Wolverine #8 (2020) Revisited
Wolverine #8, written by Benjamin Percy, is a comic book issue that has been a long time coming for me. Billed as the 350th legacy solo title for everyone’s favourite adamantium boned mutant, Wolverine #8 is an extra long issue which is divided into three sections that are almost 3 stories all on their own. They link together in a thoughtful way that gives the reader a sense of a deep conspiracy threatening to strike out at the population of Krakoa.
The issue kicks off with Wolverine portalling over to Jeff Banister’s home, who has a Krakoa portal in his backyard (hey, can I get one of those?) and the two men begin to exchange old war stories which have left more than their fair share of scars. Bannister recounts a time his unit was ordered to attack a peaceful envoy in a truck in order to keep the war machine going. Whilst Wolverine recounts the time way back in his past where Team X were sent on a mission which almost killed him and Maverick.
Thanks to a firey explosion that engulfs the entire page in a boastful display of colours and violence. A page which highlights the expert level talent of pencillers Adam Kubert and Viktor Bogdanovic, and colorists Matthew Wilson and Antonio Fabela.
With their own fair share of dark and violent pasts shared, Wolverine presses him for why he called the meeting and what does it have to do with the CIA? To which Jeff Bannister answers that there are players at working “behind the ‘behind the scenes.’” A new threat which Jeff calls X Desk. Which is a far from a clever code name but at least it’s thematic and keeping up 60 year old X-Men naming conventions.
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The second part of the comic gives us a special ops scene starring who we assume is one of X Desk’s teams. After a fresh salvo of gunfire is directed at them, they break into an underground facility which is massive in scale, only to break into a security door and retrieve two dog tags. One of them reads “Logan” while the other reads “Team X.”
Transitioning to Krakoa, a tired and hungry Omega Red reveals himself from the shadows, looking for food. A trap is sprung by Wolverine’s “children” and Wolverine himself. With Wolverine demanding answers about who left Wolverine to die at the bottom of a frozen lake (in Wolverine issues #4 and #5). Barely satisfied with the answer, the Wolverines leave Omega Red to fend for himself.
A logbook provides a segway into the next scene with a log about Beast’s interrogation of one of the Merc (Maverick) ‘s operatives. An operative (Trevor Crosby) who seems to know more about the operations of Desk X than he’s letting on. In an absolute d**k move, Beast decides to keep his dog as leverage for Crosby to provide the X-Men with intel (whether on purpose or not).
With the Desk X mercs now making their way through a Krakoan building, Wolverine lays a trap of epic sonic proportions. Disabling all the mercs and allowing him time to grab Crosby and take him to the shoreline – where he can threaten and interrogate him until Wolvie feels all warm and tingly inside. Unfortunately for Wolverine, as Crosby starts to give him some of the answers he seeks, a sniper takes a head shot of Crosby. Killing him instantly. Leading Wolverine to Madripoor and an auction which is about to take place. Where either Desk X or Maverick’s mercs are likely to be involved.
Wolverine #8 is a celebratory comic book which should be in every Marvel fan’s collection. While it’s not page to page action, Benjamin Percy has provided an air of mystery and intrigue amidst the shadowy organisation gobbledygook that is being established for future issues. The interweaving scenes deal with Wolverine’s wounds in a way that tend to open up new ones. Classic Wolverine storytelling!
Unfortunately, the biggest letdown is the cover itself, by Adam Kubert, which is an exceptional confrontation between Wolverine and Maverick. A confrontation we never see in the issue itself. Marvel’s way of teaching us: don’t judge a book by it’s cover.
What did you think of Wolverine #8?
Did you enjoy the 350th legacy title of Wolverine or were you annoyed that Maverick never really turned up at all?
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