Cloned from the hero who once bore her nom de guerre, Laura Kinney was created to be a weapons. With the help of her genetic donor, she escaped that life, and now seeks to return to the favor to the next generation of clones… Your Major Spoilers review of All-New Wolverine #8 awaits!
ALL-NEW WOLVERINE #8
Writer: Tom Taylor
Artist: Marcia Takara
Colorist: Jordan Boyd
Letterer: VC’s Cory Petit
Editor: Mark Paniccia
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Cover Price: $3.99
Previously in All-New Wolverine: “Laura has taken Gabby, a young clone of her, under her wing. Laura is determined to show Gabby a normal life outside of captivity, despite the unpredictable existence of being a superhero…”
“WHAT’S IN THE BOOOOOX???”
Our story begins 100 miles off the Jersey coast, in the middle of the ocean, as an illegal transaction is taking place. A woman called Professor Holt is auctioning off a box that she promises contains “chaos and destruction” to the highest bidder, only to get interrupted by a SHIELD raid. When she opens the box, everyone is momentarily confused by what is inside…
Smash cut to Central Park, where Laura “Wolverine” Kinney and her new ward Gabby are walking Gabby’s pet wolverine, much to the chagrin of the other park-goers. They make a hasty exit and head home for Chinese food (“Twenty-five with chicken… It has all the flavor of twenty-five.”) when Maria Hill of SHIELD interrupts their luncheon. A few bits of explanation later, and our two clones are on the SHIELD helicarrier to examine the mysterious box. When it opens, we get our first glimpse of…
AN UNEXPECTED TWIST
…something pretty wonderful that I’m not going to spoiler here. But, suffice to say that it’s a moment that makes perfect sense and calls back to a couple of beloved past Marvel stories. Making things more complicated is the fact that Wolverine was actually Maria’s SECOND call, the first being to the X-Man best known as Old Man Logan, who disappeared while investigating the matter, but as the issue ends, Laura is prepared to leap into grave danger to recover the man whom she emphatically claims is NOT her mentor. All in all, it’s a strong issue, one that is very emblematic of modern Marvel: A clever main character, interesting dialogue, a slightly off-kilter take on the Marvel Universe and a lot of character work throughout the issue. After years of being the young out-of-control teen rebel, Laura is fun to see in the role of mentor/big sis, and she’s growing into all aspects of her Wolverine role admirably. The art is note-perfect throughout the issue, featuring great facial expressions, a beautiful helicarrier and a really impressive surprise appearance of an old-school Marvel villain.
THE BOTTOM LINE: WEIRD, BUT CHARISMATIC
In short, this is a lovely issue, and one that makes it clear that, however temporary her stint in the blue-and-gold suit may be, Laura Kinney makes an excellent Wolverine. All-New Wolverine #8 has a lot going for it, including excellent art and a truly ingenious premise, earning a very impressive 4 out of 5 stars overall. Here’s hoping that Laura remains our Wolverine for a good, long time…
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Once upon a time, there was a young nerd from the Midwest, who loved Matter-Eater Lad and the McKenzie Brothers... If pop culture were a maze, Matthew would be the Minotaur at its center. Were it a mall, he'd be the Food Court. Were it a parking lot, he’d be the distant Cart Corral where the weird kids gather to smoke, but that’s not important right now... Matthew enjoys body surfing (so long as the bodies are fresh), writing in the third person, and dark-eyed women. Amongst his weaponry are such diverse elements as: Fear! Surprise! Ruthless efficiency! An almost fanatical devotion to pop culture! And a nice red uniform.