Saturday, August 25, 2012

Wolverine Annual #1

Quietly, with very little fanfare or publicity, writer / artist Alan Davis has crafted a trio of summer annuals for Marvel, starring the Fantastic Four, Daredevil and Wolverine (with Dr. Strange thrown in for good measure).

Each issue also included a crossover with Davis' under appreciated team, the Clandestine. As a big fan of - well, all of the above, really - I eagerly picked up all three annuals.

All three feature great artwork, as you'd expect - but of the three, this is the one where the story seemed to be struggling the most. Perhaps that's just because Wolverine seems a odd fit for the story, or because the story just seems to be struggling under the weight of all those characters.

It's a bit surprising, but there's still a lot to recommend this issue. Have I mentioned how great the art is? With sprawling action sequences, a disturbing battle with Wolverine at its center, great character designs and some clever flashbacks to the earlier career of a certain mutant hero, the comic crackles right along from start to finish.

It's the story that doesn't quite get it done - the good guys may win the battle, but it's never clear just how they manage it.

Still, even Davis' less successful stories are better than most. It's a solid trilogy with amazing art. What's not to like?

Grade: B+

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