REVIEW: ‘Murderworld: Wolverine,’ Issue #1

Murderworld: Wolverine #1 is the next in a series published by Marvel, written by Jim Zub and Ray Fawkes, pencils by Carlos Nieto, inks by Victor Nava, colors by Matt Milla and letters by Cory Petit. As the bodies continue to fall and the trials get more unfair, those left inside Murderworld have no choice but to keep moving.

The next stage of this comic was quite surprising, considering how it was left off. On the final page of Murderworld: Spider-Man #1, we saw the news drop that there were assassins among the survivors, and then their whole hideout was plunged into the darkness. This issue doesn’t take all that much time dwelling on this situation, but that is a resounding aspect of the comic. It is fast-paced and unrelenting in its violence. There is a panic in the darkness, but that quickly shifts outside. But do not take that as a suggestion that characters are in any way safer. The massacre is just as brutal and perhaps more shocking than the last, using an already rough and bloody character such as Wolverine and ramping that intensity up even more. There is real savagery. 

What has made Murderworld more shocking every time is that these characters aren’t superheroes, and this isn’t a fight. It’s a turkey shoot with superheroes against regular people. Someone is looking, however, with Black Widow continuing her mission to find Arcade and those captured. A test towards the end of the comic is twisted and nerve-wracking again. The last part deviates from Arcade’s intended pathway. It is impossible to consider hope in this series, but it raised eyebrows and altered the game.

The protagonist shifts yet again, even as the cast is hastily and rapidly being cut down. Unlike the previous duo, the focus on this issue is an existing figure within the Marvel Universe, albeit not a superstar. Vincent Patilio is also known as Leap-Frog, a Daredevil villain. He is a fascinating inclusion as he largely considers himself a failure of a villain, not particularly high-achieving or extremely athletic or combative. This means that he can’t be considered safe in Murderworld, aside from having more experience in a fight. But he can be personable, with a very relatable and sympathetic narration laced into the entirety of the book.

As for others that have become part of a regular cast in the comic, their ordeals are terrifying. Quickly, Eden, the protagonist of the last issue, is dealt a disturbing and ruthless injury that again demonstrates the fact that no one is safe. Arcade’s meticulous plans, and the construction around making a TV show, are sick but oddly intriguing. There are more signs of that obsession with being in control starting to boil when he and his contraptions are tested. Black Widow still remains on the outside, the only real sign of help the victims are going to get, and she isn’t close to coming to their rescue.

The art is again a terrific display of violence and carnage. The involvement of the Wolverine robots is this sudden but utterly devastating slash of speed and slaughter, with one main page where the biggest explosion of carnage happens. The Wolverines then move into the cage, where the murder happens in an obscured but sickening display. Wolverine’s more sudden and effective methods of killing and dismemberment make him more terrifying than the traditional heroes implemented. It isn’t just the standard look Logan used, either. There are multiple robots, containing various designs of both Wolverines, including Old Man Logan. The attention to detail is fantastic. 

For such a horrific and gruesome issue, the colors are pretty vibrant. The white of the snow mountain is bleak and hostile, whilst the yellow tones of Wolverine’s outfit are a cognitive dissonance of emotion. Later in the issue, the illusion is this idyllic and pretty meadow. But the color can drain from the page, submerged in a dark orange and incredibly dangerous. The lettering is great, but the colors of the caption boxes could do with a darker tone or green to be more eye-catching.

Murderworld: Wolverine #1 somehow manages to make this series more violent. Different characters raise the hackles up more than others due to the possibilities of their powers and how they can use them to kill. With Wolverine, there are countless examples of what he can do, and he is terrifying. The book is as dark as it gets, verging on Saw and Squid Games territory by the end of the issue. It is definitely not something that you come across within Marvel Comics very often.

Murderworld: Wolverine #1 is available where comics are sold.