Review: WOLVERINE #35

We’ve reached the conclusion of the “Weapons of X” storyline that has cemented Beast as a full-fledged supervillain. WOLVERINE #35 by Benjamin Percy pits Wolverine against an army of Beast & Wolverine clones as he tries to stop Beast Prime from continuing to enact atrocities unchecked. As has most of this story arc, the issue is an extension of the X-FORCE series, with the full X-Force roster playing a role in the mission to put an end to Beast’s maniacal rule.

WOLVERINE #35 (and the broader conversation around Beast’s worldview throughout the Krakoan age) was an interesting read after seeing Oppenheimer this past weekend. The debate on how far a nation should go to defend itself will likely never be settled, though we can all likely agree that the choices Beast has made to keep Krakoa “safe” have been questionable at best and irredeemable at worst.

Percy does a great job keeping Beast from becoming a complete supervillain caricature and that may be best displayed in the opening scene where Beast tells a “joke” to his clones that acts as a euphemism for his plan to use said clones as a meat shield. Percy also writes Deadpool, another character who easily becomes a caricature when overused, well here by leveraging his sense of humor in just the right amount. There’s one page where a reader’s natural tendencies on how to read a comic are subverted when Deadpool reveals it was all meant to be read in reverse. Juan José Ryp’s art & Cory Petit’s lettering help this “gotcha” moment land brilliantly.

This visual tone of the book continues to walk a line between action, science-fiction, and horror. Ryp’s design and Frank D’Armata’s colors don’t hold back during action sequences and they create a visualy fascinating environment for Beast’s headquarters. Every element is finely detailed with an element of organic horror that felt straight out of HBO’s The Last of Us. Elemental effects like the rain drops as the two sides meet for a parlay are done with masterful precision.

WOLVERINE #35 ends without a resolution to the Beast problem, though he is left with diminished power. The final scene was a tad of a let down knowing that Percy had to set the stage for Wolverine’s crossover event with Ghost Rider, though I’m hopeful he and the rest of the team will get the chance to revisit the Wolverine vs. Beast conflict in the not too distant future.

Rating: 8/10