Comics
[Comic Book Review] “Death of Wolverine” HC Could Be Important
We all share some sort of affinity for Wolverine. I mean he’s immediately interesting given his brooding attitude, hopeless romance, and badass abilities. But at his core he represented something timeless about superhero comics, and perhaps that’s why “Death of Wolverine” could be important.
WRITTEN BY: Charles Soule
ART BY: Steve McNiven
PUBLISHER: Marvel Comics
PRICE: $24.99
RELEASE: January 7, 2015
Now, I know Wolverine has died multiple times. I know that death is far from permanent in the world of superheroes. But, this has the ability to be a great bookend on a character’s long history if its made longstanding and permanent. The mind-boggling thing is with a story as important as this, Charles Soule seems to believe that a greatest hits doesn’t need to have any resonance in it’s ending.
I’m lost between love and hate. I believe killing Wolverine in the way they did was an interesting and poetic way for the character to be enveloped by permanent death. I adore the fact that he’s encased in adamantium because it has a true resonance for the character. In a way Wolverine had always been trapped in the substance, and it was the only thing left to claim him. But, I can’t for the life of me reason why he had to die in Nevada and why in the world he had to go up against a scientist who really meant nothing to him in the final pages of the story.
It’s a shame that the story went in that direction, because for the first three chapters you get the impression that we’re dealing with something that is more storied and reflective. It’s more about who Wolverine was, and the many lives he’s lived than his death. He should be ready to die, and upon accepting that fact Soule makes sure Logan stops to say goodbye to his favorite acquaintances.
Who he says goodbye to, and who he visits are a little bit of a conundrum, since they don’t seem to have much meaning to the story itself. Each issue feels varied and mildly reflective, but ultimately lacks any resonance because they are so incohesive. The first issue has Nuke, of all villains going up against Wolvie. While the battle is amazing, it fails to really pack the punch of say, a battle with Sabertooth. Which is featured a little later and manages to wrap itself up almost as quickly as it started.
The truth is, no matter what way Soule decided to kill Wolverine, there would be flak from someone. It didn’t particular resonate with me, or feel in character with Wolverine. But, that isn’t to say the collection isn’t well written, it is. Soule manages to capture a side of Logan that I’ve never pondered before with separate captions for each of Wolverine’s senses. It does more to humanize the character than I ever thought possible, and what better time than at his death to do so.
Steve McNiven is clearly a powerhouse of thin line work and clear action. Every one of his panels is clean and energetic. He’s able to capture the end of an icon with such beauty that I can’t imagine anyone else doing a better job. Seriously the spread in the first issue of all the dead bodies on the beach should blow you away, and the opening page is as beautiful as comics get. McNiven truly understood Wolverine, and he brings his death to life with such skill that you can’t help but be blown away.
In the end, it doesn’t matter if Wolverine’s death is permanent, because it won’t be. The character’s selling power prevents him from being off the shelves for too long. The thing that matter is if this is a good story, and I’m not sure that it is. It’s an event comic, and by those standards it’s the best event comic of 2014, but as a story it’s incredible dispersed and its focus is haphazard. Perhaps this is by design, but I can’t help but feel like a more focused story of loss and acceptance would have made for a trade worth talking about for years to come. As it stands, this may be forgotten as quickly as it was released, but only time will tell.
It should be noted that this collection has a ton of extra features that actually push the score a little higher for me. If you ever wanted to see how to make a comic book as beautiful as this, then purchase this collection. You’re bound to learn a thing or two about structuring a killer action scene.
Comics
‘You’ll Never Leave This Place Alive’ – IDW Dark’s Next Horror Comic Will Make You Question Reality
Five friends. Four houses. One perfect life. Bloody Disgusting is excited to exclusively announce You’ll Never Leave This Place Alive, a brand new horror comic from IDW Dark.
From Eisner-Nominated writers Jackson Lanzing and Collin Kelly, and rising horror artist Heather Vaughan, You’ll Never Leave This Place Alive is described as a “paranoia-laced, socially-conscious, horror mystery that will leave you questioning reality, and reveal that this crafted world is more of a nightmare than the idealistic dream they were expecting.”
Phoebe Joplin has never questioned the world her parents built: a secluded community where she and her friends were raised to be smarter, stronger, and better than anyone else. No distractions. No dangers. No secrets. Until the night of their graduation.
When one of them dies under impossible circumstances, Phee starts to pull at the edges of her perfect life—and what she finds is something far more terrifying than she ever imagined.
Because this place isn’t a sanctuary. It’s a cage. And no one who discovers the truth ever leaves it alive.
Collin Kelly & Jackson Lanzing (Batman – One Bad Day: Clayface, Star Trek: The Last Starship) co-write the upcoming IDW Dark horror comic, featuring art by Heather Vaughan.
Jackson Lanzing said in a statement to Bloody Disgusting, “You’ll Never Leave This Place Alive is in many ways a spiritual successor to our last creator-owned horror, The Principles of Necromancy – a dive into the promise and consequence of playing god with the blood of innocents. But the Hivemind book this reminds me of most is Clayface: One Bad Day. This is a deeply human story with intensely raw emotions – five best friends and their five mysterious parents, tearing one another apart for the promise of some impossible glory that’s waiting just beyond their darkest actions. We’re thrilled to be bringing this story to life with our long-time partner in crime, editor Heather Antos, at IDW Dark – and we’re particularly excited to give our Clayface fans a new, brutal and emotional horror made just for them.”
Adds Collin Kelly, “We’re deconstructing a feeling that seems universal these days; our elders have a death grip on their power, without any intention of giving it up to the generations that come next. YNLTPA is about growing up with the limitless potential of the future… and realizing how much it’s a lie we’ve been fed to keep us under the yoke of the past. Bringing this brutal experience to life is our artist and co-creator, Heather Vaughan, who brings an incredible amount of humanity to our cast. But it’s in our youthful leads that Heather’s art really shines – you are going to fall in love with these young people, even as they go through the worst experience of their lives. What we’ve all crafted together is going to be tragic, painful, but above all else, sincere – with a future so uncertain, there’s only one thing we can trust: you’ll never leave this place alive.”
“Some horror stories are about monsters in the dark. YNLTPA is about realizing the monsters raised you,” previews Senior Group Editor Heather Antos. “Working with Jackson Lanzing and Collin Kelly on this series has been a dream in the darkest possible way. They’ve built a story that’s layered, brutal, and deeply emotional, and every issue gives artist Heather Vaughan opportunities to push the art into places that feel both haunting and deeply personal. Some horror comics will keep you up at night…this is one that will stick with you for years to come.”
The first issue of You’ll Never Leave This Place Alive goes on sale October 14, 2026! Make sure to pre-order at your local comic shop by September to guarantee a copy.
Exclusively check out the various covers for Issue #1 down below.
IDW Publishing’s horror imprint IDW DARK features comics like A Quiet Place: Storm Warning, Smile: For the Camera, The Exorcism at 1600 Penn, Beneath The Trees Where Nobody Sees, The Twilight Zone, Event Horizon: Dark Descent & Event Horizon: Inferno, and more.
You must be logged in to post a comment.