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WOLVERINE #6
"So, This Priest Walks into a Bar"
Highly Recommended (9/10)
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Marvel Comics
Writer: Greg Rucka
Pencils: Darick Robertson
Inks: Tom Palmer
Colors: Studio F
Letters: Rus Wooton
Editor: Axel Alonso
Price: $2.25 US/$3.75 CAN |
Many were disappointed in what seemed like an anti-climactic end to "The Brothers" story in Wolverine, and this issue explains why: Wolverine #5 wasn't really the end of that story arc. Instead, this issue, which can also serve as a self-contained story, gives us the important, emotional-based closure for that arc, and it also just happens to include one of my favorite friendships in comics, the one between Wolverine and Nightcrawler. Given Rucka and Robertson's sort of no-costume, street tough approach to Wolverine, you'd think that a fuzzy blue elf might be out of place, but the strength of this book so far has been the characterization, and that's the strength of this issue as well, no matter how odd the characters may look.
Which, of course, isn't to say that they look bad, because Robertson and Palmer's artwork is exceptional, and Robertson brings the same recognizable and yet slightly tweaked look to Nightcrawler that he did to Wolverine. His Nightcrawler seems taller and thinner than the one I'm used to seeing, but he's got the same kind demeanor that I expect, although subtle things like the pointed teeth in his mouth when he smiles make it easy to see why someone would think him a demon. Robertson also has some fun with Nightcrawler's tail, as the character uses it to grab peanuts or pour beer from the pitcher, and his visuals maintain the sort of playful side of the character, even as Rucka delves into the more serious side.
Honestly, the fanboy in me would have been happy with this story just because of the Wolverine-Nightcrawler interaction. Rucka nails all the things I like about this friendship, including a toast to the fallen Colossus (who was often the third member of their drinking group) and the connection between the two, where Nightcrawler sees through his friend's surly attitude to someone who needs to talk. It's clear from the script that these two know each other, that they've formed a deep bond through years of friendship, and they pick up on unspoken cues to know what the other is really thinking. I'm also quite pleased that Rucka hits on Nightcrawler's shaky faith, a great character trait that too many writers have fumbled or just dropped entirely because they weren't up to the task of writing a religious character.
At the core of this issue, though, is how Rucka sees Wolverine, and that's where the real strength of the story lies. Wolverine is unsociable, grumpy and downright ornery in this issue, and though that might seem like just a bit of characterization, it is an essential component to the story that was told in "The Brothers." Because while all of us fans might think that Wolverine cutting loose is an essential part of the character, but it's also the kind of thing that would have emotional consequences for any kind of human being, let alone someone heroic in nature, and this issue is all about those consequences.
By the end of this issue, we've seen Wolverine's more vulnerable side, the human side that keeps him from becoming a rage-driven cliche or an empty character like the Punisher, and it probably ranks this as one of the best Wolverine stories I've ever read. Certainly it puts all of "The Brothers" into a deeper context, and also provides a road map of characterization for future writers, a definitive moment for the character.
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