X Lives of Wolverine #3 is written by Benjamin Percy, illustrated by Joshua Cassara, colored by Frank Martin, and lettered by VC’s Cory Petit. It’s published by Marvel Comics. Wolverine’s trip through time has seen him reliving past moments in his very long life while also attempting to stop Omega Red from destroying the lineage of Charles Xavier. Omega has decided to make things personal by taking over Wolverine’s wife Itsu, leaving the clawed Canadian with a dilemma: does he defend himself or does he risk the possibility of his son Darken never being born?
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With this issue, Percy takes a page from X Lives‘ sister series X Deaths of Wolverine and slams his foot on the gas. Not only does Logan have to protect Xavier and his various descendants, but he’s also beset on all sides by various foes. In Japan, not only does he have to deal with Omega possessing his wife but the monstrous Romulus, who had a hand in shaping his life. In Columbia, he’s pursued by a vengeful Sabretooth. And in Northern Canada during the 1900s, he has to battle a massive sperm whale. Percy’s script digs deep into Logan’s state of mind and reveals that all of these endless battles are taking their toll on him. “I can only say I’m tired,” he growls in one panel. “I’m really f***ing tired.”
The book also reveals how Omega Red is able to pursue Wolverine through the past, and it once again ties into Percy’s run on X-Force as it involves Mikhail Rasputin. Krakoa has acquired a number of enemies since its rise as a nation, and Rasputin may be the deadliest of them all due to his mastery of magic and his partnership with Omega. Percy has also worked very hard to make Omega a major foe in Wolverine’s life, and the end page shows the lengths the Russian mutant is willing to go to in order to get his revenge.
Cassara ups the intensity of his artwork, delivering scenes that push the envelope in terms of violence. During Wolverine and Sabretooth’s chase scene, Wolverine shoots a hornet’s nest that lands on his former enemy’s face. What follows is a rather disturbing sequence of panels where hornets fly into Sabretooth’s mouth and crawl all over his face, stinging him repeatedly in the eyes. Another page features Mikhal stabbing the Cerebro Sword into Omega Red’s chest, creating a twisted version of King Arthur’s Excalibur being lodged in a stone. And the battle against an Omega Red-possessed whale is a clever homage to Moby Dick. Hey, who said comics can’t be educational?
The colors of the book often shift depending on whether it takes place in the past or present. Martin uses cool blue for the present, specifically in the scenes where Logan, Professor X, and Jean Grey are in Krakoa’s cradle, and the golden sepia tones of the past sequences are often soaked with dark red blood thanks to Martin. The coloring even affects Petit’s lettering, especially when it comes to Omega Red. Petit depicts Omega’s words as jet black spheres with white letters. The literal photo negative of Wolverine’s captions. And when someone is possessed by Omega, their word balloons fade from white to pure black.
X Lives of Wolverine #3 takes a drastic turn in its narrative, as Omega Red goes to desperate measures to get his revenge on Wolverine. The Wolverine saga has now hit its halfway point, and things aren’t looking good for the clawed Canadian or the X-Men — especially now that there’s a Terminator-esque Wolverine running around in X Deaths of Wolverine.
X Lives of Wolverine #3 is available wherever comics are sold.
X Lives of Wolverine #3
TL;DR
X Lives of Wolverine #3 takes a drastic turn in its narrative, as Omega Red goes to desperate measures to get his revenge on Wolverine. The Wolverine saga has now hit its halfway point, and things aren’t looking good for the clawed Canadian or the X-Men — especially now that there’s a Terminator-esque Wolverine running around in X Deaths of Wolverine.
