REVIEW: ‘X Lives of Wolverine,’ Issue #2

X Lives of Wolverine #2 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. Picking up from the ending of X Lives of Wolverine #1, Wolverine continues his trek through the past to protect the X-Men’s history, reliving his time with Weapon X and his attempt to live a quiet life in Japan. However, Jean Grey warns him that he can’t affect the past in a major way-and Omega Red is still hot on his heels, possessing multiple people along the way.

Anybody who’s ever watched a time travel movie or television series, or encountered any time travel narrative, knows that the number one rule of time travel is that you don’t mess with the past. You don’t steal a sports almanac, you don’t strangle baby Hitler in the crib, you don’t try to sleep with Marilyn Monroe. However, anyone who writes Wolverine knows that he isn’t a person who tends to follow rules, even if it’s the law of space and time. Percy brings Wolverine face to face with multiple sins from his past, including committing a black ops mission that led to the execution of innocent people. The final page features a game-changing decision that might shed light on the events happening in X Lives’ sister series X Deaths of Wolverine.

Cassara continues to excel at drawing Wolverine in multiple situations, whether it’s fighting his fellow Weapon X teammates Sabretooth and Maverick, or a chained-up polar bear. Yeah, that’s right. This is a comic that opens with Wolverine fighting a polar bear. The issue is packed to the brim with violence and gore, as Wolverine’s claws pierce through his knuckles and the flesh of his opponents. We also see, keeping in line with the time travel theme, a ghostly afterimage of the Cerebro helmet appear over Wolverine’s head with Jean appearing in the background shortly after.

What really makes the artwork sing are the colors from Martin. Continuing the trend from the first issue, the sepia-toned colors return, adding a dreamy effect to the scenes where Wolverine is with his wife Itsu and a hazy effect to the Weapon X scenes. The colors only shift when Jean appears, as a radiant pink glow surrounds her body signifying her using her psychic powers; and when Omega Red possesses someone in the past, their skin turns chalky white and a blood-red Omega image appears on their forehead. Petit is able to incorporate his lettering into the artwork; one panel interlinks the classic “SNIKT!” sound with Wolverine popping his claws, making for a bloody yet bold image. And the data pages scattered throughout the issue reveal Omega Red’s plan to kill Professor X, along with his partnership with Mikhail Rasputin-another element that’s been set up in X-Force.

X Lives of Wolverine #2 continues Wolverine’s journey through the past and has him breaking one of the most cardinal rules of time travel in the process. I’m genuinely curious to see how future issues of X Lives and X Deaths of Wolverine continue the story, as Wolverine’s mission is no doubt going to alter the X-Men’s future in some way.

X Lives of Wolverine #2 is available wherever comics are sold on February 2nd, 2022.