This comic book looks fantastic. Cooke and Bone bring a film-noir sensibility to Wolverine that breathes new life into a character that is too often potrayed as a one-dimension berserker hero. This is yet another demonstration of Darwyn Cooke's fun storytelling skills, and fans of his work should not miss it. That being said, the other side of the comic-book equation -- the writing -- leaves a lot to be desired. The plot is vague, the characters' motivations non-existent.
A bizarre and powerful creature dubbed the Pink Mink is stolen from its high-tech cage, and Logan, AKA Wolverine, is sent in to investigate the case and prevent disaster. It doesn't take long for the mutant with the keen senses to track the creature down in its new home, but its hallucination-inducing powers overwhelm Wolverine, making it seem as though an exotic Pink Lady appeared from out of nowhere to take the Pink Mink for herself. X-Statix's backer sends Wolverine's old friend Doop in to partner up on the case. Each comes to believe the other is under the Pink Mink's influence, and therefore has to be eliminated.
Logan looks more like a hard-boiled private eye here than a feral black-ops agent-turned mutant super-hero. It's a refreshing new visual take on the character, and one I'd like to see more of. Cooke and Bone sell the hypnotic and seductive influence of the Pink Lady with her exotic yet soft and inviting look. The Pink Mink itself is a bit of a puzzle, plot-wise, but visually, it adds an even greater surreal flair to the book. As if Doop weren't surreal enough. Allred's colors add even more strength to the visuals. She captures a dark, film-noir mood most of the time, but contrasts it with weird, dayglo colors that match the oddball qualities of some of the book's other elements.
What I just don't get about this story is what threat the Pink Mink actually represents. It's treated as though it is of apocalyptic proportions, but when we see it -- and the Pink Lady -- in action, it seems like little more than an acid trip for those who witness its release.
I also don't see how Wolverine and Doop come to be involved in this story, or why. There's no indication as to why or how Professor X or the guy backing X-Statix are concerned about the Pink Mink, or why they might order their metahuman underlings to kill. There are just way too many questions left hanging here, and it seems to be because the plot takes too many shortcuts along the way.
