Something Smells Pretty Fishy — Reviewing ‘Wolverine: Blood Hunt’ #3
by Scott Redmond
Overview
There are bare bones of something here, that could have been pretty darn good or at least entertaining, but much like the last two issues, ‘Wolverine: Blood Hunt’ #3 just misses the mark. Unless the mark is to be like 50% of the Logan content Marvel puts out that just sort of glides by on baser levels, then that mark has been achieved. Might be one of those better read collected, but that hill is pretty steep, so we’ll see.
Overall
7/10As heroes rise to fight back in Blood Hunt proper, Wolverine’s still off to the side doing stuff and things. Stuck rehashing things in a post Krakoa but pre-From The Ashes black hole of continuity.
More vampires are fought, more words are uttered, and some other stuff happens in Wolverine: Blood Hunt #3. The penultimate chapter in this tie-in mini-series from Tom Waltz, Juan José Ryp, Guru-eFX, and Cory Petit.
Running out of words to talk about this book.
Logan sure isn’t running out of words bouncing around his adamantium-skulled head though. Just so many verbose captions, consistently reminding us of who and what is happening as if every single issue of this mini is the first. I know that accepted comic book wisdom is to write every issue like it’s someone’s first, but I’m pretty sure this is not the situation for that sort of thing.
They’ve got a recap credits page for a reason.
What a rough way for Waltz to make a Marvel debut. Having read Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and other related bits from him, this event is not a good example of what the man can write. I feel like there is probably a good Wolverine story in him somewhere, but this ain’t it. Could be the fact that a lot of this is just dangling left over bits from the Benjamin Percy era of Wolverine that just ended. Bits that Percy had no desire to return to or finish up, either in his run before it ended nor in this event tie-in (apparently).
Logan making fish related jokes, almost made me want to toss the whole issue and walk away. Alas, I prefer to write my reviews having actually finished the whole thing, unlike various portions of the internet.
I’m not anti ‘fun’ or a good quip or pun…but this felt like the worst kind of dad joke delivery from the character least likely to do so.
We get some action (it is a vampire book after all), and it’s fine. Ryp’s artwork just doesn’t really do it for me in the Logan space of things. It’s not as static as it was years ago when he first started on the character, but it’s just not as dynamic in movement or style as one might expect for a Wolverine book. Very glossy and slick, lacking any edge or roughness that might aid the story a bit more.
All the colors though are very dark, as Guru-eFX sticks to the book tone. Most of it is very natural or toned-down, not going for a lot of big flashy vibrancy like many books in this hero realm. Generally, a lot of Logan stories find themselves in this space since they are darker, solo, off the grid types of affairs.
Words are everywhere, since the wordy captions appear over and over again. Petit makes it all fit and tries to give it some spice. Too much corniness and telling what we know is present there, but Petit is just there to put the words to the page. Not make them better structurally or content-wise. Visually they have some good style to them, going with the faded yellow for the box and little visual ticks for the words themselves.
Four issues of fighting vampires and taunting by vampire Maverick, all because they want Logan on their side is just … too much. Still got one more issue left to read and review. Might take a page of Logan’s book for the next and crack open a beer. Or two.
Maybe three.
Good friend Tony Thornley (check out all his work on site!) suggested four, one per issue. That sounds about right.
Wolverine: Blood Hunt #3 is now available from Marvel Comics.
