Wolverine: Wolverine Goes to Hell

Wolverine (2010) (Collected Editions)

by Jason Aaron, Renato Guedes (Illustrator)

Wolverine's sins have finally come for him. With his soul trapped in Hell, a demonic force inhabits his body, using it as the perfect weapon for its nefarious ends. Combining Wolverine's unbreakable claws with a deadly dark power, this unknown evil is targeting Logan's loved ones. And Wolverine is powerless to stop him. Marked for death, the X-Man's enemies and allies are forging strange and uneasy alliances. Can they rescue Wolverine's soul before they find themselves sent straight to Hell? Collecting WOLVERINE (2010) #1-5 and material from WOLVERINE: THE ROAD TO HELL and ALL-NEW WOLVERINE SAGA.

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Marvel, X Men, Superheroes, Graphic Novels Comics, Horror

184 pages, Paperback

First published March 16, 2011

About the author

Jason Aaron grew up in a small town in Alabama. His cousin, Gustav Hasford, who wrote the semi-autobiographical novel The Short-Timers, on which the feature film Full Metal Jacket was based, was a large influence on Aaron. Aaron decided he wanted to write comics as a child, and though his father was skeptical when Aaron informed him of this aspiration, his mother took Aaron to drug stores, where he would purchase books from spinner racks, some of which he still owns today.

Aaron's career in comics began in 2001 when he won a Marvel Comics talent search contest with an eight-page Wolverine back-up story script. The story, which was published in Wolverine #175 (June 2002), gave him the opportunity to pitch subsequent ideas to editors.

In 2006, Aaron made a blind submission to DC/Vertigo, who published his first major work, the Vietnam War story The Other Side which was nominated for an Eisner Award for Best Miniseries, and which Aaron regards as the "second time" he broke into the industry.

Following this, Vertigo asked him to pitch other ideas, which led to the series Scalped, a creator-owned series set on the fictional Prairie Rose Indian Reservation and published by DC/Vertigo.

In 2007, Aaron wrote Ripclaw: Pilot Season for Top Cow Productions. Later that year, Marvel editor Axel Alonso, who was impressed by The Other Side and Scalped, hired Aaron to write issues of Wolverine, Black Panther and eventually, an extended run on Ghost Rider that began in April 2008. His continued work on Black Panther also included a tie-in to the company-wide crossover storyline along with a "Secret Invasion" with David Lapham in 2009.

In January 2008, he signed an exclusive contract with Marvel, though it would not affect his work on Scalped. Later that July, he wrote the Penguin issue of The Joker's Asylum.

After a 4-issue stint on Wolverine in 2007, Aaron returned to the character with the ongoing series Wolverine: Weapon X, launched to coincide with the feature film X-Men Origins: Wolverine. Aaron commented, "With Wolverine: Weapon X we'll be trying to mix things up like that from arc to arc, so the first arc is a typical sort of black ops story but the second arc will jump right into the middle of a completely different genre," In 2010, the series was relaunched once again as simply Wolverine. He followed this with his current run on Thor: God of Thunder.

Reviews

[Sud666 · Rating 1 out of 5]

First the good- the cover art for these issues is truly amazing. That's it. That's all the good I could find. This is a convoluted, confusing, and, occasionally, a downright stupid volume. Where to begin?

Wolverine is in Hell. The story starts with his soul falling to Hell, while on Earth a demon is inside Wolverine's body. Let's talk about the demon thing- it is going around killing Logan's friends and loved ones. That's it. Ok then.

Now Logan, stuck in Hell, is being tormented by..ummm...who is that? It's not any Marvel universe devil I recognize (I know most of the good ones from Mephisto to Dormammu) but he is calling himself the "Devil" and even implies his name is "The Morningstar". Um sure...why not? So anyways this Devil plans to break Logan's will-so Logan has to fight against the souls of all the people he has killed. Also this Devil has no magical ability and fights hand to hand...against Logan, who also has no magical powers. Perhaps Jason Aaron in his haste to cash the paycheck didn't think this totally through. In the past, whenever a hero goes to the underworld, in general, they are beings of tremendous magical ability from Dr. Strange to Silver Surfer. That's cool since Hell isn't a mortal plane of being and magic rules supreme. But this Hell? Nah they fight..with weapons or fists..for some reason. Oh and this Devil (I just call him this since it's easy and I'm STILL not sure what his name is) uses a sword..that uh cuts souls *sigh* so that they remain injured. Then the Devil fights in hand to hand and loses, gets attacked by his own demons and then, at the end, is still seemingly in control...what? It's a mess of a story. What else? Oh ummm Puck (yeah the midget from Alpha Flight) is in Hell. (A) I didn't know he was dead (B) What did he do to end up in Hell? Nobody knows. Oh uhh Sabertooth is in Hell too (figures). Yeah..so uh..crap I forgot Logan's dad is in Hell too. Now you know. So Logan fights everyone...in Hell...including the Devil..and um wins. *sigh*
Meanwhile back on Earth, Mystique and some random chick that's dating Logan team up with Hellstorm and two Ghost Riders (there are now TWO Ghost Riders?!!) to chase down the demon possessed body of Logan which is running around stabbing everyone from the X-Men to former friends. They then capture him, take him to church and get Logan's soul back. Story ends. Awesome.
But wait! There's more (sorry, but there is sadly enough more to this crap)...we are treated to a seriously mediocre art style and a prologue..that they put at the end. Ummm PROlogue anyone? Never mind. Here we find out some old coot is running a group called the Red Hand and he set up the plan to have Logan's soul "kidnapped". Now we know. Don't even start with the weird BDSM crew he has running around. So uhh..Logan goes into a white van and is trapped and then the Wolverine goes to Hell story starts..except its already over since this was supposed to be the PROlogue. *sigh* What did I just read? What the Hell, no pun intended, just happened? Did someone pay Jason Aaron money for this? Well fuck me! If this is what passes for "writing" then sign me up as a comic writer.
So in summation: utter flaming crap. The only positive thing? It ended after about 175 pages. Oh wait..I lied- the cover art is truly awesome and some of the "extra" art in the back was good. Oh wait! There is a very confusing "explanation" of sorts running about a dozen pages where they try to explain this mess. I'd rather they didn't. I'd rather they have never made this. I'd also like the time I wasted on this shit back.
There. Now you know. If you read this-that's on you. If you don't? No worries you didn't miss a thing..well at least anything good. Utter crap.

[Sam Quixote · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wolverine is trapped in some satanic ritual and his soul is sent to Hell while his body becomes possessed by demons and sets out to kill everyone he loves. Meanwhile his soul battles everyone he’s ever killed while he tries to escape and get back to Earth to stop the carnage.

The religious storylines that Marvel put some of their best characters through are in my opinion some of the worst books they put out. It’s why I was turned off of Ghost Rider when his storyline became all about Hell and damnation or when Punisher got mixed in with angels in the late 90s or in this instance when Wolverine gets sent to Hell. It’s strangely dull.

Logan is in Hell for the entire book and so he’s constantly fighting throughout the book which gets tiresome after a while. Sure he fights Satan in the end but it’s just another fight and after so many fights you think, meh. As for possessed Wolverine, we’ve all seen that before a few times so again it’s another feeling of blasé reading this book.

It’s not a terrible book as the writing’s not bad, the story is ok, and the artwork is terrific, but it’s kind of a weak storyline to have Logan possessed again and fighting demons – it’s just not enough to have surface texture, you need depth to make a great comic book.

It’s also probably not the best book for new comics readers to start with as there are a few questions reading through it that aren’t answered, for example who the Red Right Hand are, or some of the more obscure characters like Puck and Son of Satan. It’s not a bad book though not a must read – for fans of Logan only.

[Subham · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an epic one!

It starts off with someone talking to a priest in the past and then we have in the present a figure resembling Logan going after his GF Melita and Mystique saves her and we find out that some demon has possessed his body and thus it falls on them to save the soul of Logan whose trapped in hell and he is trying to fight his way out of there until he finds the demon king there is tormenting him in the classical religious way you can think of and we see his enemies from Sabretooth to Silver Samurai there also and also his long lost love meanwhile in the real world Ghost Rider and Hellstorm are trying to save him before he takes out other loves ones and also how are the X-Men involved in it? Who will live and who will die? Whose behind this all and what's happening in the sidelines? Whose the new enemy and whats their history to Logan?

Its all explored here really well and its just epic the way it becomes a supernatural story with so much happening in the background and people dying left and right and close ones and the battle with X-Men is just epic and brings out the stakes and also I love how in hell he realizes some stuff and has to let go and knows that things may not be perfect but he has to forgive himself. Its quite a deep and insightful volume and has great action though some stuff was dragged out and the new villains are interesting though the constant art changes are annoying but regardless a good read.

[Danielle The Book Huntress]

This was a trippy one. Wolverine wakes up in Hell, but there's no explanation for how he ended up there, at least not at the beginning. You find out dribs and drabs of information as the story goes along, but plenty of disturbing scenes in the process. I can't decide what was more disturbing: Wolverine in Hell or the fact that he was doing his darnedest to send his friends and loved ones there along with him and not getting why. A little bit confusing of a read to me. And just the subject matter was kind of odd. I'm not used to Wolverine being in a metaphysical context (especially with sorcery and demonic possession as a factor.) It was interesting, that's for sure.

[Donovan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Can't say I'm a fan, because I was skimming at the end. Much like situation comedies, this is a situational comic: Wolverine goes to...hell, yeah, that'll look cool. And it does, the artwork is incredible. Renato Guedes makes hell and it's platitudinous demons come alive. But the content was rather shallow and I was kind of bored. There's a super thin veneer of blatant moral allegory, and because Logan is a tragic character he has to suffer and go to hell, but he's mostly just brawling with demons.

[James DeSantis · Rating 3 out of 5]

A dark turn for Logan after the more goofy adventure with SPidy.

So Logan is trapped in hell. This demon that took hold of his body is going around murdering people close to him to get revenge for people who HATE Logan but we don't know for which reasons yet. This leads Logan to basically have to fight through hell to get out while his Girlfriend is out in the real world trying to free his soul.

While I didn't find this volume mindblowingly awesome it was a step in the right direction after the last arc. Some cool moments, and great shots of vicious brutal battles in hell mixed with getting to see Logan's friends help him. The ending also set up some cool things for the next volume.

Least we're getting somewhere interesting now. A 3 out of 5.

[John Wiswell · Rating 1 out of 5]

On the plus side, you can bust through this in fifteen minutes.

On the minus side, that’s because there’s nothing worth savoring. Wolverine goes to Hell, meets the Devil (not any version previously existing in Marvel), Sabretooth, and at least one other startling character. Mystique turns good, Colossus gets gutted, Silver Samurai is murdered, and the Ghost Riders make surprising appearances. For all the outlandish and shocking material, nothing feels important. It has no weight. His body is possessed by a demon. Which demon? They don’t care, he’s just a jerk. Nobody cares about the victims at the end of the story, and the antagonists go down easily. Wolverine essentially beats the Devil in a fistfight. As a horrible fanboy of Wolverine’s, even I couldn’t buy into that.

There are multiple “Hell” word plays of the “Where the hell is Logan?”/“Exactly.” variety. There is a revelation that all this possession started because Wolverine was tricked into walking into the wrong room, which leaves me wondering why superheroes aren’t getting spiritually ganked left and right. Eventually we meet the Soulcutter, the newest sword that can hurt you even if you have a healing factor. It looks like a fallen tree. Once you introduce redundant magical cutlery, it’s time to rein the story in.

Next time, let’s have Wolverine Goes to the Old Folks Home. He can meet old enemies and learn to use his claws to knit.

[Logan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good! So this is the first volume from the Jason Aaron Wolverine run, and i got say i'm impressed! So the story is basically Wolverine's soul has been dragged to hell, while on earth a demon has possessed Wolverine's body and is causing chaos and destruction! The story was great and the art was great, overall a great read!

[Chris Lemmerman · Rating 4 out of 5]

When a shadowy cabal traps Wolverine's soul in Hell, he thinks that's the least of his worries. As he teams up with an unlikely ally to go after the Devil himself, Logan's constant battles wear him down, but he will stop at nothing to get back to himself. But back on the surface, his body isn't just laying around unattended - no, his vacant form is now occupied by demons, and they're going to use him to kill everyone he loves!

I've read the earlier Jason Aaron Wolverine stuff, although it was a long time ago now. This doesn't draw too much on that aside from the character of Melita Garner, so it's fairly new reader friendly. The dual narrative approach is a good one - I've always found Wolverine's supporting cast more interesting than Wolverine himself, and so having Wolvie battling in Hell while Melita, Mystique, and a cast of guest stars try to save Wolvie's body, keeps things interesting.

The idea for the plot itself is surprisingly good stuff - I'm not a huge fan of using the actual Devil here rather than a stand-in like Mephisto (it muddies the waters as to what actually happens when characters die etc.), but it does mean Wolverine can let lose since it's not an already established villain (as much as the Devil isn't established, I guess).

I think I found the stuff set back on Earth more compelling though - Wolvie's fighting is fun to watch unfold, but Melita's quest to save Wolverine no matter what held my attention more, especially when the X-Men and some other unexpected guests showed up to help.

Renato Guedes handles the art here, in a distinctly more European style similar to his work on the New 52 Constantine series. It works, strangely enough, because it feels so different to traditional American comics at this point. The colours are alternate between bright and washed out, which makes the hellscape feel alien while humanising the scenes set on Earth.

Also included are back-up stories from each issue, which are pencilled by Jason Latour, Steven Sanders, Michael Gaydos, and Jamie McKelvie as we get to see this new organisation going after some of Wolverine's allies. I'm not sure that keeping the last story, which shows how Wolverine ended up in Hell in the first place, right to the end is the best move, but these are more than the usual fluff that you get in back-up stories.

This definitely isn't a Wolverine story I've read before; it's easy to fall into the trap of having him do the same things over and over since they've worked so well in the past, but Aaron tries something new with this story, and it pays off.

[Emmett Spain · Rating 3 out of 5]

A wildly over-the-top script from Jason Aaron delivers his trademark outlandish dialogue, a clear sense of character, and all manner of schlocky violence. People are gutted, burned, dismembered, you name it. It’s a wild one.

[William Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've been rough on Wolverine writers in recent years. I've been especially rough on Jason Aaron for making some seriously convoluted plot twists and back stories. But here, he dug the claws in and didn't let go.

Wolverine is a character that is the perfect platform for catharsis. He is the perfect character to filter all of the abuse through, all of the punishment, and can still live to take it all again another day. The writers pour out all of their negativity onto his being like they're purging it in a confessional. And maybe that's what makes a good Wolverine book. Not a convoluted plot, but a cathartic exercise. Because it isn't only that way for the writer, it's the same for the reader. We want to see him take his beatings just as much as we want to see him deliver them.

And that's why this book gets 5 stars. Despite what other reviewers would have you believe, there is quite a bit in this book worth your while. It's a perfect Wolverine story in every way. It has absolutely no retroactive memory sequences, no convoluted back story from 100 years earlier, and no Deadpool.

Instead, what you get is Wolverine playing Saint of Killers in Hell, Ghost Rider, Maelstrom, Mystique and very dead Puck. Sit back, enjoy the dialogue, the brilliant internal monologue, and don't over-think it.

[J. · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm not a big fan of any 'goes to hell' plotline. The concept of hell is a horrifying one, and I like to preserve the idea for worst-thing-imaginable kind of scenarios. I think it's a useful cultural concept to have, and I find that sending characters there to beat up the devil, to downplay the potential horror and torture of the whole thing, is trivializing, and it always strikes me as the archetypal example of a writer trying too hard. I suppose there's no easier (and lazier) way to prove your character is tough than to have them beat up the devil. But it's too obvious, and Wolverine's trip to hell doesn't modify the formula enough to be interesting.

Having said my complaints about the very premise of the book, it's a totally fine, if completely uninspiring read, with good art, and a promising setup for future adventures, via the events back on earth. I'm glad *this* volume is over, but I'll gladly read the next.

[Des Fox · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not very interesting, not very well executed, and way too liberal with collateral damage. Most of this book was just plain stupid, and could have been way neater if they explored the Dante parallels at all. This was just messy and bad. The art though, is really fantastic. The line art is very clean, with colors that aren't afraid to be colorful. It's a joy to flip through.

[Eli Poteet · Rating 3 out of 5]

oh darn, this is volume 1? meaning theres potentially more volumes of this demonic bullshit stort? bummer. anyway, i wasnt super impressed with this story. i didnt need a good explaination so much as an actually hellish landscape. what, hell is just a fire pit with a purple devil with a big mouth? its trite, its boring, its been done. old logan traveling into the future was hell, the first 4 volumes of that series is devestating and terrible for logan. this story i just read just came across like hangover bad dream.

although, i will say i had a special moment of reflection in the story when logans dad appears. that touched me because i remember when wolverines origin storyb
was freshly printed. i remember its atmosphere, the sensation of marvels biggest mystery being revealed and how the first sight of those bone claws made me feel. that effect has been long lost now but i appreciated the triggered reflection.

also, its weird to not know all of logans story, i dont know anything about his daughter and i certainly dont know how the old logan universe ended. nevertheless, i prolly wont read this title again but the artwork of the release covers is GORGEOUS.

[Jason · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am a fan of Jason Aaron's writing, but the dialogue in hell was atrociously overwrought. I can't tell you how many times I rolled my eyes. This was saved from an extremely rare one-star review by the "Scorched Earth" short stories at the end, which weren't fantastic, but at least readable. I've read through volume 4 and it does get better, by the way.

[Jess · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cool graphic novel about Wolverine's soul being trapped inside hell and what happens to him there. I loved the illustrations throughout and the story was deep with a lot of twists and turns. Loved the reunions with other characters and the battle against the devil.

[Simon · Rating 1 out of 5]

Terribly terribly poor. Also, Wolverine sure does get sexually assaulted a lot.

[Jeff Lanter · Rating 4 out of 5]

As with much of Jason Aaron's work on Wolverine, I enjoyed this volume. While this series is not a must read, I think it continues to be great for anybody interested in reading Wolverine for the first time. It is interesting that this book has received a lower score than the last volume of the Weapon X series, because the storyline is remarkably similar. Instead of Terminator, this time it is Hell trying to kill Wolverine and his friends. I liked quite a few things about Wolverine Goes to Hell including the actual concept of him dealing with his sins, which makes a ton of sense to me and was enjoyable to read. He also runs into a few people from his past and one in particular was very cool and interesting. I also loved the cameo of Colossus and Kitty. Their relationship is great and reminded me of how great Astonishing X-Men is. The art is also nice and if nothing else, Wolverine looks great! All in all, if you like the previous stories Aaron wrote, this one will satisfy. I am looking forward to seeing how Wolverine and the X-Men get along in the next trade paperback.

[Jacob · Rating 2 out of 5]

I've enjoyed everything of Jason Aaron's I've read up to this point, although that certainly doesn't mean I've been able to read everything that's been printed. To date, I've not yet read his entire Ghost Rider series nor the Spider-man & Wolverine series. Nowadays, I believe, he's been charged with writing the core mutant-team titles, which I've not read. Wolverine: WGTH is perhaps the 4th story-arch by Aaron and the setting is obviously hell. Much like how I find time travel plots less interesting than other types, a going to hell setting ranks up there in the predicable outcome department. Personally, I think Wolverine work best doing revenge kind of plots, but since Aaron has already done that he probably wanted a new challenge. It's too bad this storyline didn't bring back any dead Marvel characters (you know, the few that have not already been resurrected) in the same way Dc Comics brought their dead back with Blackest Night.

[Valentin Derevlean · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mi s-a părut mult mai bun la a doua lectură. Ideea de a-l trimite pe Wolverine în iad, oricât de absurdă ar părea, nu e rea deloc. Sigur. Jason Aaron te pune în fața faptului împlinit: Spiritul lui Wolverine luptă în iad contra creaturilor întunecate și a tuturor dușmanilor uciși de-a lungul vremii, în timp ce trupul său posedat ucide la suprafață tot ce prinde. O poveste cu plusuri și minusuri, dar căreia nu poți să nu îi recunoști prospețimea ideilor.

Cu arta lui Renato Guedes m-am împăcat relativ. Are cadre excelente, desenarea iadului cu siguranță nu a fost ceva ușor de reinterpretat. Însă și portrete ciudate. Per ansamblu, cred că îi iese onorabilă toată povestea. Copertele, oh, doamne. Doar pentru coverurile lui Jae Lee și June Chung ar merita cumpărate numerele individuale. O minunăție :)

[Shannon Appelcline · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wolverine Goes to Hell (Wv4 #1-5). When I first heard about it, I thought the premise to this storyline was horrible. But Aaron does spectacular things with it. The heart of the story is in who Wolverine meets in Hell. His interactions with Mariko are heartbreaking and worth 5 stars all on their own. I also love Aaron's acknowledgement of the history in Wolverine: Origin. Overall, everything in Hell is a great bit of continuity and characterization alike. But, Aaron also gives depth to the story with the goings-on in the world above. Overall, this tour de force is Aaron's first truly great Wolverine arc [5/5].

[Sonic · Rating 2 out of 5]

Tch * ...


Sorry but I expected more from Jason Aaron.

And even with cameos from a couple of my favorite (Damned) characters,

it was still flat soda-pop.

I wonder if the artist broke it in this case. Though, I dunno, ...

Meh.

[Lord · Rating 1 out of 5]

This and Wolverine: Get Mystique are easily among the worst Wolverine stories I've ever read. Jason Aaron really drags Wolverine to hell.

[Raiveran Rabbit · Rating 1 out of 5]

This story sucks so bad, if you were to give it a long enough drinking straw, the nearest planets to ours would be in peril.

[Alex E · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't think this title would be so literal, but... yeah - this is Wolverine literally in hell.

Leave it to someone like Jason Aaron to think of a plot this messed up. Where the actual devil is reveling in the fact that he gets to torture Logan for all his sins. I feel like this story is a bit of black humor, in that, its so ridiculous at times, that it has to be funny. And don't get me wrong, there are moments where it gets very serious and very real, but then we go back to Logan literally being tortured by demons and you cant help but be reminded that you are reading a comic book after all.

I did however appreciate the fact that Aaron took this opportunity to do a bit of a character study on Wolverine. While showing his loved ones and his enemies all reflecting on who Logan is and what they mean to them - it was an interesting way of evaluating the character of Logan. I also appreciated the art in this volume, Renato Guedes isn't someone I'm terribly familiar with, but I did enjoy the style. He has a detailed look that was really a good choice - especially for some of the more gruesome parts.

Overall, this was a bit silly but entertaining. I would definitely recommend it to fans of Wolverine who don't mind a bit of "comics" in their comics.

[B · Rating 3 out of 5]

This collection appears to be entirely backwards. There's a short story at the end that sets up everything that happens going forward. Without that, it's very confusing.

The elevation of Melina Garner here feels confusing. She completely vanished from the entire end of Daniel Way's run. Was that where we left off?

Also, how many secret societies to destroy Wolverine are there?

The demon Wolverine just feels foreign. It's not a twisted version of Wolverine. It's just an unstoppable demon that looks like Wolverine.

Good bits and pieces here but not much other than to achieve the objective of tearing down Wolverine's rep so he could build it back up as Chuck with Claws in Wolverine & the X-Men.

[Βαλάντης Δοξάκιερ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wolverine is even way more deadly and emotional and heroic and dangerous since he is in hell since he died. This graphic novel and the story of it are even better than other Wolverine , x-men and marvel in general. The action and the drama and the tragedy are even better in here. I love it soooo much this graphic novel and it's story. I desperately want and even need more Wolverine stories and comics such as this one right here. Wolverine is my first super hero and anti hero ever.

[Francine · Rating 2 out of 5]

I've only read the first chapter because I have it as a single issue for some reason (possibly a Free Comic Book Day thing). It was alright. I like the design for the Demon In Logan's Body. Not really invested in anything else. Really didn't care about this Wraith character who gets a pretty lengthy introduction for it to go nowhere in this chapter (but I assume he ends up in Hell with Logan at some point).

[Juan Ramon Umana Fernandez · Rating 5 out of 5]

There's a reason Jason Aaron is consider one of the best

Aaron has a incredible range as a writer, but when dealing with spiritual stories about tourtured souls like Logan, he shines. This volume has a nice tale about going to tell and coming back, and the questions that should bring up. Not excessive, just the right amount of shell imagery and thrills. P good.

[C · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm still continuing my great x-read of 2017/2018 and I am WAY behind on reviews due to a move and limited down time. I will be updating everything I have read in the meantime with tiny (or nonexistent) reviews so I can catch up again...

This one really felt like a struggle for me to finish. It just seemed pointless and stretched on forever. A bit like Hell, really.