Review by Karl Verhoven

Death of Wolverine must have been a lovely little earner for Charles Soule back in the day. Not only did he write the core graphic novel, he was all over the spin-offs, and then a couple of years later heavily involved in Wolverine’s return.

This, at least, has greater purpose than The Logan Legacy, although it features some of the same characters. It should be read after the primary series, in which it was revealed the creator of the Weapon X project had developed new super soldiers. After Wolverine’s death several of them awake, each puzzled at being there and at having some form of super power. Soule, though, lets readers in on their memories and what some discover about the others, laying a layer of suspense over their activities because they may not all be what they seem. The biggest tease Soule dangles is the possibility of Wolverine himself.

Because immoral interests have an investment in the cast, they’re chased by masked soldiers from the time they escape. They may be powerful, but they’re new to having to fight for their lives, and that sets extra tension in what becomes a viable action thriller.

If that’s on the agenda, there are few people you’d want drawing it ahead of Salvador Larroca, and he delivers everything expected, except only for three chapters. After that it’s Angel Unzueta and then Iban Coello, step by step slightly lesser art, although to give Coello a little leeway he probably had to step in very late in the day.

This collection ends, though with three short stories about Wolverine’s X-Men colleagues coping with his death. Jeff Loveness and Mario Del Pennino produce a typically downbeat meditation for Cyclops, and Joshua Hale Fialkov independently conceives roughly the same ending as Colossus and Nightcrawler pay their respects, with Coello’s art here more polished than in the main story. The best of the trio is Rex Ogle and Patrick Scherberger’s look at Armor and Hellion, mutants from the school Logan ran in Wolverine and the X-Men. It’s melancholy and says more about the main characters.

Overall, the title story is the attraction, and it’s a decent military thriller. From a start of “Who are these people? Why are they trying to kill us?” to the final revelations, Soule drips the plot bombs through slowly. From here the chronology leads into The Logan Legacy, but as that leaves a lot to be desired, skip it and head straight for Wolverines: Dancing With the Devil. We daresay Soule will fill in any gaps.

This is also available as part of Death of Wolverine: The Complete Collection and Death of Wolverine Omnibus.