Review: All-New Wolverine #17
In issue #16, Wolverine was captured by her former handler, Kimura, and was set loose in Madripoor to go after Tyger Tiger, who was laced with the infamous trigger scent that sends Laura into a berzerker rage. Kimura doesn’t want Tyger Tiger to continue working towards making Mardipoor a legitimate, respectable place so Wolverine is unleashed. But Gambit arrives on the scene and the issue ends with a playing card being launched at an advancing Wolverine. So here is All-New Wolverine #17, and as the cover hints, we’re going to see one heck of a show down….right?
Wrong. In this issue we have Laura waking up after being hit with said playing card, blowing up and healing. We have Gabby, Gambit and Warren looking after her and explaining to her that Tyger Tiger is fine and the three of them are going to help her get over her being controlled by the trigger scent. And, to her surprise, Jean Grey has been called in to help her. So Laura is locked in a room with Gabby and a vial of trigger scent that she douses herself with. Laura attacks, Gabby evades and Jean goes into Laura’s mind to help unlock the parts of her mind that keep her slave to the scent.
Meanwhile, Angel and Gambit keep watch for anyone coming to attack their hideout, and are surprised to see SHIELD on approach. Angel intercepts and find out that Tyger Tiger went to SHIELD about the attack by Laura, wanting to keep everything legitimate. They didn’t think, however, that Kimura would be keeping an eye out and following them and she blows their aircraft out of the sky. While this is going on, Jean is inside Laura’s mind, talking to her younger self where she hides when the trigger scent takes over. When all is said and done, it would appear that Wolverine is cured of her hold the trigger scent has on her.
So yeah, if you were hoping for a throw down with Gambit, or this issue picking up where the last one ended, you are in for disappointment. Tom Taylor gives us a rather boring, disjointed issue that really has a ‘been there, done that’ feel to it. Oh no, Laura is captured again; oh no, the trigger scent has her again. And really, Kimura again? I could have sworn Emma Frost pulled a mind whammy on her and had Kimura go back to The Facility and take care of those in charge (New X-Men Vol. 2 issue #36). But here we have a tired plot device and Kimura controls Laura again. Djibril Morisette-Phan does a fine enough job with the art. Some of the faces look a little strange in some panels, but overall the art is alright. Nothing groundbreaking, but not terrible either.
Overall, I have to say I am disappointed in where this title has gone. When it was launched, we had Laura out as Wolverine, starting a new life and carving a new future for herself. And seventeen issues in and we’re back to the same old story of Laura being under the control of Kimura. Like throwing in the Phoenix Force, or mutants being killed off or time travel, this is a tired, stale plotline that I wish would just end. Sure, the Weapon X program always reared it’s ugly head towards Logan every now and then, but it was always in new ways; it wasn’t the same single guy always showing up to capture him. All-New Wolverine started off being fresh and full of potential, but now this book needs a real improvement to make it feel ‘all new’ again.
Story: Tom Taylor Art: Djibril Morisette-Phan
Story: 4.0 Art: 5.0 Overall: 4.5 Recommendation: Pass
Marvel Comics provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review
I guess you missed the Not Forgotten arc of Kyle and Yost’s X-Force, where it was revealed the Facility reversed Emma’s mind-rape of Kimura. That storyline — which was in 2009 — was also Kimura’s last appearance before resurfacing in a cameo at the end of ANW #6. So you’ve pretty much missed out on EIGHT YEARS of stories. The trigger scent has only been a major plot point twice since then (the Touching Darkness arc of the Liu series, where someone was modifying it to affect people OTHER than Laura, and Avengers Arena, where Arcade was using it as part of his game). That’s a LOT of issues with no mention of either Kimura or the trigger scent.
Also, considering that Kimura is much more comparable to Sabretooth than the Weapon X project, your criticism further falls flat by omitting how often Logan and Creed have thrown down (and with a LOT more regularity than Laura and Kimura).
Ok, sure. I have not read every issue of every book this character has appeared in. Thank you for sharing with me and other readers the timelines of when Kimura and the trigger scent have played a major role with Laura. But in my opinion, it feels tired to go back to it and it bored me.
And this is my opinion, so I take some offense when you say “your criticism further falls flat”. Just as you clearly have done, I presented my opinion on this issue and I stand by it. You don’t agree with it? That’s fine, I don’t expect everyone to. But I ask if you are going to comment on people’s reviews and opinions, maybe do it in a more constructive manner instead of just dismissing their opinion and using yours as the superior view point.
Just because you believe Kimura is more comparable to Sabretooth than the Weapon X project (which I do not agree with) in no way makes my opinion “fall flat”.
But thanks for reading and checking out the site!