening him up and examining him further.

While these experiments are interesting are they fun to read each month? The answer is sometimes, as issues of this series tend to be really decompressed. A small amount of plot is released in 22 pages that leave some readers wanting more. Also there is not that much character work per issue in this series. James Logan is not yet as likable as he should be, because of the new ideas presented here. Nick Fury has the same fun type of personality but it is not completely at play. While the moments at the bar have proven to be a great change of pace, they are still few and far between. An engaged supporting cast would do wonders to ground some of the stranger aspects of this character. While the plot is enjoyable, it is also standard superhero fair that is currently being attempted in a few other places.

Alan Davis is an artist that many love or hate simply based on his style. He is well suited to tackle the pencils on this book due to the drawing style. This is because Cornell falls more on the comedic side here as the pencils illustrate. The penciller has been described by many as retro which this issue proves. It is as if he was pulled right from the 70's and given a new arc of Wolverine to draw. Davis is divisive in his artwork because of all of the rounded lines, sometimes things look a bit to silly in the issue. Overall the art works in the context of the story.

Some foreshadowing is done in the background here as the Drowning Wolverine arc is teased. It is a shame that the plot did not progress slightly faster in this issue, but hopefully this next arc will prove more interesting. Decompressed storytelling seems to be plaguing many of Marvel's current books. A look into what exactly is going on in the editorial facet of the medium would prove more than interesting with a title like this. The theme of mortality is also introduced here and it seems it will play big into this troubled book going forward.