Brandon Borzelli's Geek Goggle Reviews

Wolverines #3Wolverines #3
Marvel Comics
Soule & Doe

The third issue of Wolverines is completely off the track from the first two. This issue is entirely about the new character, Fantomelle. Despite the rundown of characters in the front and the recap page, this comic is all about getting to know Fantomelle, a character mentioned as the cliffhanger to the previous issue. It's an okay comic book that has a nice flow to it and some good ideas in it. However, the issue, when taken alone, has no context to the larger story at all and feels like filler. The comic is simply okay.

The opening to the issue is a strange one indeed. Fantomelle and her (cat, fox?) Culpepper are tasked with stealing the Punisher's t-shirt. I found these pages to be done well and in a charming fashion. I can't really say this added to the character much but they were entertaining.

The second half of the book consists of the setup for the character. She's a thief. One that claims items of high profile, such as the Punisher's shirt, to be sold at an auction for a nice price. She's also got herself a partner in crime. He barely gets any introduction or play before things blowup.

The book is a decent story but it is a little confusing. Mostly because there are a couple of characters that are not really explored or explained. This isn't a terrible thing but when you stick an issue in the middle of a long story about an entirely unrelated set of characters you are bound to have a bumpy transition. That leaves some of the characters used to drive this issue in a state of limbo apparently. Still, for a single issue there is a decent story that at least establishes something for the character of Fantomelle.

Brandon Borzelli's Geek Goggle ReviewsThe artwork is good. There isn't a ton of action, but when the Punisher attacks Fantomelle the panel layout is very good and provides a nice flow of action. Generally, the back half of the book is characters standing around and talking and this is okay but not nearly as good as the action sequence. The visuals help the story along.

Wolverines is still a story taking shape. It's not bad and it's not good. It simply exists and it has some elements that could be great but it also looks like there could be a long chase that leads nowhere. This particular issue doesn't do one thing to clear any of that up. It moves along another piece on the chessboard. This is an okay comic book in an okay storyline. Patience is a virtue.

3 out of 5 Geek Goggles