Brandon Borzelli's Geek Goggle Reviews

Wolverine Annual #2
Marvel Comics
Swierczynski & Deodato

A harmless one shot in what is becoming a monthly occurrence for Wolverine. This comic has the honor carrying the main’s title’s title with word “Annual” tacked on the end of it. I picked it up on a whim and I enjoyed it. It’s not going to change your life, but if you like stories where Wolverine wanders into a random small town and has to solve a mystery and fight a monster then this is for you. The art provides some good visuals and doesn’t try to cut any corners despite the page count being more than normal.

Wolverine finds a town where the residents are missing for the most part. Those that are alive won’t speak. Wolverine then gets attacked by a sonic boom. A huge wolf-like creature appears. Wolverine scraps with it for a little while but the sonic boom took out his eardrums and in the process destroyed his balance. He eventually escapes.

After some looking around Wolverine starts piecing together the mystery of the wolf thing. When he comes in contact with it for round two he finds something that is a lot like he was and still is. It’s a creature trying to make up for the past by destroying things in its way in the present. It’s a creature that can’t forgive and only wants to kill to make itself feel righted for the wrongs of past generations. It’s a good message and a good stage for it when matched up with Wolverine.

The artwork is very detailed and provides some creepy visuals. Not just the monster that Wolverine fights, but even the people he encounters have a look to them like they fell out of a horror movie. It’s a nice scary looking scene page after page that helps to properly set the mood. The artwork really only missed for me with the size of the monster. In some panels it appears to be in the ten to twelve foot tall range while in others it seems more in the seven foot range. I never got a strong hold on the dimensions of the monster.

This comic doesn’t add anything to the Wolverine mythos and it doesn’t add anything to the regular title. However, it’s an interesting story that has its entertainment value and isn’t just another Wolverine gets revenge type story. I liked it and I found the storytelling to be very ironic and meaningful in its own context. I’m glad I picked it up. If you have room in your budget for a one shot then I would recommend this comic.

3.5 out of 5 geek goggles