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WOLVERINE/HULK #1
Mildly Recommended (6/10)
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Marvel Comics
Writer/Artist: Sam Kieth
Colors: Richard Isanove
Letters: Comicraft
Editor: Stuart Moore
Price: $3.50 US/$5.75 CAN |
If I had to sum up Wolverine/Hulk #1 in two words, one of the words would definitely be bizarre. The other would most likely be an adjective to describe just how bizarre it is. Come to think of it, I might need two adjectives. So yeah, the main thing that stuck with me about this first issue was that it was really weird, and that's saying a lot since I've come to expect a certain amount of strangeness from the creator of concepts like The Maxx and Zero Girl. The
other thing that stuck with me, also as expected, is that the artwork is
gorgeous, as Kieth gets better with every outing in that regard. I'm not sure
yet whether the story will take me in a direction I'm interested in going in,
but I'm sure it's going to be a beautiful ride.
I've got to hand it to Kieth,
I would never have thought to use Wolverine and Hulk in a sort of surrealist
comedy, which is basically what this appears to be. In fact, though the title
characters do battle, as you would expect in any given meeting between them, it
is done mostly in cartoonishly over-the-top fashion. Most of the story focuses
on the relationship between Wolverine and Po, a mysterious little girl who may
or may not be a ghost.
Of course, Wolverine has
always had a predilection for close bonds with young girls, such as Jubilee or
Kitty Pryde, so his relationship with Po makes absolute sense. Seeing this gruff
and, let's face it, fairly antisocial, character faced with the enthusiasm and
naive viewpoint of a young girl makes for some interesting dialogue, and I can
honestly say this is one of the few times I've seen Wolverine completely
stymied, just out of his element. You won't find any "I'm the best there is at
what I do" here, instead you'll find "I'm not really sure what the hell is going
on."
Unfortunately, this sense of
confusion is shared by the reader. We get a lot of the story from Po's
viewpoint, and Po views things through a child's eyes. Kieth does a convincing
job of this kind of viewpoint, actually... a little too convincing, because
while we get hints of what might really be going on, it's clouded in the
interpretation by Po, who sees things in fairly simple terms that don't
accurately describe what's going on. This is a trademark of Kieth's work, a
highly confusing story that starts to sort itself out as things go along, but
there's a danger in that approach of not giving enough solid information to hook
the reader. If not for the strong and believable relationship between Wolverine
and Po, I don't know if I would have been hooked enough by the story of Po and
her father and their dilemma.
Kieth's artwork has always been impressive, but he seems to improve with each project, and Wolverine/Hulk may actually be stronger in that regard than his recent Four Women. He combines fully painted
work with a style that looks like a child's drawing, along with some more
conventional comic-book art. The result is artwork that absolutely sets the tone
for the book, and artwork that is beautiful enough to keep the reader moving
even when the story is a little shaky. His powerful, exaggerated views of
Wolverine and the Hulk in particular are impressive, reminding the reader with
every glance of the power and bestial fury that these characters represent.
However, at the same time he plays their human sides with their interaction with
Po.
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