Wolverines, Vol. 3: The Living and the Dead

Wolverines

by Ray Fawkes (Writer), Charles Soule (Writer)

Romance is brewing between X-23 and, well, you'll have to read to find out! But is it unrequited or unwise for heroes to get tangled in love? The battle inside the man known as Shogun is now risking the lives of his teammates and friends...looks like evil may prevail? What does that mean for the overall mission at hand? Fantomelle and Culpepper have been fighting tooth and claw for an unknown benefactor, risking their lives for everything...but who are they risking it all for?

Collecting: Wolverines 11-15

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

112 pages, Paperback

First published July 28, 2015

About the author

Ray Fawkes is the critically-acclaimed author of the comics and graphic novels Underwinter, Intersect, One Soul, The People Inside, The Spectral Engine, Possessions, and Junction True, as well as Batman: Eternal, Constantine, Justice League Dark, and Gotham by Midnight (DC), Wolverines (Marvel), Black Hammer '45 (Dark Horse), Jackpot! (AfterShock) and more. He is an Eisner, Harvey, and Shuster award nominee and a YALSA award winner.

Ray has been making comics for over 20 years, starting with and continuing the tradition of DIY fiction as well as working for many major comics publishers in the U.S. and Canada.

Reviews

[Chad · Rating 1 out of 5]

I can't express how much I hate this book. The art is by a different artist each issue but still manages to all be terrible. Fang, who in the past was a Wolverine ripoff in the Imperial Guard, is apparently now a god. I feel like Marvel is in this mode of "F### it! We're rebooting the universe anyway and none of these stories will matter anyway"

[Thomas Edmund · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm starting to get the feeling that I've been sucked into a lengthy comic book series more angled to sell than to impress with writing talent. Don't get me wrong there is some strong action and a few twists to the story, but at this point I'm just impatient to see what Mystique's master plan is, and the inclusion and drawing out of the story of the 'Wolverines' is getting a little tiresome - to illustrate I can literal cut and paste this review into the next volume without having to really change anything. (sorry team for anyone who clicks on the previous review expecting anything different other than changing next to previous)

[Jonathan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Another turdfest. The only saving grace is when...Deadpool shows up for an issue:


The art in this volume hits an all-new low on consistency. In the span of three issues, Daken has three totally different hairstyles. The coup de grâce has to be when he goes from his standard mohawk look, to a full head of hair from one issue to the next.

[Robert]

Couldn't even finish this. Just made me sad and confused.

[Krzysztof Grabowski · Rating 2 out of 5]

Trzeci tom Wolverines zaczyna się dokładnie w momencie zakończenia poprzedniego zbioru, a mianowicie kiedy Fang zabiera Laurę na małą wycieczkę. W międzyczasie Mistique próbuje znaleźć słaby punkt przeciwnika, gdyż całe zamieszanie z kosmitą wybitnie burzy założenia jej własnego planu, a który to wiąże się ze wskrzeszeniem osoby bliskiej jej sercu.

I tak ponownie mamy zatrzęsienie akcji, ale bez większej głębi, w dodatku w pewnym momencie bez składu i ładu, bo chyba tylko dla podbicia sprzedaży tytułu autorzy postanowili wrzucić do tego kotła Blade i przede wszystkim… Deadpoola. Tak, w Wolverines cały jeden zeszyt w praktyce poświęcono Wade’owi Wilson’owi. Wychodzi na jaw komu Fantomelle zbierała całe te pamiątki po Loganie. Tylko po to, aby dodatkowy „bohater” pochodził w ciuchach Rosomaka, a potem popajacował tu i ówdzie, finalnie nawet dostając łupnia od samej She-Hulk.

Miało być to z założenia zabawne i było, ale tylko tak ociupinkę. Uzurpator próbuje naśladować Logana w odzywkach i w członkostwie w różnych grupach, co było ukazane na kilku krótkich, ale humorystycznie trafionych obrazach. Zaraz potem wątek się urywa. Typowy filler, pasujący tu jak pięść do nosa. Fang z kolei w końcu dochodzi, kto jako ostatni miał kontakt z Wolverine’m i dochodzi do konfrontacji, która kończy się nijako.

Z całości najciekawszy wydał mi się wątek Shoguna i Lady Deathstrike, która pragnie aby Ogun, (jej dawny kochanek tkwiący w podświadomości Shoguna) przejął kontrolę nad ciałem, w którym bytuje i znów chodził po tym globie. Od biedy wycieczka Dakena i Laury, która zakończyła się walną walką z Siphonem też dała radę. Reszta zasługuje tylko na krótkie „meh”.

Także pod względem graficznym żadna kreska mnie nie zachwyciła. Ostatni zeszyt prezentował się nieźle i praca bodajże Juana Doe, była najlepszą rzeczą jaka mogła się tu przydarzyć. Reszta, zwłaszcza to co towarzyszyło gościnnym występom, a co bodajże zaproponowali nam Jason Masters i Ariela Kristantina, wyglądało momentami koszmarnie. Ale tak to bywa, kiedy każdy zeszyt jest "robiony" z innej bajki. Zabieg ryzykowny i czasami się nie opłaca. Przykład macie tutaj.

Trzeci tom w głównej mierze niestety niezbyt mi się podobał. Nie jest to długa czy rozbudowana historia, bo te pięć zeszytów czyta się szybko, niemniej nie czerpałem z tego żadnej przyjemności, a takie zabiegi z wrzuceniem jakieś gościnnej postaci i to w takim stylu mocno mi nie pasują. Nie przy takiej okazji, kiedy mamy poważną historię, a tu nagle jeden zeszyt z „d$%y”. Za bardzo wpływa mi to na "wczuwkę".

[Alex E · Rating 2 out of 5]

So the book with a rotating creative team continues on and the feeling of reading a fractured story also continues!

I'm actually kind of shocked that this book got so far into volumes. Volume 3 continues the story from last time, where Fang is taking each one of the "Wolverines" to have a 1 on 1 adventure with them. It starts with x23 who Fang doesn't really have a beef with. He basically tells her that she is the only one that Wolverine really liked out of the whole group. We then get a battle between Shogun and Lady Deathstrike - which kind of goes nowhere. There's an issue with Deadpool as he tries to become the new Wolverine - actually that one was pretty entertaining. And the whole thing ends with Mystique - once again - having some kind of nefarious plan up her sleeve.

This series doesn't really make sense, and the shifting creative team only worsens the experience. I'm reading this because I'm a completionist and I really like X23 as a character, but if you aren't either one of those things, this can definitely be skipped.

[Villain E · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is not good, but it's better than the last volume.

The first couple issues continue and resolve the story of Fang looking for Wolverine's killer, with a flat ending making a statement on how stupid that arc was. Then Deadpool dresses up in Wolverine's old gear, because the world needs a Wolverine. This is the closest thing to good in this book. Then Mystique has some machinations which indicate there might have been a thought-through plot after all. Guest-starring Blade, for some reason.

[James · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.75 stars. This volume was slighter better than the last one. Thank goodness. Some of this was decent. My favorite was once you see who Fatomelle was stealing all that stuff for, it paid off. Such a funny entertaining issue. Then the battle with Siphon was pretty cool, poorly written (especially the last issue) but pretty cool fight with that cameo. Well, one more volume to go. C’mon let’s finish strong. Lol!!

[KT Pettiette · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yay, X-23! Any comic with X-23 in it is already a good one in my opinion. But honestly, it was also cool aside from her.

This was the first one of this series that I've read, so can I just say WOW THAT'S A LOT OF WOLVERINE PEOPLE. I know that there weren't actually that many, but still. I thought it was Wolvie, Laura, and that Daken guy. But I'm totally here for it, because I love Wolverine.

Speaking of 'that Daken guy' X has a... brother? Ok then. I would like more of them together please. I don't care if their relationship is horrible; it's Wolverine siblings and I want more. I know that Daken is way different from Gabby, but he still seems... interesting. Maybe crazy.

Who is this weird, split-personality, sword swinging, possibly pointy finger lady's boyfriend? He is intriguing. I want to know more.

So, yeah, this book definitely makes me want to read the rest of the series. These Wolverines obviously aren't nearly as good as actual Wolverine, but they're fun. Operation: somehow get money and buy the first book starts now!

[Quentin Wallace · Rating 3 out of 5]

As with the prior volumes, this isn't a bad series, I'm just having a problem putting it into perspective. I don't know where the story is going, and it seems almost like the story is spinning it's wheels. There's one issue featuring Deadpool in this collection that was an entertaining story, but it was inserted out of nowhere and I don't know why it was even included as it doesn't fit smoothly into the rest of the series.

I still find the volume entertaining, but I keep waiting for a payoff that hasn't shown up yet. I hope they pull the trigger in the last volume because so far it hasn't been satisfying. Not bad, but missing the mark in a way.

[Silas · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book starts with the second half of a story that wasn't finished in the last volume, which isn't great, since it's been some time since I read that last volume. That part is reasonably good, even if Fang is characterized somewhat strangely. More things are happening here than in previous volumes, but some of it is... odd. The art deteriorates sharply in the last couple of issues, in tandem with the story, so I enjoyed this volume less than the previous two, but am still hopeful that the next volume will get better again.

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I felt that this was the best volume in this series thus far, honestly mostly because of the fun cameos from other super heroes (although adding Blade was a little over the top - he really didn't have a purpose). Deadpool was funny, until suddenly the reader finds that Deadpool was also used as a device to show something about Wolverine (it made it a little more serious and sad; the Deadpool scenes were a good addition).

[B · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like the Deadpool issue and thought it could have used more. The main story wasn't so exciting so they could have made this book even more of an anthology by including all sorts of folks.

I don't really remember what all else happened.

I think this was when it became more apparent that Shogun was meant to be the main character but he just isn't that interesting.

[Anchorpete · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really like the first few issues collected in this book. Anytime someone does a serious take on members of the Shi'ar Imperial guard, I get pretty giddy. the Imperial Guard member is Fang, and he is going through each of the Wolverines wondering exactly what the hell they had to do with Logan's death. Besides that, I can't remember much else from this trade.

[Paola Sánchez · Rating 3 out of 5]

Finally, the plot moves somewhere (I'm still wondering what happened to the whole trigger/control-words plot from the first volume?) while Mystique shows her true colours once again. Although the best number was the one with Deadpool, because Deadpool, obviously. And Blade's cameo was quite good, too.

[Adam Stone · Rating 2 out of 5]

I can't really give this volume a fair review. I've found Soule and Fawkes's run so terrible that I was fairly checked out of the story as soon as I opened this. I don't care about any of these characters, and Soule doesn't seem to be the writer who's going to make me care about them. Once again, there is a different artist for every issue.

I advise skipping this series entirely.

[Daniel Butcher · Rating 2 out of 5]

And reread...accidentally.

This volume has the sin of extreme art changes as the story hits its conclusion.

[Bruce M · Rating 2 out of 5]

Full 4 Volumes reviewed on my blog.