All-New Wolverine, Vol. 2: Civil War II

All-New Wolverine (Collected Editions)

by Tom Taylor, Marcio Takara (Illustrator), Ig Guara (Illustrator)

The battle has been fought, and won-but at what cost? As Laura and Gabby attempt to move on with their lives, Wolverine's past seems destined to catch up with her, and wreak havoc. Logan's legacy has cast a long shadow, how can Laura hope to step out of it?

COLLECTING: ALL-NEW WOLVERINE 7-12

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

144 pages, Paperback

First published November 8, 2016

About the author

Once a professional juggler and fire eater, Tom Taylor is a #1 New York Times Bestselling, multi-award-winning comic book writer, playwright and screenwriter.

Well known for his work with DC Comics and Marvel, Taylor is the co-creator of NEVERLANDERS from Penguin Random House, SEVEN SECRETS from Boom Studios and the Aurealis-Award-winning graphic novel series THE DEEP. Taylor is also the Head Writer and Executive Producer of The Deep animated series, four seasons of which is broadcast in over 140 countries.

He is perhaps best known for the DC Comics series, DCEASED (Shadow Awards Winner), NIGHTWING (nominated for 5 Eisner Awards), SUPERMAN: SON OF KAL-EL (GLAAD Award Nominee), INJUSTICE: GODS AMONG US, SUICIDE SQUAD, EARTH 2 and BATMAN/SUPERMAN as well as Marvel's FRIENDLY NEIGHBORHOOD SPIDER-MAN, ALL NEW WOLVERINE, X-MEN: RED, DARK AGES and SUPERIOR IRON MAN. Taylor is also the writer of many Star Wars series, which include STAR WARS: INVASION and STAR WARS: BLOOD TIES (Stan Lee Excelsior Award winner). Taylor has written for Marvel, DC Comics, Dark Horse Comics, IDW Publishing, Boom Studios, Wildstorm, 2000 AD and Gestalt Comics.

He can be followed on twitter @TomTaylorMade.

Reviews

[Sam Quixote · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tom Taylor does two things in this book that almost floored me out of sheer surprise: 1) he makes the Unbearable Squirrel Girl bearable and, 2) the mandatory crossover issues he had to include for Marvel’s latest event, Civil War II, not only didn’t feel intrusive but were the best part!

The first half of the book is forgettable stuff. Squirrel Girl - a character Marvel is determined to ram down the throats of every reader despite her being one of their least popular titles and a terrible character too - isn’t as annoying as she always seems to be but her issue was still stupid and boring. And the Fin Fang Foom story was Fin Fang Filler - he was just there as a reason for Laura to meet Old Man Logan.

Then the second half gets into Civil War II territory and things improve. I haven’t been reading that event at all but it looks like Marvel’s version of Minority Report which doesn’t look half bad. Then again that might be Tom Taylor’s talent at making a Brian Bendis-scripted Marvel event seem appealing in the same way he made Ryan North’s Squirrel Girl tolerable (if you’ve read Bendis event books before you’ll know why I feel sceptical)!

In the first volume of All-New Wolverine, Laura Kinney/X-23, as the new Wolverine, met and freed a younger clone of hers, Gabby. She’s now her adopted sister and the two are getting used to each other. Suddenly Laura’s faced with Old Man Logan, an alternate dimension/older version of her mentor/father (she’s a clone made from Logan’s DNA - these Wolverines and their clones, eh?) who she’s told is going to kill Gabby in the near future - she’s torn between protecting her new kid sister and being loyal and trusting her familiar but unpredictably brutal father figure, and the conflict is delicious.

Unfortunately All-New Wolverine continues to be a title without a great artist and the art throughout Volume 2 is serviceable only. Also the Civil War II part is all too fleeting - Taylor hasn’t hit upon a great storyline for Laura yet. Gabby feels unnecessary too; I suppose it continues the tradition of Wolverine having a young female sidekick but I’m not interested in her, she doesn’t add anything.

Though the first half of the book and the art in general is unmemorable, the second half is a decent read and Taylor’s overall witty writing style gives the title some personality. I want to love All-New Wolverine but these first two volumes haven’t won me over enough. Still, I’ll keep reading, hoping Taylor stays with the title and finds the key to that next level that’ll make this series snikting awesome - bub seems to have the writing chops!

[Chad · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tom Taylor has done the impossible. He made Squirrel Girl interesting. He just really shows you how terrible that Squirrel Girl book is with this fun team-up between Wolverine and Squirrel Girl. Next, Laura takes on Fin Fang Foom and comes across Old Man Logan and Captain Marvel. This leads into the Civil War II tie in which is actually better than the miniseries. Ulysses has seen Old Man Logan kill Gabby so Captain America and SHIELD come to take Logan into custody. The question dealt with here that isn't really dealt with in the miniseries is, is this a self fulfilling prophecy? By going after Logan, did they actually cause the events seen in Ulysses's vision?

I really like Gabby's character in this book. She lightens the book up and adds levity. Marcio Takara and Ig Guara provide sub-par art in this book. Bring back David Lopez!

[Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the exact middle of Volume 2: Civil War II the main plot takes an unexpected 'time-out' as two masked burglars unfortunately enter the NYC apartment in front of Laura 'All-New Wolverine' Kinney. (Also present is 'sister' Gabby, co-star from the previous volume who has similar abilities, and a man who is possibly the reappearance of Logan, a.k.a. the original Wolverine.) That was the buglars' first mistake. Then they brandish their pistolas to the familial trio. That was their next mistake. Then they open fire. And that, dear readers, was the last mistake they'll ever make. SNIKT!

The All-New Wolverine series stays strong with the latest volume. Opening with a jokey but pleasant one-shot guest-starring Squirrel Girl (which was not necessarily essential, but was an amusing team-up all the same), the main story features guest appearances by Captain Marvel and Captain America along with a throwback super-villain straight from the 70's. Like the initial volume this also features a boatload of action, but this time it is balanced by the quipping and asides of the title character and plucky kid sister-type Gabby. Their wit is occasionally as sharp as their retractable claws.

[James DeSantis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Damn this was so much fun.

Laura is the new Wolverine. Got a problem with that? Go fuck yourself. Anyway she is now taking care of Gabby, her little clone. This volume contains a one shot with Squirrel girl which is very very funny (I didn't like SG solo series so this was a surprise) and introduces us to Johnathan the wolverine. He's a actual wolverine. It's adorable and scary. Then we get into meeting Old Man Logan and Laura's distrust with him. Then it leads to Civil War 2 tie in but this one actually makes sense and is pretty well done. It ends with a bitter moment that gives me a lot of hope for future titles.

Good: The humor is spot on. Not too much but just enough to tell you this is a very different wolverine but a great one. The fights are vicious a lot of the time (come on it's wolverine) but some are a ton of fun. Gabby is adorable and my favorite little killing machine. I really enjoyed the interaction with Old Man Logan too and I never liked him much.

Bad: The big dragon thing (forgot it's name) was kind of over the top and a bit too silly.

Overall this was a damn blast. Pacing was perfect, characters are wonderful, fights are fun. I mean it hits all the right notes. I have a feeling this will go down as my favorite wolverine series of all time. A 4 out of 5.

[Paul · Rating 3 out of 5]

'You're not Logan. You're just some twisted perversion wearing his face.'

And with those words, right there, Laura manages to sum up exactly how I feel about 'Old Man Logan'. I'm glad I'm not alone.

As much as I'm loving this book overall, this volume suffered from artwork that wasn't quite as good as the artwork in volume one and a massive excess of Old Man Logan. Here's hoping Laura gets her wish and the cheap Logan knock-off stays out of this book in future.

I'm not entirely sure if it's collected in this volume (I'm guessing it will be, as this volume only collects four issues if not, but a quick Google search left me unable to confirm it) but the annual was hilarious and well worth tracking down.

[Gianfranco Mancini · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent hilarous second volume of Tom Taylor''s All New Wolverine.
The author made me bearable Squirrel Girl in the first funny story, but the following Civil War II tie-in with Cap and the Old Man Logan, Gabby's interdimensional dystopian future grandpa (!!! XD) made me laugh to tears!
I'm really in love with Laura's mini-me clone. :)

[Diz · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really love the interactions between Laura and Gabby. Those two make a great pair. My love for these characters was tempered in this volume by the intrusion of Marvel events Old Man Logan and Civil War II. Marvel, please stop dropping your events into books.

[Jim · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would like an entire series of Squirrel Girl and X-23/Wolverine team-ups, please and thank you!

[Terence · Rating 4 out of 5]

SHIELD is in over their heads. While trying to secure a box of unknown danger they lost seven agents. They need help and they aren't taking no for an answer.

The most improbable of events has happened. A scent that attracts Fing Fang Foom was released on the helicarrier.

Laura has asked SHIELD to hold the monster at bay while she attempts to rescue Old Man Logan.


All-New Wolverine's Civil War II tie was an interesting interaction between Wolverine's clones and an alternate universe Logan. It was somewhat heartwarming

until the Civil War II aspect came into play.


I hadn't imagined that Old Man Logan would have had Laura in his universe. It was kind to see his level of care and concern for her. Things quickly went to a place I had never anticipated it going. It was good to see the volume didn't stink of Civil War II.

[Subham · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a pretty fun read again!

Taylor just writes it as a fun comic and yeah it doesn't have the gritty darkness but that is its strength as its just Wolverine facing off against random villains and being awesome like team up with Squirrel girl and then team up with Hill to take down Fing Fang foom and that was a funny story and yeah it has Tony and Carol cameo-ing and it makes for some great comedy and then OM Logan and the drama of civil war 2 and his and Gabby's weird secret!

Its a very fun book and I like the way the writer introduced random villains and makes it fun and shows Laura for the hero she is and the exploration of Laura and OM Logan's twisted relationship was well highlighted and continues the trend of her being heroic and Cap ..something was wrong with him and it ties with Spencer's run really well so nice continuity there. But the main is Gabby and she is so adorable and continues to be the heart of the series here! A must recommend!

[RG · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very cool 2nd volume. We learn a little more about Gabby, a future Logan appears, and the futures of some characters are foretold by. new boy. Full of action, cool plotting and awesome characters. I felt it was little short and the Artwork not as strong as Vol 1 but still amazing fun.

[Kay · Rating 5 out of 5]

A perfect 5.

When you have a comic book like this with perfect pacing and comedic timing, every page feels purposeful. Even when Squirrel Girl pops in for a team up. Even Jonathan the Wolverine. Even Fin Fang Foom.

Old Man "Interdimentional Dystopian Future Grandpa" Logan was a great introduction. Laura has grown into such a strong character (she's all Judge not, and ye shall not be judged), and I really love her relationship with Gabby. Very much big sister, little sister.

I was really disappointed in Captain America here (which I guess is totally the point). And it's super clear from the ending that if they hadn't pursued Logan, non of it would have happened. This is a good tie-in to Civil War II (all you need to know is that Gabby is Laura's young non-healing clone), but is also fantastic on its own as a Wolverine (Laura) title.

[Robert · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was no big fan of Civil War II or any of its adjacent stuff I’ve encountered so far but In Tom Taylor We Trust- he uses the milieu of the whole “prevent crimes before they happen” debate to tell a story of alt-dimensional Old Man Logan entering the lives of Laura and Gabby and questions of predestination, inevitability, causality and the feasibility of keeping rescued lab wolverines as pets in a Bronx apartment.

I will read Vol 3 now for sure!

[Sesana · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Laura. Also, this was my first exposure to the central conflict of Civil War 2. I have to admit, I'm actually interested.

[David Dalton · Rating 3 out of 5]

okay, a little goofy here. Squirel Girl? A character like that is why I stopped reading Marvel comics for so long (for me it was the Rocket Racer). But X-23 and her ties to Wolverine and Old Man Logan, now that I can get into.

[Baba · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read the comic books All New Wolverine #1-18 covering the first three volumes, of which this is one. The mature feel of this character has now been solidly removed leaving the book with a much younger feel and audience(?). The clone Gabby, is a wonderful addition to the X-universe :-) This volume is the best probably of any of hers so far up to 2016(!), it's Civil War Laura style! 8 out of 12.

[Travis Duke · Rating 4 out of 5]

Taylor continues to create a new wolverine with a lot of heart. Weaving 3 stories and some good emotion into volume 2 was no easy task especially since one of the stories is civil war II which is short but well executed. The other story is a team up with squirrel girl and it is playful and silly and isn't anything amazing but it is fun. The main story revolves around Laura, Gabby the clone, and Old man logan which bleeds into the civil war II story. It focuses on abandonment and family and it's really good. Taylor is balancing action and story very well and has a great fight scene at the end. For Marvel this is almost perfect and I am excited to read more All new wolverine

[Craig · Rating 3 out of 5]

I kind of liked it, until all the Civil War II crap got shoehorned in...

[Chris Lemmerman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Don't let the Civil War II title fool you - this is still very much a Wolverine book. With Gabby in tow, Laura strikes out on another new adventure; one that brings her face to face with Old Man Logan, before Ulysses' vision upturn all three of their lives.

The first issue here is the infamous Squirrel Girl one, which is laugh out loud funny as well as having a very emotional core. Plus we get to meet Jonathan the Wolverine, the 2nd best supporting cast character after Gabby herself. So cute, so funny.

The next two issues bring in Captain Marvel and Iron Man, as well as a big green surprise as Laura comes face to face with Old Man Logan for the first time, as well as another SHIELD mission. It's a good set-up for the second three issues, which are the Civil War II tie-in. Captain Marvel and Iron Man aren't in these (we get Captain America instead), but having them here in the front end of the story helps set the tone.

The Civil War II issues deal with the concept the same as quite a lot of other tie-ins. Ulysses has a vision, Captain Marvel's side try to stop it, and inadvertently cause it all to happen anyway. But the real core of this story is the relationship between Laura, Gabby, and Logan, so when it all ultimately collapses in on itself, it really hurts.

Marcio Takara takes the first three issues, while Ig Guara takes the second three. Takara's art is a little more free-flowing and closer to David Lopez' style from the first volume, while Guara's feels a bit more solid and 'real', but both do a good job of capturing the world and the characters. Plus they both draw an adorable Jonathan.

Civil War II may have been a letdown, but this second volume of All-New Wolverine is anything but.

[Pochodnia fandomu · Rating 5 out of 5]

link do recenzji polskiego wydania

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars but I’ll round up because overall this series has been great. The first issue is almost a one shot with Squirrel Girl. Real fun and funny issue. Tom Taylor already gave us The awesome character of Gabby, now we get another awesome character in Jonathan the actual Wolverine. The Civil War II tie in also starts in the volume.
Usually with tie ins they take the exact plot point from the main story. This volume however took that plot and spun a new idea out of it that worked great for this wolverine story. Also it raised a great question. A new Inhuman who can see different futures saw one that endangered Gabby and told Shield and company who in turn sprung into action. The question this poses is would this prediction have happened if everyone just stood down? Again, great book. Can’t wait to read Volume 3.

[M. J. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Squirrel Girl team-up: pretty fun and heart-warming, I should probably read Squirrel Girl solo books.
Fin Fang Foom story: light and fun still, but underwhelming, there was something about Taylor's writing here that bothered me for some reason. I'm a fan of his current run on Nightwing, so I was surprised to find myself rolling my eyes at some of the jokes and dialogues on this one, they just felt flat and artificial, is it too weird to ask for authenticity in a story about a horny magical dragon? Also... Gabby's starting to annoy me, she's written to be cute and quirk and all, but I feel nothing, I'm dead inside maybe, when it comes to her I'm like the other clone sister, unable to smile.
Civil War II: I'm kind of new to the Marvel universe and I'm no Mark Millar's scholar, but I managed to catch a few references on this one. Though my lack of knowledge might have something to do with fact that I didn't really like it. It's not bad I just wasn't invested enough to care about the dramatic events (I'll revisit this story in the future). On the other hand the jokes improved. But Gabby's still not growing on me, hope that changes soon, she's only a kid after all, it's her prerogative to be a little annoying.

[Quentin Wallace · Rating 4 out of 5]

This volume includes a humorous issue teaming Wolverine with Squirrel girl as well as a Civil War II crossover featuring Old Man Logan. Fin Fang Foom shows up as well, and he's always fun.

In the Civil War II issues, Ulysses have a vision of Wolverine murdering Gabby (who I think eventually becomes Honey Badger?) and when SHIELD gets involved it turns into a self fulfilling prophecy in a way.

This series is better than a lot of the regular Wolverine comics that came out in the 2010s.

[Dimitris Papastergiou · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm hitting myself for not reading this earlier.

So fun to read.

Congrats to Taylor. Like, reads like that make me wish I had purchased this twice instead of buying some other shitty superhero volume. (Looking at you Captain Marvel).

Great fun story, great artwork! Great colouring!

Loving this!

Highly recommended to all X-23/Wolverine/Tom Taylor fans.

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good but not great. Story momentum got diverted a little by the preachy nature of dealing with pre-crime, and some weird backstory of OML’s history with alternate-dimension versions of Laura and Gabby.

Still mostly avoids the gravity well of meh that most event tie-in books get suckered by, and lots of fun moments (especially the burglars).

[Jesús De la Jara · Rating 2 out of 5]

Unas historias que tal vez pudieron no contarse, igual el arte no es de mi gusto para nada. Old Man Logan, el Wolverine del futuro conoce lo que sucedió entre Laura y su nueva inseparable amiga Gabby, por lo que las busca para ayudarlas, sin embargo el Capitán América y María Hill irán tras Wolverine al contarles Ulysses, el inhumano que adivina el futuro, lo que observó acerca de ellos.

[Sail · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a bit of a let-down after reading the first volume which was so fun. But I definitely feel the same way as Laura in regards to old man Logan. He’s just simply not the same. He’s not Logan. They come from completely different realities and I’ve just never been a huge fan. So I definitely agree on that aspect of things.

But this volume took several bad turns and that was mostly do to the cameos that Tom included. Squirrel Girl just isn’t my cup of tea, and having her shoved down my throat in comics that aren’t even hers definitely hasn’t made me any more inclined to pick her series up. The entire issue about her was just incredibly pointless and honestly all that I can remember about it is that it involved angry squirrels. On top of that cameo, the author also thought it would be a good idea for Fin Fang Foom to show up. Let’s be real. He’s overused.

The main reasons I didn’t hate this as much as I probably should have is simply because of Laura, Gabby, and Jonathan the actual wolverine. They truly made this volume worthwhile and are the reasons that I decided to continue on with this run.


I read this for Team Fairy of the Fantasy Adventureathon!

[Élavar❀ · Rating 3 out of 5]

I bought this book mostly because of its design.
I didn't know much about Wolverine or the new Wolverine-like mutants, therefore it was mainly a way to get inspiration for my own designs and stories.


The story itself

I didn't like the story itself, though I didn't dislike it either. My expectations were, perhaps, too high. I didn't find Maria Hill very credible as a character, but maybe that's because I haven't read the previous comics of this series.


The design

I particularly enjoyed the design from volume #7 to #9. It was very pleasing.
Very good character design, with the right amount of details [so it doesn't distract us from what's happening, which is good], and still, simple; good and clever facial expressions; very good body language; good poses, not too exaggerated (contrarily to what would be expected of a super hero comics, which I appreciated); very good color palettes;
The choice of frame was OK, although sometimes the continuous variance of shots at some moments was a bit distracting from the story events (ex: #8, at the ship, when Laura examines the chest).

From volume #10 until #11, I almost hated the design. The character design changed radically. The characters didn't look the same and the faces and skin had unnecessary details. Still good expressions, but ugly and deformed faces; not so good body language; good poses, but a bit exaggerated; good color palettes.
The choice of frame was a bit better.

As for volume #12, it got a little better. The character design got better. The faces got less ugly, and even good at some frames. It also got simpler, which was another improvement. Many less unnecessary details. Still good expressions; good body language; good poses, but a bit exaggerated; good color palettes.
The choice of frame kept good.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

Was blown away unexpectedly by the first volume of the series. Unfortunately, the follow up is a bit on the pedestrian side. It mostly works fairly well except for Captain America's behavior leading a SHIELD team. He comes off being somewhere between a government tool and a Nazi. Totally written wrong. It's a cheap and easy way to move the story along. With a little thought a layer of depth could have been added and Steve could have stayed in character.

Though as this volume is titled Civil War and I have yet to read that main event series (waiting for the collected edition) so perhaps I'm missing a beat. I did read this book as a bit of an experiment. Not sure if I should hold off on reading these Civil War related books until the Civil War event book is printed. As far as I can tell there was nothing in the book related the event. I guess I'll try another Civil War related book and either continue or hold the rest from there.

[Becky · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am annoyed at how much I enjoyed this.

Some highlights include this homage to an homage:



Although I am deeply annoyed that the line wasn't also used.
(For comparison, here are the images it references:

)

And also this speech by Laura: