Wolverine: Der Beste, Bd. 4: Mörderische Bande

Wolverine (2020)

by Benjamin Percy, Adam Kubert (illustrator)

Deadpool will Ehrenbürger von Krakoa sein. Logan will, dass er einfach die Klappe hält. Aber als Wade ein Komplott aufdeckt, das alle Mutanten bedroht, ist Teamwork gefragt.

Genres: Comics, Marvel, X Men, Graphic Novels, Superheroes, Graphic Novels Comics, Comic Book

Kindle Edition

Published April 4, 2023

About the author

Benjamin Percy is the author of seven novels -- most recently The Sky Vault (William Morrow) -- three short fiction collections, and a book of essays, Thrill Me, that is widely taught in creative writing classrooms. He writes Wolverine, X-Force, and Ghost Rider for Marvel Comics. His fiction and nonfiction have been published in Esquire (where he is a contributing editor), GQ, Time, Men's Journal, Outside, the Wall Street Journal, Tin House, and the Paris Review. His honors include an NEA fellowship, the Whiting Writer's Award, the Plimpton Prize, two Pushcart Prizes, the iHeart Radio Award for Best Scripted Podcast, and inclusion in Best American Short Stories and Best American Comics.

Reviews

[Baba · Rating 2 out of 5]

After the superlative first season/run of Wolverine almost everything that has followed has been middling space-filler and this season continues that trend. Even worse I have to put up with Deadpool. All the good things going on in the X-Men universe you'd think they'd have a more entertaining Wolverine solo book, for starters one mostly focused on Wolverine and not X-Force exploits. I really need to grow a pair and start dropping X-book titles. A 5 out of 12 Two Star middling read.

2024 read

[Oscar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved the Deadpool Wolverine team up!

[Khurram · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great to see Deadpool back. I think a lot of people's opinion of this book are what they think of Deadpool. He is the star for the first four issues of this book. He is at his fourth wall-breaking best here. Apart from the insanity he brings with him, I can't agree more with him calling the X-MEN "tree-hugging, hippies."

As much as I am glad to see Deadpool back. With two of Marvel's most unstoppable killing machines going up against another X fighting machine, I expected a lot more violence. In fairness, there was more action in this book than recently. The ending to this was a bit of a cop-out for me. Also, I am hoping Maverick is left alone. He is just not used properly. He is almost a comic relief character instead of a bad@$$ mercenary.

The second story arc is the Judgment arc. How will Wolverine be tested, and how will he be judged? Solem also returns as does a grievance from their shared past. As much as I like the Judgment arc, I am annoyed that there never seems to be a reckoning between the two. Solem always seems to be two steps of Wolverine. It has got to the point where I just want Wolverine to stick his claws through Solem's smug face. The book finishes with a cover gallery and a thumbnail version of the variant covers.

[Robert · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Deadpool stuff was good cheeky fun, the last two issues about Solem? Couldn’t have cared less.

[Frédéric · Rating 1 out of 5]

4 issues starring Deadpool- a major no-no in my book- and 2 verbose tie-ins from another bloody event. Art is cool but still.

Sigh.

[Trevor Dailey · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think it's time for Percy to leave. Most of this was 90s nostalgia. Adding Deadpool feels like adding a new baby to a sitcom.

Read via Marvel Unlimited.

[Adam Fisher · Rating 4 out of 5]

This whole Volume starts off with Logan reflecting on how he always prefers to work alone, but then the entire Volume has him teaming up with others! LOL
Highlights:
- Every book is better with Deadpool in it! Wade is still trying to infiltrate and be a part of Krakoa, hoping to join X-Force, but Wolverine isn't having it. Even with Wolverine's severed hand on the line!
- Causing trouble for both of them is Danger (the personification of the Danger Room, remember?) and Maverick. But somehow, even though it takes chopping Deadpool in half to get him through Adamantium prison cell bars so he can help open the door (this scene is awesome!), they are able to overcome and win the day.
- Did I just see Logan invite Deadpool back to join X-Force???
- The second half is a tie-in to A.X.E. (which I haven't read yet and am looking forward to reading it soon) Tracking down Solem (his fight from X of Swords), Logan informs him that the Hellbride (I can't remember exactly where she came into the picture, but I know she is mad that Wolverine got the two Muramasa swords from Hell) is after them both. Pledging to work together, Solem and Logan will take on the Celestial (again, a plot point from A.X.E.) and then kill the Hellbride. Of course Solem betrays him in the end, taking one of the blades with him.

I'm interested to see what is next for Wolverine. The future of the X-Books is a little hazy post-A.X.E. for me because I am trying to stay away from spoilers.

Wolverine is generally always a good title. Keep up the good work, Mr. Percy.
Recommend.

[Quentin Wallace · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

This volume features a Deadpool team up and a crossover with the "Judgement Day" event. It's not bad, but not great either. This comes across as a middle of the road volume to me, although the art was above average.

[Cassie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Solem and Deadpool both call Wolverine “Lo-Lo” and that’s very cute. I liked seeing Danger show up but I hate how she was used. I get that there’s probably an editorial mandate to lose characters like her and Omega Sentinel, non mutant allies that complicate the Krakoa era, but she’s right. They did abandon her.

[Liz · Rating 4 out of 5]

I forgot how much I loved comics until Deadpool and Wolverine forced me down a hyperfixation rabbit hole 👌🏻

3.75 stars

[Bertazzo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Damn, that was fun.

[Ross · Rating 4 out of 5]

We interrupt this 4th volume of 'Wolverine' to present to you a brand new team up book...

TADA! It's 'Deadpool and Wolverine'

(Ok, the title is a work in progress, but a welcome break from the recent chaotic nature of the Wolverine series).

After the 'X Deaths of Wolverine' and 'X Lives...', we catch up with a tired as hell Wolverine who's told to take a break from all his time jumping / Xavier rescuing adventures. He's supposed to have 'fun'(?) What's that? Logan hasn't forgotten about the X-Desk shenanigans and his severed hand that was up for auction. Looks like it's time for a road trip to get things sorted.

Meanwhile, we have a....(classic?) Deadpool appearance. No longer settling for X-Men membership (he tried that once when they were in California), Wade has set his sights on Krakoan citizenship. His latest scheme is to help his buddy, Wolverine and get back to some of that sweet X-Force action. What we end up with.....is a 3 issue run of Deadpool's greatest hits. Characters from his series are woven into the plot. Even the exposition and recaps in the issues are 'Deadpool'-ified with new (literal) scribbles. Seeing is believing. It gives the series a much needed boost in energy.

Oh. We also get a mopey A.X.E. tie-in with a morose Logan moaning about how much bloodshed he's caused. (We know. It's a 'dark and troubled past' thing)
--------------------
This was super fun. It gave the series a chance to recover between being dragged back and forth between X-title tie-ins. I wonder if a Deadpool appearance still influences sales. It definitely made me want to read the next issue.

Bonus: Wilhelm scream! (go ahead, look it up!)
Bonus Bonus: Point this big gun at the enemies and they'll be toast...

[Dakota Morgan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I somehow skipped this one in my read-through of the Wolverine series and it's clear from the narrative here why I didn't notice: this fourth volume returns Wolverine to his one-and-done, lone-wolf ways. Which is fine by me!

Of course, Wolverine attempting to lone wolf it in the Krakoa era means he's bound to have some kind of unanticipated hanger-on. In this case, it's Deadpool, who is desperate to get back onto the X-Force team now that Krakoa is a mutant wonderland. (Makes sense now why he keeps turning up in later Wolverine and X-Force volumes)

The jokey material is pretty decent, surprisingly, and the action material is standard Wolverine stuff. Conspiracies and robot clones, etc. The art is fantastic. Then we get two AXE tie-in issues, which oddly choose to bring back Solem from X of Swords. Wolverine is judged, as expected. The snowy art makes it hard to see what's going on. All told: quality Wolverine volume, glad I came back to it.

[Jason Tanner · Rating 3 out of 5]

Percy's Wolverine book is consistently interesting and technically proficient, but I'm not sure I actually enjoy it. His characterization of Logan feels off. It almost reads as a self-parody at times. It leans too hard in to the TV cowboy/ronin/self-martyr tropes. Oh, he's a hard drinkin', ass kickin' loner who doesn't allow himself to feel comfort or joy because he's done bad things in the past? Yes, and?

I mean, I actually really like how Percy revisits a lot of 90s Wolverine characters like Maverick and Omega Red, and the vampire stuff was kind of fun, but overall this run is pretty joyless. I know Logan is of a grim demeanor, but, like, he has an actual family now, with a semi-healthy dynamic. They almost never come up in this book.

It's not a bad book, but I don't think it's the Wolverine book I want to read. But I'm pretty heavily invested in Krakoa at this point, and I want to see how it all shakes out.

[Joey Nardinelli · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another series I’ve typically liked of late seems to be taking another nosedive thanks to Judgement Day (this all feels contrived and pointless and in Logan’s case, involves a bunch of characters I just DO NOT care about). The stuff with Deadpool is fun, but the plot of that run ends pointlessly. The bar spin-off seems like a fun premise but also ends without ever saying much of anything. I just feel like all the X-men offshoots and even the core comics are in something of a talespin in this era and BLEH.

[Sean · Rating 3 out of 5]

At this point in my comics reading life, I only want Deadpool in Deadpool books because nothing can be serious. Here, Deadpool desperately wants to be apart of Krakoa/X-Force while Logan wants nothing to do with him. Jeff's life is getting more insane and he needs Logan and maybe Deadpool. I like Percy's inclusion of Jeff as it grounds Logan. Deadpool's inclusion here is superfluous. The AXE stuff was bleh. Still, very good art throughout. Overall, decent Wolverine team-up but not what I want in this book.

[Matthew Ward · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.75 stars. I really enjoyed the Deadpool/Wolverine dynamic in this volume a lot. I found myself wanting a team-up series with these two written by Percy every time I flipped the page. The only knock on this volume would be the celestial tie-in. Though it wasn’t too bad, it just felt forced for an event issue. I did especially love the anniversary story from various contributors at the end of this, as well.

[Jacob · Rating 3 out of 5]

They did my boy Wade right, and Percy wrote him really well, especially in regards to him actually being a human being and not some caricature. Happy Logan finally recognized him as somewhat mutant. Judgement Day tie in was dumb and lame though which sucks because the Wolverine/Deadpool issues were great.

[johnny ♡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

love that deadpool.

[Matt Sautman · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is essentially a Deadpool and Wolverine book that explores how Deadpool becomes associated with X-Force on Krakoa while also tying into the Judgment Day event.

[Alex Sarll]

Deadpool tries to worm (/dig/stab) his way back into mutant circles – it's a story we've seen before, but not for a while, and this captures the infuriating yet genuinely funny Ryan Reynolds version of the character in a way Deadpool's own titles have found oddly elusive in recent years. Possibly being able to take over the data pages helps, providing a new twist on meta shenanigans which still feel novel on screen but have perhaps grown too familiar on the page.

That's followed by two issues which bolt a fresh layer of metaphysics and an X Of Swords throwback on to AXE, a formula which was never likely to work for me. Yes, Solem is probably the least shit of the Arakko characters, but coming right after Deadpool his devilish refusal to take anything seriously doesn't have its usual freshness. Still, even here, and despite the mis-step of X Lives & Deaths Of Wolverine, there's always that reminder of just how well Percy gets the character, his willingness to take more than his share of the world's pain not just to make up for how much he's dished out, but also to spare others from the burden.

And finally, a little jam story about what bars mean to Logan, which is oddly moving, maybe because it reminded me how much I miss some of the pubs closed or tidied up over the years. Even if I have generally opted for a slightly classier sort of establishment than these.

[Chris Lemmerman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Probably more of a 3.5, but we're rounding down today.

First up, Deadpool and a reluctant Wolverine track down the remnants of the auction from a few volumes back, only to run afoul of Danger! Then Solem returns, bringing Wolverine into a conflict with the Hand's Hellbride.

The Danger story is easily the better of the two here. Percy handles Wolverine and Deadpool's banter well without making Wade too annoying or Wolvie too grumpy, and I'm always a fan of Danger, even if she's reverted a little in this arc. Adam Kubert's on art for all four issues of this story, so that's nice. I'm surprised he's stuck around this long, but he's welcome, if still a little rough for my tastes.

The Hand two-parter feels like it's really rushed - there's a lot going on, not just with Solem and the Hellbride but the story ties into AXE as well, and there's not really enough real estate to do everything justice, so it comes across a bit sloppy. The artwork is Federico Vincentini who drew one of the X Lives/Deaths of Wolverine mini-series, so he's on familiar ground.

Not a bad collection, but the latter half definitely lets the side down by trying to do too much with too little page space.

[Micah Taylor · Rating 3 out of 5]

People have such a hard time writing Deadpool… because not all good writers are funny… and even the funny ones can try too hard. That being said, the first part of this volume—starring Deadpool—still had a pretty fun story to carry it and make it enjoyable. But there are two things we really don’t need any more of in Wolverine books anymore: stories about Solem, and Vicentini’s indistinguishable frenetic art… unfortunately we get both in the last third of this book.

[Tyler Jenkins · Rating 4 out of 5]

Deadpool made this well worth the read even if the mission was a little uninteresting and of course Judgement Day to spice things up at the end there. I’m just excited to see what Wolverine does next as his solo series has confined to pull full breaks on what is an interesting story to do something else.

[Keef Davidson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Pretty boring. There's very little payoff. The robot from the Xavier house being the antagonist was a cool idea but it was such a small portion of this collection. I barely followed the hell to pay storyline. Some of the back and forth between Deadpool and wolverine was fun.

[Tuni · Rating 2 out of 5]

Marginally improved by Deadpool, but still just as tired and uninteresting as ever. Let’s get all the toys out and have them do the same shit over and over again while being sad, broken, and myopic.

[Michael Church · Rating 1 out of 5]

I grabbed a handful of Wolverine volumes from the library because of how his solo intersected with some of the Beast story in X-Force. So far, this volume has just reminded me how much Wolverine is not my cup of tea.

I think Percy actually does a fine job with the character. He seems to have the voice down from what I would expect, I just don’t like it. Compounding that is the presence of Deadpool. Usually I can appreciate both characters. I loved what I read of Cullen Bunn’s Deadpool back in the day, and I loved Wolverine and the X-Men, so I can like these characters. Unfortunately, this book is so focused on its own gruffness that I can’t have any fun with it, even with Deadpool trying to lighten the mood. Instead, it makes it a pretty dense few issues that are kind of at odds with each other.

The first arc ends up being about Danger, the sentient being that used to be at the heart of the X-Men’s danger room. Except she doesn’t get much development or screen time. There’s a bunch of things started about the CIA using robot X-Men to give them a bad image and Wade trying to get onto X-Force, but when we finally encounter Danger, it’s just “you left me behind,” and that’s kind of it. There’s no resolution. We don’t see anything from her point of view. She even has a daughter, seemingly with a robot Xavier that we could spend a long time unpacking. But instead, she is just left behind with some platitudes about not living in the past.

We then go into the Judgement Day crossover event, which, you guessed it, focuses on Wolverine’s perception of his past as a killer. He keeps talking about not being worthy of surviving, even though the very last issue ended with him saying you have to move on from the past. It does some pretty tropey things with him saving an enemy to show that he’s actually a good guy, and honestly I just rolled my eyes. It’s fine, but not for me.

Finally, there’s a backup story with a slew of artists about how much Wolverine loves bars and whiskey and beer and fighting in bars. It just makes him seem like a violent alcoholic kind of. It also introduces Flamingeaux, who has a great name, but a godawful design. There seems to be no point to this except that Wolverine will fight anyone who is aggressive toward him in a bar, which, congrats, I guess?

The art is fine throughout, though I admit I glazed over for a while there. It was just so much going on page to page and nothing actually happening. If you’re a Wolverine fan, you may like this more than I did, but if not, I doubt this will be the volume to convince you.

[Subham · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such a great volume omg and I have tried reading this volume in the last year so many times but always got put off for one reason or another but this was so worth it!!

The story starts with a Deadpool narrative about the growing importance of X-Men and wanting to come into prominence again and I love the 4th wall breaking lol and his reluctance to join X-Men again and he wants a team-up with Wolverine and its so hilarious how the two do team up vs Danger who seems to have her own motives and also after some briefcase thing which in turn gets stolen by Weasel and Maverick and its a whole mess of characters fighting and Logan continually chopping off Wade's body lol, its so funny and Percy writes a badass wade!

But the big story is their return to Westchester and stopping Danger and it was such a great story though the motive for the villain was weird and lame but oh well fun story!

The next story is a tie-in to Judgment day with Hellbride looking to avenge her dead husband so she wants to kill Logan and Solem (this happened during X of swords so) and its kinda funny how it all happens and Logan's guilt on being judged and he knows he is guilty and we see how it all connects and a team up with Solem vs this Hellbride and the obvious fun twists and all.. this was one of the better tie-ins to the events and actually does some entertaining stuff and if you know the history of Logan, it hits hard!

This was a fun story with some cool moments here and there but you will have a good time overall reading it, and amazing art throughout btw!

[Rick Ray · Rating 1 out of 5]

Percy's Wolverine had its ups, but it's steadily been coming down in terms of quality. I'll admit I enjoyed X Lives of Wolverine/X Deaths of Wolverine more than I expected to, but the overall direction of this title has been lacking for me.

To spice things up, Deadpool co-stars in this volume. Deadpool and Wolverine have traditionally been a fun pairing, though in moderation. I tired of their banter by the second issue together, mostly because Percy's writing of Deadpool dials up the annoying factor by a magnitude. The plot concerns itself with yet another plot that can doom Krakoa, but only Deadpool has the answer to solve the problem as he continues to hope for citizenship. Bickering like the old married couple they are, the pair go on a mindless, forgettable little side adventure. Then we're treated to two of most boring tie-in issues to A.X.E.: Judgment Day.

This is an utterly skippable volume in my opinion, and a sad reflection on how stale most of the Krakoa era books have become.

[Chad · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Deadpool story is definitely the better of the two presented here. Percy writes Deadpool properly. Not too goofy but funny while Wolverine remains surly. Deadpool just wants to be allowed on Krakoa and given his history deserves it way more than a lot of the clowns on the island. Then Solem returns because the Hellbride is back in a Judgement Day tie-in that doesn't make a lot of sense. It's a waste of 2 issues including the 25th anniversary one.