Wolverine #14
Wolverine goes hunting for the people who stole the Marauder at the Hellfire Gala in Wolverine #14, by writer Benjamin Percy, artist Adam Kubert, colorist Frank Martin, and letterer Cory Petit. After last issue basically being just an issue of X-Force, this one has more of a classic Wolverine feel, and it's a lot of fun.
Wolverine heads to Madripoor to hunt down clues to who stole the Marauder. He investigates the boat and finds evidence of a struggle. He hunts down the harbormaster and, with the help of Emma, discovers where a survivor of the battle is. After questioning him, he brings the information to Sage, who is able to identify the attackers from the description as Arakkii pirates. Wolverine hunts them down, fights their leader, earning their respect, and learning who put them up to it- a name Wolverine is very familiar with.
The last issue wasn’t the best, but that was mostly because it wasn't an issue of Wolverine- it was X-Force. Of course, it kind of made sense for Percy to do it that way- during X Of Swords, X-Force was basically just continuing the stories started in Wolverine, down to sharing art teams. This issue is a return to Wolverine as the main character, and it's as good as it ever was. For some, jumping from a story without completely resolving the one before can be a little frustrating. Still, it works pretty well, honestly- Wolverine is back to being a secret agent and enforcer for Krakoa, and he's constantly sent around to do new jobs. He works each case as long as possible and then moves on to the next, returning to old ones like the vampires and Omega Red.
This story sees him do one of the things he does best- hunt. Setting it in Madripoor is a nice touch as well, as this is Wolverine's main stomping grounds. He knows how things work there and that, combined with his tracking skills, allows him to get the clues he needs. The ending sequence with the Arakkii pirates is pure Wolverine goodness, as he shows that sometimes, all it takes is a little crazy to make a friend of a foe. It's a great sequence, and it leads into the next phase of the investigation.
Kubert and Martin are back, and it's a wonderful thing. Kubert continues to impress with his pencils- he's turning in some great work. The ending sequence, with Wolverine talking on Arakkii pirate king Sevyr Blackmore is yet another example of why Kubert is one of the best action pencilers around. Shout out to Martin's colors- Kubert's art would look good no matter what, but his colors add so much to the whole thing. He never colors a sequence the same way twice, and it looks incredible.
Wolverine #14 is just a solid issue of Wolverine. Percy does such a great job with the character and builds an exciting plot, playing off what he set up in the Hellfire Gala issues. Kubert and Martin return on art and knock it out of the park. This issue isn't going to change the world, but it's a lot of fun.
