Marvel's X Deaths of Wolverine #1
- WRITER
- Benjamin Percy
- Artist
- Federico Vincentini
- Letterer
- VC's Cory Petit
- Cover Artist
- Adam Kubert, Frank Martin
- Publisher
- Marvel Comics
- Price
- 3.99
- Release Date
- 2022-01-26
- Colorist
- Frank Martin, Dijjo Lima
Directly tying in with the concurrent comic series X Lives of Wolverine, Marvel's X Deaths of Wolverine focuses on Wolverine's prior deaths through varied timelines. However, as X-Men fans know, death is never the end for the clawed Canadian powerhouse -- it's the omega.
X Deaths of Wolverine continues where X Lives and Inferno left off. As Wolverine continues his jumbled journey through time, Moira MacTaggert doesn't have much time left. After deceiving mutants and losing her powers, she's on the last of her lives. A vengeful Mystique follows her trail, shifting forms around every corner. But Mystique may be the least of Moira's worries -- as she's dying of an incurable illness. According to Moira, dying doesn't agree with her. Moira may have one last trick up her technically enhanced sleeve.
A story about death, illness, and time, X Deaths of Wolverine #1 has a dark and frantic tone. Moira's story arc is rife with desperation, urgency, and anxiety as she is pursued at every turn with no way out. It's a bleak and nail-biting issue with a stray sarcastic comment to marginally lighten the mood.
While X Deaths of Wolverine #1 is a well-written and nicely paced story it has a few glaring weaknesses. The first, and most obvious, is the false advertising: Wolverine, despite his name being in the title, and the series supposedly focusing on him, is barely in this issue. The story is instead focused on Moira and her predicament. As a result, X Deaths of Wolverine #1 feels less like the setup for Wolverine's story and more of a continuation of the Inferno series. Although well-made, X Deaths is Moira's story, not Wolverine's -- at least for this issue. Chances are, this is not what most readers are expecting.
This is not to say that X Deaths of Wolverine #1 is a bad comic. Writer Benjamin Percy, the mastermind behind X Lives of Wolverine, portrays Moira's story with vivid cinematic flair. He captures the urgency, tension, and darkness throughout this dour story. Artist Federico Vincentini and colorists Dijjo Lima and Frank Martin also do an excellent job, with crisp line art and lurid details. Moira's home turf of Scotland is especially beautiful. Technically, X Deaths of Wolverine #1 is solid.
While Wolverine and his time travel arc from X Lives of Wolverine #1 make a couple of appearances, they're so disjointed and disconnected from the main plot that it feels almost like a cameo. This is X Deaths of Wolverine's fatal flaw. If the story had been more balanced, integrating both characters' stories in balance, perhaps X Deaths of Wolverine would have been closer to what readers expected. It is hard to judge X Deaths of Wolverine #1 as a Wolverine series because it doesn't start as one. It promises one thing -- a Wolverine story -- and delivers another -- a Moira MacTaggert story. However, X Deaths of Wolverine #1 delivers Moira's story well, so readers can't stay mad for too long.