Review: The Hellverine Emerges in ‘Wolverine’ #36

Somehow we’ve already reached the penultimate issue of Benjamin Percy’s “Weapons of Vengeance” arc featuring Wolverine and Ghost Rider. After the event’s prologue presented an interesting concept, Percy’s story is beginning to spiral into irrelevancy and absurdity with WOLVERINE #36.

For some reason, Wolverine and Ghost Rider let their guards down and are easily captured by the run of the mill villain, Father Pike. It all felt rushed in order to set up the issue’s ending revealing Hellverine, the demonic-possessed Wolverine. The event’s finale is now set up to be a confrontation between Hellverine and Ghostrider, which seems like the idea Percy pitched to Marvel to get this event greenlit in the first place. There haven’t really aren’t any ties to these two characters’ current stories in this event, which underscores the idea that this was entirely some Benjamin Percy fanfic for two of his favorite characters.

Geoff Shaw’s designs and Rain Beredo’s colors are keeping things interesting, but that should be expected in an event featuring two characters now possessed by flaming demonic-forces. Their art is continues to evoke heavy metal horror and it suits things so well. I particularly loved the scene with Wolverine riding on the back of Ghost Rider’s motorcycle and having to deal with the flames in the wind. And adamantium claws on fire? Michael Bay would be SO proud.

Not every “Fall of X” title has to be super heavy, Ms. Marvel: The New Mutant #1 showed us that just this week, but it sure feels weird to have Wolverine, one of the most popular mutants ever, wrapped up in a completely separate story. And with the “Sabretooth War” just around the corner, I’m not sure when Logan will get back to interacting with his fellow mutants.

Rating: 6/10