Brandon Borzelli's Geek Goggle Reviews

Wolverine Weapon X #9Wolverine Weapon X #9
Marvel Comics
Aaron, Paquette, Lacombe & Fairbairn

The Insane in the Brain arc wraps up with a bang as Wolverine figures a way out of the institution he's been held up in. The issue wraps up a good arc that has Wolverine rely on his friends to help him out as well as introducing a great new villain for Wolverine that poses an actual threat to the mutant. This issue is extremely gory, but not in the usual "Wolverine cuts everyone to pieces" way. This is definitely a comic book and arc to check out if you like something a little bit more out of the usual box for Wolverine.

Brandon Borzelli's Geek Goggle ReviewsWolverine is basically trapped in the asylum, held captive by Doctor Rot. Rot has created a psychic weapon out of human brains. This weapon has the ability to tap into someone's mind. In Wolverine's case he can't remember who he is and is incapable of turning on his usual berserker mode. This psychic weapon also doubles as a psychic bomb. If it's tampered with it could wipe the minds of everyone in the area. Wolverine is stuck.

However, his friend, Melita, calls in the cavalry in the form of Nightcrawler and Psylocke. These two characters are important because you have a pair that serve specific purposes and are close to Wolverine to some extent. Psylocke diffuses the brain bomb while Nightcrawler allows for the element of surprise as well as a fast getaway.

Eventually Wolverine faces off with Doctor Rot and despite the fact that Wolverine takes out some of Rot's intestines the ending isn't as sure of a thing as you might expect. Wolverine comes out the other side with a terrific new element for him to be vulnerable to as Rot exposes a trigger phrase that apparently puts Wolverine in a mindless state where he kills without even remembering it. This was brilliant addition to the character.

The artwork is tremendous. This is a bloody and nasty looking comic book and much of that credit goes to the art team. Not only are the pencils exceptionally detailed, but the coloring is magnificent. There is one particular sequence where Rot is in the situation room and everything is a light shade of purple. This use of shading and symbolism adds a new depth to this comic making it really stand out.

There is a lot to like about this comic book between the quirky, sick story, the detailed and graphic art, the unique coloring, the new villain, the new girlfriend and the new danger to Wolverine. I typically look for one or two laughs from a Jason Aaron Wolverine story and this really doesn't include them, but beyond that, this comic book is pretty much a perfect addition to the Wolverine library. This is the kind of awesome character Wolverine can be in the hands of a capable creative team.

5 out of 5 Geek Goggles