Ultimate Comics: Wolverine #2 Review

I was pleasantly surprised with the first issue of Ultimate Comics: Wolverine. Unfortunately, some of the luster wears off in issue #2. The series now suffers on the one hand from a lack of plot progression. Even though we're already at the halfway point, the overall sense of plot progression is pretty lacking. Bunn continues to divide his attention between the present-day conflict involving Jimmy's quest and flashbacks that slowly shed light on Wolverine's relationship to Project Mothervine. Issue #2 doesn't push either segment forward that much. Bunn devotes too much time in the present to a "reunion" between Jimmy and his parents that really goes nowhere.

The other problem comes when Bunn delivers a twist in this issue that, rather than coming across as interesting or surprising, merely feels like change for the sake of making change. Worse, Bunn draws out the reveal for this twist during the flashbacks, leading to some awkwardly framed panels and dialogue. Perhaps this twist will seem more worthwhile in the latter two chapters, but for now it's an unwelcome change to the formula.

David Messina's art is pretty variable in quality, with the dominant factor being his reliance on photo-referencing. Messina's use of photo-reference works much better on movie-themed books like Star Trek: Countdown. Here, too many figures are stiff and lifeless as a result. One panel even flaunts the use of referenced material as Messina inserts the four leads of The Big Bang Theory into the conflict. Messina is a competent storyteller, and the better pages in this issue prove he doesn't need to rely on referenced material to properly bring the script to life.

Jesse is a writer for various IGN channels. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter, or Kicksplode on MyIGN.

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