My enjoyment of this book has been like a rollercoaster, with some big highs and some big lows as well. This one, the beginning of a new story, is an issue that I enjoy, although I am kind of surprised by some of the more conventional elements showing up in Rucka's otherwise unconventional run. Like Morrison's work on New X-Men, though, this is familiar territory (Sabretooth, remnants of Weapon X) being told in a newer style, and with Robertson's absolutely gorgeous artwork, it's hard not to be drawn into the story. Honestly, at this point it feels like all the Weapon X stories that I could possibly be interested in have been told, but while the specifics of the plot might not be interesting to me, the style that Rucka and Robertson bring to the book definitely is.
For the most part, I feel like Darick Robertson is too good to be doing Wolverine. This is a character who sells regardless of who's drawing it, and seeing Robertson just pour his heart and soul into a gorgeous rendition of the rivers and mountains of Vancouver, or a terrific quiet night with Wolverine on his bike on the road, feels like a waste when most of the fans just want to see Wolverine clawing his way through bad guys. That said, though, it's still damn nice artwork, and just as I liked Robertson's redesign of Wolverine and Nightcrawler, I love the way he draws Sabretooth, giving him a slightly more sophisticated look while maintaining his bestial nature with a pair of fangs and pupilless eyes. Robertson, with colors by Studio F, is turning in pencil and ink work that looks like it's fully painted, and it's just beautiful to look at.
Honestly, I feel the same way about Rucka writing Wolverine as I do about Robertson drawing it. His considerable talents belong to better and deeper characters than I think Wolverine is. Again, though, Rucka is clearly putting a lot of effort into making Wolverine more interesting. Sure, we've seen the notion of ghosts of the Weapon X past uniting Sabretooth and Wolverine, and we've seen any number of growling faceoffs between Sabretooth and Wolverine, but there's something sharp about the writing here that makes it feel more fresh. The Native, the other Weapon X escapee around whom this story centers, feels legitimately dangerous, and Sabretooth comes off as smart and cunning rather than just feral and powerful, making him a more interesting match for Wolverine.
Actually, my favorite scenes in the book come in the conversation between Wolverine and Sabretooth in a roadside diner. In Rucka's writing, Wolverine is always occupying some out-of-the-way restaurant or bar, and most of the really interesting moments in his run have taken place in these locations. Rucka's dialogue really gets to the heart of the relationship between Wolverine and Sabretooth, with Sabretooth's cocky taunting and Wolverine's quiet threats. Again, it's nothing that Wolverine readers haven't seen before in general, but the dialogue is so sharp that the specifics make it feel new, or at least more interesting.
Rucka's Wolverine is more cerebral than most takes on the character have been, which might put off some fans who were hoping for a more cinematic (read: unrealistic) take on superhero violence that has been the norm. However, while I might jones for a little easy superhero action from time-to-time as well, Rucka's focus on placing Wolverine in a more realistic context, and Robertson's ability to do just that with his artwork, is always compelling.
