Snikt.

It was teased a few issues ago, and it’s official, Wolverine is back… well not that Wolverine, a different one. James Hudson, Wolverine’s “Ultimate Universe” son has made his full debut in the 616 as the X-Men team tracks him down after a hit by Cerebro. There’s some good here and there’s some bad, but overall the issue is an entertaining one.

X-Men Blue #4 has the team flying when Cerebro pings a mutant. The issue with that opening is that it feels a little out of the blue (no pun intended) disconnected from the previous issue’s run in with Bastion and the Sentinels. You’d think this team would be concerned with that or maybe on the hunt for them? There’s not a mention or a focus as they head right into investigating this mysterious mutant. That’s my biggest problem with the issue as they’re presented with a threat but get distracted by something else with no follow-up. Shouldn’t Magneto get called in? Shouldn’t they be on the offensive with this? But I digress…

The team is on the hunt for this mysterious individual and how they come across him and the interaction is pretty paint by numbers. Little ground is broken, but the interaction between the team and their dynamic is really good. That stands out as the strongest thing in the series. Writer Cullen Bunn has the characters down and is building to something nice (ie clearly Jean having a “turn” towards evil or corruption). There’s also a lighthearted tone about it all, again a good thing that fits the teenage spirit of the characters.

The art by Julian Lopez along with inks by José Marzan, Jr. and Walden Wong, and colors by Irma Knivila are all really good and fit the tone of the comic really well. My gripe though is Hudson himself who is given hair that’s straight up Wolverine, a look that feels more like a “come on” than something natural about him. His clean cut look we saw in the Ultimate Universe was something that felt solid in that he stood apart from his dad. Due to just the addition of the haircut, it feels like an attempt to replace or make us forget.

Does the Marvel universe need a third Wolverine? We’ll see, but the end of the issue has me really intrigued as it challenges some assumptions I had about the fate of the Ultimate Universe and its characters. It opens up some possibilities, but also could lead to the mess that was the previous Marvel Universe. We’ll see where Bunn goes from here, but so far, he has me intrigued to see what happens next.

Story: Cullen Bunn Art: Julian Lopez Cover Art: Arthur Adams
Story: 7.75 Art: 7.45 Overall: 7.70 Recommendation: Read