The Last Wolverine #2 Review

 

Writer: Saladin Ahmed

Artist: Edgar Salazar

Colorist: Carlos Lopez

Letterer: Cory Petit

Cover Artists: Martín Cóccolo & Matthew Wilson; Tony Daniel & Jay David Ramos; InHyuk Lee; Gerald Parel

Designer: Jay Bowen

Editors: Cy Pedro Beltran, Mark Basso, Tom Brevoort & CB Cebulski

Publisher: Marvel Comics

Price: $4.99

Release Date: November 19, 2025

 

When Revelation unleashed the X-Virus, it turned Humans into Mutants or killed them. Yet, the Mutants were not immune to its power. It made some more of what they were. Others who fled the area of infection lost their former Mutant abilities and appearance.

 

In Vancouver, British Columbia, Leonard Two Bears is about as far from where the Gene Bomb detonated as he can be in North America. When Vindicator breaks into his apartment, she tells him that the X-Virus is still spreading. It will eventually overtake not just Vancouver, but all of North America, and eventually the entire world. Then Heather Hudson raises the subject of her husband, and the man who helped Leonard become The Heavenly Wolverine. Will Leonard agree to help Heather? And can they free Logan from Revelation's control? Let’s leap into The Last Wolverine #2 and see!

 

Story

The X-Virus has killed millions. In the Revelation Territories, formerly bustling cities are overgrown, with nature reclaiming the urban landscape. The virus has also swept through Eastern Canada, overtaking cities and leaving villages behind. In areas safe for habitation, Humans have even opted for cybernetic companions instead of seeking a Human mate.

 

In The Last Wolverine #2, Kurt Waggoner is one of the lucky ones. Like Leonard, he traded the Revelation Territories for Vancouver. Outside the X-Virus’ influence, Leonard made peace with his Wendigo spirit, while Kurt lost his Mutant abilities. Like Tony Stark in Avengers: Endgame, Kurt enjoys life with his Human wife and children. But Logan was his friend. And after Humans turned Professor Xavier’s school into a prison for Mutants, Kurt and Logan helped Rogue and Gambit mentor the Outliers. 

 

 

 

In Saladin Ahmed’s story, Vindicator promises Leonard they can save Logan. But the X-Virus will affect them long before they reach him. Heather Hudson is Human. Her Vindicator suit will have to work overtime to filter out the X-Virus, leaving no power to help combat Revelation's Seraphs. And as they travel, Revelation's agents will try to stop them.

 

For The Heavenly Wolverine and Vindicator to have a chance of succeeding, they need Nightcrawler. They're not certain Kurt can regain what he lost. Heather may succumb to the X-Virus. The Wendigo's ferocity may overcome Leonard's reason. But all three are desperate to save their friend, mentor, and husband from the brainwashed killer he has become.

 

 

 

Art

While blues and greens surround Vancouver, buildings rise toward hovering electric billboards. As Leonard and Heather converse on a rooftop, they behold the sanctuary they are leaving behind. The duo's yellow, blue, and red clothes echo the surrounding windows, while Leonard's white fur links him with Heather's suit. The tiger-stripe design of his suit seems at home with Heather's leonine orange hair. Yet a black, white, and red memory of Wolverine pairs with Heather's Vindicator suit. With her eyepatch, Heather evokes Nick Fury, while Leonard's fur and features recall Beast.

 

Carlos Lopez’s colors take on neon hues when Leonard, Heather, and Kurt meet in Stanley Park. White energy ripples across the belly of a decloaking plane as thrusters expel white pillars. As in Indiana Jones in Raiders of the Lost Ark, a plane streaks across a map in The Last Wolverine #2. Then Edgar Salazar reveals how nature is overtaking civilization, as greenery obscures historic landmarks, like in Logan's Run and Planet of the Apes.

 

As three heroes mount their desperate mission, Cory Petit snikts black uppercase words into white dialogue balloons, narrative boxes, and clouds. The letters grow bold for intonation and shrink for lowered voices. Sound effects accompany hand-to-hand combat, weapons fire, and a hero reclaiming his powers in The Last Wolverine #2. Thanks to Marvel Comics for providing a review copy.

 

 

 

Final Thoughts

Everyone needs a cause to fight for. But when we listen to voices telling us what we should do, it's easy to lose sight of who we are. Filled with likeable characters, scenic vistas, and vibrant coloring, The Last Wolverine #2 reminds us of the dangers of letting our zeal for a cause overcome our compassion.

 

Rating 9.6/10

 

To look inside see my review at Comic Book Dispatch. 

Deadpool Vs. Wolverine: Slash ‘Em Up #1 Review

 

Writer: Christos Gage

Artist: Alan Robinson

Colorist: Carlos Lopez

Letterer: Joe Sabino

Cover Artists: Ron Lim & Israel Silva; Mark Bagley & Richard Isanove

Production Design: Carlos Lao

Digital Comics Specialist: Annie Cheng

Print Layout Production: Meghan O’Leary

Sr Manager Digital: Tim Smith 3

Editors: Drew Baumgartner, Cy Pedro Beltran, Mark Basso, Tom Brevoort & CB Cebulski

Publisher: Marvel

Price: $5.99

Release Date: March 19, 2025

 

When Deadpool enters Madri-Gen, guards greet the merc with a mouth at gunpoint. Deadpool apologizes for shattering their plate glass window. But he has a job to do. Deadpool won’t let locked doors or men in uniforms stand in his way of securing a paycheck.

 

Unfortunately for Wade, more than guards impede his march toward a five-star review. Wolverine also wants to steal the company's hot new product. As in Deadpool & Wolverine WWIII, Wade and Logan pursue the same target. Neither will let the other get in his way. Who will claim the neurostimulator? And who will leave Madri-Gen empty-handed? Let's leap into Deadpool Vs. Wolverine Slash 'Em Up #1, and find out!

 

Story

While Deadpool doesn't want to disappoint his client, Wolverine's ambitions are more complicated. At least, they seem so. Logan believes he let a young man down a long time ago. Securing the neurostimulator for his former friend helps Logan feel like righting a wrong. But Logan’s memories of his time before he became Weapon X make Wade jealous. In Christos Gage’s story, Deadpool would give anything to reclaim memories of his youth.

 

This realization pits the two living weapons at odds. Yet it also unites them. While they hack and slash their way through Madri-Gen and each other, Wade and Logan debate the importance of memories. As they try to steal this device for their clients, both men realize that Deadpool could benefit most by using it. Yet lingering in the background of Deadpool Vs Wolverine Slash ‘Em Up #1 is a question.

 

Logan’s memories of torture and enslavement weigh him down. Peter Parker sacrificed his additional memories of Uncle Ben to return Spider-Boy to the Web Of Life And Destiny. Will reclaiming his past complete Deadpool or fill the aching void with dead weight?

 

Art

As Deadpool takes on young guns with attitude, Wolverine arrives to cross claws with swords. Amid the slashing, hacking, and impalements, the two living weapons entertain their opponents before killing them. Alan Robinson transforms the high-tech corporate world into a Dungeons And Dragons tournament in Deadpool Vs. Wolverine: Slash 'Em Up #1. As Wade and Logan follow in Indiana Jones’ footsteps, they battle beings from Dr Moreau’s laboratories at Omni Consumer Products.

 

Carlos Lopez applies a loaded palette to the heroes’ journey from the sleek, neutral floors and ceilings of desk-filled offices to subbasements filled with traps, pitfalls, and monstrosities. Vibrant colors fill backgrounds in closeups. Gunfire, laser beams, and explosions brighten this fast-paced action thriller. Yet nothing warms the pages of Deadpool Vs. Wolverine: Slash 'Em Up #1 as much as Deadpool's zest of life and how he shares others' pain.

 

Joe Sabino fills white and yellow dialogue balloons with uppercase letters that grow bold for intonation, enlarge for volume, and shrink for lowered voices. Deadpool ensures that he and Wolverine receive headliner status with red 3D logos. The merc with a mouth also vocalizes every injury. Sound effects help us hear grunting ground troops, bouncing grenades, bonking heads, and wall-demolishing impacts. Who knew Mace wasn't a helpful hardware place? Thanks to Marvel for providing a copy for review.

 

Final Thoughts

Some claim that memories are for losers who lead uninteresting lives. Many preach that it is not what you know but what you do that matters. Yet you cannot understand the worth of something until you have it. Wolverine prefers to shatter a mirror than look in it. But in Deadpool Vs Wolverine Slash 'Em Up #1, Wade Wilson wants to perceive the man he has become. And he can't do that without having something that may not be good for him.

 

Rating 9.5/10

 

To look inside see my review at Comic Book Dispatch.

Dungeons & Dragons: Fortune Finder #1 Review

 

Writer: Jim Zub

Artist: Jose Jaro

Colorist: Adam Guzowski

Letterer: Amauri Osorio

Cover Artists: Max Dunbar & Sebastian Cheng; Jose Jaro & Adam Guzowski; Carlos López

Publisher: IDW

Price: $3.99

Release Date: 11/15/23

 

An elf wakes up by a shelf. The cook in the Hooded Lantern Tavern doesn't take kindly to people emerging from her closet, so her patrons decide a little questioning is in order. Who is the elf, and what kind of trouble has he fallen into? Let’s roll the dice, open Dungeons & Dragons: Fortune Finder #1, and find out!

 

Story

Jim Zub’s story follows an amnesiac lost in Sigil. It’s a fun city to visit--filled with magical beings and portals to other realms--as our amnesiac elf will discover. If he can evade the drinkers menacing him with their weapons, that is! Jim’s elf may have lost his memory, but he remembers his ironic name. Finder may have a slow mind, but the elf has fast reflexes and nimble feet. Jim mines the inherent humor in Finder's situation as the elf makes a friend, discovers the wonders of Sigil, and stumbles into danger. Is Finder a musician, an adventurer, or a fool? If only the elf could remember!

 

Jim’s story draws inspiration from the new sourcebook Planescape: Adventures in the Multiverse. But even if you’ve never played Dungeons & Dragons, you’ll enjoy Dungeons & Dragons: Fortune Finder #1. It’s an easygoing story that explains the city in simple terms and introduces a colorful cast. Two memorable characters include Notitia Never-Lost--who agrees to help Finder for a price--and Protitch, who claims to be his partner. As Jim's tale begins with danger, it ends with a threat to Finder's life. But in those final panels, Jim plants the seed of an intriguing mystery while uprooting a potential clue to Finder’s identity and how he arrived in Sigil.

 

 

Art

Tavern patrons come in all shapes and sizes, including one who looks like a lizard or a dinosaur. Once Finder leaves the Hooded Lantern, he encounters a medieval town. Buildings showcase different architectural styles, and streets suggest Sigil perches on a hillside. Jose Jaro populates this interdimensional city with warriors, demons, gods, dwarves, and an angelic deva who sips coffee from a china cup.

 

Adam Guzowski loads his palette with a spectrum of soft and appealing colors in Dungeons & Dragons: Fortune Finder #1. Foreground characters are colored lavender, buildings in beiges and tans, while pink tinges the air and birds-eye views. Characters stand out with vivid clarity in this magical realm, and nothing that happens in the dusty streets gets lost in gray. 

 

 

 

Amauri Osorio places uppercase black letters in white dialogue balloons. Although the letters are thin, they’re large and rarely shrink. They frequently get italicized and grow bold for inflection. Amauri occasionally throws in a sound effect or gives a character white dialogue in a black balloon in Dungeons & Dragons: Fortune Finder #1. Amauri also reveals the elf's thoughts on strips of tan parchment.

 

 

Final Thoughts

Not for the faint of funny bone, Dungeons & Dragons: Fortune Finder #1 follows a mindwiped elf and a short girl with a big staff (and even bigger personality) through Sigil, a transit hub bursting with beings from any world readers might care to visit, and perhaps a few they wouldn’t!

 

Rating 9.2/10

 

To preview interior art see my review at Comic Book Dispatch.

X-23 Deadly Regenesis #3 Review

 

Writer: Erica Schultz

Artist: Edgar Salazar

Colorist: Carlos Lopez

Letterer: Cory Petit

Cover Artists: Kalman Andrasofszky; Gerald Parel

Publisher: Marvel

Price: $3.99

Release Date: May 31, 2023

 

Created to be a living weapon, Laura Kinney wanted more. She tried to make a new life in Minneapolis, but her old handler Kimura had other plans. Now she's back under Kimura's control, her healing factor neutralized, while Haymaker--the agent who brought her in--wants to kill her. How could things possibly get any worse for Laura? Let’s tear into X-23 Deadly Regenesis #3 and find out!

 

Story

Laura awakens in an animal carrier. Kimura sprays her with the neutralizing agent. Gauntlets prevent Laura from extending her claws. Guards grasp her neck with catcher poles. Her former handler gives her a tour of her facility. Laura sees Haymaker in a room with other agents. She learns how Kimura controls her employees. Kimura leads her to a room filled with captives. Either X-23 works for her, or she kills them.

 

After two action-packed issues, X-23 Deadly Regenesis #3 slows the pace to reveal Kimura’s world. We learn what drives her. Surprisingly, she views her protégé more altruistically than Laura sees herself. Erica Schultz portrays situations that speak clearly to Laura but less to the first-time reader. Still, her story helps you admire Laura more.

 

 

 

Art

Characters are highly detailed and portrayed consistently throughout. Settings have a lived-in reality. Sultry Kimura looks as good as Wilma Deering in her combat outfit. While Laura's expression shows anger and determination, Kimura's eyes sparkle as she smiles, reveling in the power she wields. Edgar Salazar uses a minimum of panels—often just one—to reveal powerful memories and experiences that define the woman Kimura only sees as X-23.

 

Lush, bold colors invite you into X-23 Deadly Regenesis #3. Cold blue-white lights illuminate Kimura's dark features as she sprays the orange neutralizer into Laura's green eyes. Guards clad in blue uniforms with gray helmets and armor walk inhabit blue and green rooms with gray floors. Laura peers through glass walls to watch ochre-clad workers in a clean room environment. Carlos Lopez dips into the orange and purple spectrums to color the memories that haunt and comfort Laura.

 

Cory Petit relays speech as black uppercase letters in white dialogue balloons. Kimura's off-panel words inhabit white narrative boxes with a purple outline. Laura shares her thoughts via white letters in rounded maroon narrative boxes. Font size is small but not tiny, while sound effects are large, colorful, and expressive.

 

Final Thoughts

X-23 Deadly Regenesis #3 delves into Laura’s history, exploring previously unrevealed events from writer Marjorie Liu’s series a dozen years ago. It reveals the perils of substance abuse and questions definitions of heroism. While Laura doesn't carry out any missions, or go a second round with Haymaker, richly detailed scenes and dramatic situations suggest that Kimura will deploy her living weapon soon.

 

Rating 8.5/10

 

To preview interior art see my review at Comic Book Dispatch.