X Deaths of Wolverine #1 is published by Marvel Comics, written by Benjamin Percy, with art by Federico Vicentini, colors by Dijjo Lima with Frank Martin, and features lettering by Cory Petit. Additionally, this is a partner series to X Lives of Wolverine.
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Moira MacTaggert deceived the X-Men trying to make lives better for Mutantkind. As punishment, Mystique cut her arm off and stripped her of her ability to resurrect herself. Moira flees Krakoa, trying to stay ahead of the shapeshifting hunter. As she travels around the globe, she learns troubling news for a person who now must worry about death. Underneath Krakoa, Wolverine has been placed in Cerebro and sent across time into the minds of his past selves.
The pacing and structure of this comic is fast-paced from the start. Moira is moving away from Krakoa before the reader actually knows what is happening. This is not a comic that is easy to keep up with, traveling at a breakneck speed. It is primarily a chase comic as Moira tries to stay ahead of Mystique. As the first issue of this partner comic, it is not very welcoming to new readers with even experience X-fans left spinning. But the energy is infectious, the chaos getting the heart racing. In the middle of the comic, the book does slow down to deliver an emotional gut punch. Percy doesn’t dwell on the news he has just given as Moira has to flee again.
Periodically the comic switches back to Krakoa as something new has arrived on the island. This mystery builds underneath the issue until the very end but may prove to be the crucial part of the series. When the revelation happens an eruption of panic commences.
When going into this comic, it is important to recognize that X Deaths of Wolverine #1 features very little of the title character. This is primarily a story focused on Moira. Percy portrays Moira fantastically, channeling Linda Hamilton as he tries to escape a brilliant hunter. Moira has been something of a messiah in this era of X-Men, but she is very vulnerable in this issue. She is terrified and grasping for answers. But there is a wealth of development even within this one issue, transforming by the final page.
There is a guest star in this issue that is a phenomenal choice. It isn’t just a random decision either, as they perfectly fit the situation and the location that the main character is in. They do so much even within a few pages of their presence.
The art is stunning. Sometimes messy and always chaotic, Vincentini brilliantly encapsulates the high tempo of this comic. In the first pages, Moira is in a rush to move, to get away as far and as fast as she can. So there are loads of motion lines and blurs as things are smashed out of the way. Whenever there is a fight or a piece of the action the page gets lively to represent the mind of the protagonist. Moira throws stuff or trips over and the manic nature is depicted perfectly. When the issue slows down, there are some beautiful, scenic moments in various landscapes and locations. The characters are fantastically designed with a brand new look for one particular figure.
The colors are superb. The backgrounds of the locations are relatively muted colors, but in the foreground, the characters are vibrant and beautiful. Mystique’s blue skin is unmatched compared to anything out on the page, instantly sparking fear into Moira. Having Martin on only a few pages adds some sporadic flair, featuring some gorgeous displays if gold and glowing green.
The lettering is the standard X-Men comic font provided by Petit, easy to read and consistent across the books.
X Deaths of Wolverine #1 is a comic fuelled by nitrous. It travels at 100 miles an hour and if you don’t hang on you can fall off and lose it. There is a lot of power to the story and Moira is a deeply investing character. She has a vulnerability now that makes the reader nervous, but the strength by the final page has us rooting for her. Perhaps the biggest problem with the issue is that the title may lead to some feeling misled. But anyone missing the Canadian should not worry for long.
X Deaths of Wolverine #1 is available where comics are sold.
X Deaths of Wolverine #1
TL;DR
X Deaths of Wolverine #1 is a comic fuelled by nitrous. It travels at 100 miles an hour and if you don’t hang on you can fall off and lose it. There is a lot of power to the story and Moira is a deeply investing character. She has a vulnerability now that makes the reader nervous, but the strength by the final page has us rooting for her. Perhaps the biggest problem with the issue is that the title may lead to some feeling misled. But anyone missing the Canadian should not worry for long.
