All-New Wolverine #18 - A Review

Laura Kinney has finally been freed from the influence of The Trigger Scent that transforms her into a mindless berserker. Unfortunately, SHIELD still wants to imprison her for the murders she committed while under the influence of Kimura - the woman who turned young Laura into the living weapon known as X-23. Yet Nick Fury and his agents will find themselves forming an uneasy alliance with Laura, her friends in the X-Men and the crime-lord Tyger Tyger when Kimura and her forces surround them all!


This issue proves a satisfying conclusion to the Enemy Of the State II arc. Tom Taylor writes a fantastic action-packed story, though this issue was a little light on the humor I've come to expect from him apart from some admittedly funny slapstick. The artwork by Nik Vieralls is solid, though Michael Garland's colors do muddy the action scenes a little bit due to his curious decision to use the same shades of pink to denote Gambit's explosions and Jean Grey's telekinesis. Anyone curious about Laura's character following Logan would do well to track down the early issues of this series.

All New Wolverine #17 - A Review

The good news is that Laura's friends in the X-Men have rescued her from the clutches of Kimura - an old enemy determined to turn the new Wolverine into her personal assassin. The bad news is that Laura is still trained to respond to "The Trigger Scent" created by Kimura and that Kimura's forces and SHIELD are still hunting for her. Jean Grey thinks she can undo the damage that was done to Laura's mind, but can she do it before they're all over-run by government agents and gangster thugs?


This is a merely passable issue of what is normally an excellent title. As much as I'd like to blame the presence of the X-Men for this, the fault lies with the creative team. Tom Taylor is playing against his strengths as a comedic writer and a dialogist, with most of the issue devoted to scenes of heroes fighting heroes when SHIELD shows up. Thankfully, the revelation of Laura's "happy place"makes up for a lot. It does not, however make up for the inconsistent artwork. Djibril Moristte-Phan's inks obscure far too much of the fine detail and Michael Garland's colors are oddly muted and weak.

All-New Wolverine #16 - A Review

Intercepted by Bellona - another of Laura Kinney's clones, who lacks her healing factor but feels no pain - the all-new Wolverine is back in the clutches of the mad scientists who created her! Laura's only hope of rescue lies with Gabby - her adopted "sister". Even armed with no sense of pain and her own set of bone claws, can Gabby hope to save the day?


All-New Wolverine #16 is an enjoyable action-packed issue. Tom Taylor does a fine job of explaining Laura's past as X-23 for newer readers who might not be familiar with that time of her life, not slowing the story down a moment while allowing for this exposition. The action sequences are illustrated amazingly by Nik Virella and finished well by Michael Garland.

All-New Wolverine #15 - A Review

The people who created X-23 want her back, but the young woman cloned from Wolverine will not give up her life as Laura Kinney without a fight. With SHIELD now on the hunt following Laura's killing the inhabitants of a small town (an accident caused by the release of the trigger scent that makes Laura go berserk), Laura and her adopted sister Gabby have taken refuge on a pirate ship bound for Madripoor. They hope to find Laura's former masters there but can they truly trust the people giving them transport?

Artist Djibril Morissette-Phan takes over the art duties on this series with this issue. For the most part, the artwork is competently crafted though hardly outstanding. There is not a lot of variety in Morissette-Phan's expressions and the design for Gabby here is probably the least subtle ever in depicting her light facial scars. They seem anything but light here.

For the most part, this issue is one extended action sequence. It serves its purpose well enough but it still seems sort of flat compared to previous issues which had a bit more nuance. There is some of the humor that sets your average Tom Taylor story apart from the common clay of comic books, yet this issue is perhaps the most straight-forward Wolverine-style story since the series began. It isn't bad but it's far and away from what the readers have come to expect.

All-New Wolverine #14 - A Review

Somebody is trying to turn Laura Kinney back into the mindless killer she once was. They succeeded, however briefly, after Laura fled to a small town seeking to get away. Now, with SHIELD chasing after her, Laura will have to turn to an old enemy for help in getting into the hostile nation of Madripoor, where her would-be controllers have fled.

Tom Taylor continues to impress with every issue of this series that he writes. While I have to question the intelligence of SHIELD Command continuing to send ordinary agents into Laura's life (to say nothing of the bigoted Agent Bennett acting on his apparent hatred of mutants in front of Nick 'Goddam' Fury!), I can't deny that the action sequence where Laura escapes from a SHIELD plane is  a great one. And Taylor's command of comedy is still second to none.


The artwork is equally enjoyable. New penciller Nik Virella sports a simple, serviceable style. Scott Hanna does his usual stellar job on the inks. And colorists Jesus Aburtov and Michael Garland do such a fine job you would never know that there were multiple colorists at work on this book.

All-New Wolverine #12 - A Review

The Inhuman Ulysses foresaw Old Man Logan killing his young clone, Gabby Linney. Somehow, he did not foresee it going badly when SHIELD and Captain America went to take Logan into custody regarding something he hadn't done yet. Now, with Gabby seemingly dead and a berserk Old Man Logan rampaging through New York City, it falls to The All-New Wolverine, Laura Kinney, to clean-up SHIELD's mess.

Alas, not even Tom Taylor's brilliant writing can make the stupidity of Civil War II entertaining. Captain America is horribly out of character here - apparently a major complaint about the crossover. (I, wisely it seems, have been avoiding the special apart from the tie-in issues in the Marvel books I regularly read.) Still, Taylor's script makes the most of a bad situation and Laura's speeches to both Cap and Old Man Logan are pretty damn awesome.

The artwork issues from the past few months continue to be a problem. Ig Guara draws a good fight scene, but his takes on Laura and Gabby appear to be the same age! However, the inking by Walden Wong is consistent and colorist Michael Garland manages a few neat touches, such as using single colors to punctuate key close-ups.

All-New Wolverine #9 - A Review

Laura Kinney doesn't work for SHIELD but she is willing to lend a hand when Maria Hill asks nicely and pays for her take-out. It seems they lost an agent investigating some new bio-weapon, which turned out to be pheromones meant to attract Fin Fang Foom. And the missing agent turns out to be an alternate universe version of the original Wolverine, from the future. And those facts are the least strange thing about the day the all-new Wolverine is about to have.


The cover may say this is a Civil War II tie-in but Tom Taylor keeps the script mercifully free of any reference to that event, save for gratuitous (and hilarious) cameos by Iron Man and Captain Marvel. This issue is high on laughs and short on drama, which is as it should be.

Marcio Takara's artwork is most enjoyable. The lack of backgrounds and pixelated skies in some panels threw me off a little bit but his character designs are good and the action of the issue flows well. And Matheus Lopes continues to impress with his color work.

All-New Wolverine #7 - A Review

Laura Kinney isn't sure what to do about her semi-sister Gabby - one of her clones that is several years younger and a whole lot sweeter than her. Laura isn't exactly sure how to be a parent or a sibling, having had what might be called an unusual upbringing if one were inclined to polite understatement. Unfortunately, figuring things out will have to wait for a while. The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl is in need of help.. But maybe it is Squirrel Girl who will wind up helping Laura...

Tom Taylor perfectly captures the anarchic spirit of Squirrel Girl in this issue. Doreen Green may be a silly character, especially in comparison to the dour Wolverine, but she isn't a stupid or unskilled hero. The two heroines play remarkably well off of each other and the ending of the issue proves to be as touching as it is hilarious.

Marcio Takara's artwork perfectly suits Taylor's story. Takra's style proves equally capable of depicting the lighter, more ludicrous moments of the action as well as the moments of high-action. And Jordan Boyd delivers an exemplary performance on the color art.

All New Wolverine #6 - A Review

Laura Kinney - now called Wolverine - was astonished to find that she had "sisters". Clones made by the sinister Alchemax Genetics, altered to have no sense of pain and grown to be disposable assassins. Now, with one of the sisters dead, the girls are out for revenge. But will Laura be able to maintain her vow not to kill in the face of such evil?

This issue proves a perfect conclusion to a wonderful opening arc. As I've said before, I've never been a big fan of Wolverine or the former X-23 but I'll give anything by Tom Taylor a shot. And I'm glad I did, because this series has been full of Taylor's trademark dark humor as well as some amazing action sequences.


The artwork, as usual, proves epic in scope. David Lopez and David Navarrot are a highly underrated art team who deserve an Eisner Award for their work here. The color art by Nathan Fairbairn is equally impressive.

All New Wolverine #5 - A Review

The hunt for a cure for her "sisters'" condition leads Wolverine to Pym Labratories and an ill-advised attempt to steal an Ant-Man suit. Thankfully, The Wasp is sympathetic to the girls' plight and willing to help fight the nanintes that are threatening to tear them apart from the inside. Unfortunately, that's a task that's easier said than done.


I've never been much of an Avengers fan but I've always liked the spunky, confident, take-charge take on Janet Van Dyne from what modern Avengers comics I've seen as well as her characterization in the Earth's Mightiest Heroes cartoon. Tom Taylor's take on The Wasp is woven of the same cloth and it's nice to see her in action here. It's also nice to see that Laura is marked as being a distinctively different fighter than Logan, taking care to plot some strategy before cutting loose.


The art team continues to impress.  David Lopez and David Navarrot continue to nail it out of the park with every page. And Nathan Fairbairn's colors are perfectly chosen throughout.

All New Wolverine #4 - A Review

Wolverine needs a safe place to hide herself and her three "sisters".  And there's few places safer than the home of Doctor Strange, at least when it comes to mundane menaces. But opening the wrong doors can unleash terrible things...
Despite one of my favorite comics mini-series of all time being the Giffen/DeMatties/MacGuire Defenders, I still don't think of Doctor Strange being a comedic character. Then again, I never really thought about Wolverine - Logan or Laura - being funny characters until Tom Taylor got his hands on them. This may be the most uproariously funny issue of this series so far yet it is also the most touching and the most action-packed. This book has the perfect balance of ethos, pathos and hilarity as well as ax-wielding berserk young women killing monsters.

Taylor is backed by an excellent art team. David Lopez and David Navarrot deliver their usual stellar work on the pencils and inks. And Nathan Fairbaim finishes things beautifully with his color art.

All-New Wolverine #3 - A Review

Laura Kinney's first mission as the new Wolverine isn't off to a stellar start. While she successful stopped an assassination attempt, she also discovered the assassin was a clone like her.  As in, exactly like her!

Now Laura has uncovered the clone's "sisters" - all part of the same batch created by the sinister Alchemax Genetics. But Alchemax wants their rebellious property back. And while Laura can handle herself in a fight, it remains to be seen if she can cope with three equally strong-willed young women who don't share her desire to avoid killing.
I don't usually associate humor with Wolverine as a title but I do associate it with the writing of Tom Taylor. There's a wit to all of Taylor's writing that is unique and it's adapted quite well - scarily so - to the darker tone this series requires. This is not to say that things are all laughs. Far from it! There's plenty of action as well as some general badassery.  Overall, the tone is sharp and well-balanced, like a katana.
The artwork is just as good as the writing. David Lopez and David Navarrot are performing miracles on a monthly basis. And the colors by Nathan Fairbairn are well chosen and always thematically appropriate.

All-New Wolverine #2 - A Review

Identity issues are part of the package when you're a clone. Yet Laura Kinney is experiencing a whole new range of odd emotions with the discovery that she has "sisters" - imperfect clones who lack her powers but have been granted a superhuman-tolerance for pain and a complete lack of empathy. Or so the scientists who created them claim. Of course Laura would be reluctant to kill these girls even without her suspicions there's more going on than is obvious. But will the trio of remaining assassins have the same qualms about sparing her if The Wolverine forces a fight?


Any fears that Tom Taylor might be forced to hold back on the humor while writing a dour, serious X-Title have proven totally unfounded. While not as uproariously funny as his work on Superior Iron Man, there are still some truly funny bits amid the action of this issue. And the action is top-notch as well!


Taylor's scripts are brought to life beautifully by David Lopez and David Navarrot. The character designs give each of the Laura Kinney clones a distinct look. There's no trouble telling who is who, even ignoring the differences in age and one of the clones being an albino.  It's a subtle touch but a nice one and it's good to see they didn't leave the characters' visual identity entirely in the hands of colorist Nathan Fairbairn.