Benjamin Percy is without a doubt a huge Wolverine fan. He’s been writing him in X-Force as well as his solo Wolverine series. Having said that, this is perhaps one of the most unique story lines in a Wolverine title because Percy had made one of the most lovable X-Men one of their worst enemies. Beast has gone off the rails and done some unforgivable things, and it’s up to Logan to fix this. One way or another. Joining Percy on this title is Juan Jose Ryp on pencils, Frank D’Armata on colors and Cory Petit with the letters.
WRITING
This story arc on Wolverine has been one of the more interesting runs in a while. Beast turning to the dark side initially started during Percy’s X-Force series, but it seems like everything will be coming to a head in the pages of Wolverine. If you really look at this objectively, it’s not hard to see Beast’s motivations. Percy shows us a mutant who has had enough and is willing to take out the bad guys by any means necessary. Which begs the question of how far is too far? A big highlight and character moment for Logan in this issue is standing up to the Quiet Council. Percy uses Logan as the voice for the reader when he tells the Council that they let Beast do what he wanted and didn’t check up on him. While Logan has always been a character that does what he wants, standing up to the Council is a big step for him. It’s also been great seeing Maverick back in action. Percy has been using him here and there throughout his run. It’s a move that plays on Wolverine’s past and allows the reader to continue to see the layers Logan has.
The pencils by Juan Jose Ryp are very good this issue. For some of these pages and panels it feels like there is a texture to the artwork. When we get a look inside Beast’s new base of operations, there are several clones connected to the walls. Ryp draws veins and tentacle like things in the stasis area for these clones. As you look at this page you can almost feel the roughness of the image. Facial expressions are big in this issue as well. As Wolverine drops off Beast’s corpse to the Quiet Council, there are several looks of disgust from characters like Mystique to Charles Xavier. Ryp draws his fight scenes very violent and brutal. This works well because it shows how far Beast is willing to go and just how dangerous these Wolverine clones are. The Maverick pages are done wonderfully. Maverick takes some hits, but also causes a lot of damage, and Ryp perfectly draws all of this.
The colors by Frank D’Armata are integral to the issue. D’Armata is in charge of setting the mood for the book, and he does an excellent job in the opening pages by giving the reader a look at foggy old Scotland. The color palette for these pages are dull and dark, which add to the creepiness of the scene. For the rest of the issue, D’Armata sticks with darker colors. Shades of blue, like during the Maverick pages, or greens and browns as we get a look at Beast’s base, are also less vibrant. This all works well for the story being told. This is a sadistic story about manipulation and murder, D’Armata uses the color palette accordingly.
The letters by Cory Petit are set up nicely here. Petit makes sure that the word balloons or thought boxes are out of the way of the pencils. On pages where several characters appear to be talking at the same time, no one is covered by any dialogue balloons or boxes. As Logan faces the Council, he pops his claws and Petit uses the iconic SNIKT. What makes this panel a little cooler is that he allows the letters to go up Wolverine’s hand as he pops his claws. The other sound effects are used well for this issue. Maverick shooting Wolverine clones has “BUDDA BUDDA” as he unloads bullets from his gun. This is a finely lettered issue from Cory Petit. He continues to deliver wonderful placement and good effects when he’s on a title.
CONCLUSION
Wolverine #32 continues the story of how Beast is turning into a villain. Benjamin Percy has developed Beast more in the past few years than any writer has in the last ten years. His run on Wolverine has been a memorable one that has to have repercussions in the future. The art is great for this issue. It matches the tone an energy that Percy is writing. Wolverine #32 is available at a comic shop near you!
