Review by Ian Keogh
Vol. 4 picks up after the events of X Lives of Wolverine/X Deaths of Wolverine, also written by Benjamin Percy, but the only item of relevance is that the CIA has Wolverine’s hand. In itself that’s not as a disaster as he’s regenerated another, but it’s the principle, you understand. That coincides with Deadpool feeling he doesn’t get enough respect, and should be allowed to join the Krakoan black-ops team X-Force. One of them desperately wants a team-up, the other desperately doesn’t.
It very much depends on your tolerance for Deadpool and his endless patter, which Percy delivers to high standards by the way, but the opening four chapters form a classic caper story, except extraordinarily violent, making gruesome use of Deadpool and Wolverine’s regeneration capacities. Adam Kubert is an old hand at maximising the visual possibilities of action mayhem and duly delivers his usual polished dynamism. The eventual revelation as to what’s going on drops the ball, but getting there is fun.
Next up is a Celestial coming to judge Wolverine, first parading those he’s killed in front of him then asking him to justify how his worth is greater than the sum of deaths. It seems an impossible demand, and Wolverine believes it is, but there’s a third way meaning he doesn’t have to acquiesce. This is more an underlining of Wolverine’s bloody mindedness than anything else, and being as Percy has little more to offer it’s a disappointingly standard with the caveat that if you know who Solem and the Hellbride are it may make more sense. Percy doesn’t bother to explain them, though. However, if you want two chapters of mash ‘em up, Federico Vicentini draws them very well.
A short story of Wolverine reflecting on his past closes the collection, drawn by various artists. In tone it’s not greatly different from the first few pages of the Deadpool story’s final chapter, except the reflections are connected by bars (of the drinking variety). He has an unduly biased view of why people visit them.
The sheer nutty spirit of the opening three chapters carries this collection over the average mark, but the feeling remains of Percy being capable of something really great if he’d only stop coasting. Perhaps in Vol. 5.
