iWolverine 2020, published by Marvel Comics, tells a thrilling revenge story as Albert — the robotic Wolverine — goes on a quest to reunite the pieces of the child robot Elsie-Dee that have been scattered to several different people. The journey to reassemble Elsie-Dee is violent, exciting, and thoroughly entertaining.
About the book:
There are people who seek to capitalize on vulnerable A.I.s. But there’s one robot doppelganger whose not willing to lie down without a fight — especially when there’s revenge to be had. Murder is on its way to Madripoor in the form of … iWolverine.
The writing of Larry Hama, the art of Roland Boschi, the colors of Andres Mossa, and the lettering of VC’s Joe Sabino come together to create a stunning visual spectacle with high energy and a thrilling revenge plot.
iWolverine 2020 #1 Story
Larry Hama begins this story with a conflict and characters that have been introduced in other issues, but that doesn’t have much effect on this issue. It is still made clear what events had occurred that led Albert on his mission of revenge, and the plot of this issue would still have worked if it had been standalone. This makes iWolverine 2020 very friendly to new readers who just want to enjoy an action-packed comic book. Characterization is light in the issue, but that is fine when considering this is not these characters’ first appearances, and the focus of the story is on revenge, which is a theme that requires less characterization and more action—something this issue certainly delivers on.
Art
The pencils and inks of iWolverine 2020 do wonders to complement the revenge story of the issue. Roland Boschi does a phenomenal job of portraying Albert as a hulking, muscular beast, and the action scenes are complemented by the dynamic poses that Boschi places the characters in.
Shadows are used heavily throughout iWolverine 2020, and serve two noticeable purposes. First, large muscle mass on characters such as Albert are given heavy shadow to highlight the many well-toned individual muscles, giving him a spectacular physique that many comic book heroes possess. The second, and much more useful in the narrative, is the use of heavy shadow on the face of villainous characters. Albert may have shadows when he is standing in certain positions or buried in a trench coat, but compared to the villains of the issue, his face is very well-lit. Elsie-Dee, the most innocent character we are exposed to in iWolverine 2020, is always shown with little or no shadow on her face. Shadows covering the face of a character is a subtle way to indicate maliciousness and is an interesting way for visual characterization.
The colors of iWolverine 2020, done by Andres Mossa, stand out from the typical coloring of modern-day superhero comic books. Mossa is able to work in many colors that don’t often appear in a city setting (where iWolverine 2020 takes place) by giving certain themes or areas a distinct color tone. For example, when Albert visits a place that creates robots to inquire about the whereabouts of Elsie-Dee, nearly everything is colored a shade of green. The walls, the machinery, and even the characters are all given a tint of green. This is later done in other areas with red and blue, and results in a pleasant, stylized look.
VC’s Joe Sabino does an amazing job of stylizing sound effects to complement the action. A wide variety of fonts and colors are used, and each one seems to fit wonderfully with the events happening on the panel.
Conclusion
iWolverine 2020 is certain to please any fans of comic book action and violence. The writing establishes circumstances for an entertaining revenge story and is complemented by the art, colors, and lettering. This first issue is certainly something worth checking out for those who are fans of heavy action.
