Review by Ian Keogh

There seemed to have been a definitive ending to the Beast’s plans as Vol. 5 drew to a close, but it only takes a few pages of Vol. 6 for Benjamin Percy to turn that assessment on its head. As he does so, he also supplies the Beast with some narrative captions explaining the way he currently sees the world, although without the definitive reasoning about how he squares that with a conscience. The Beast sees his primary duty as protecting Krakoa, and Wolverine as Krakoa’s greatest weapon, so keeping him feral and controlled is in Krakoa’s best interests. Although he’s not privy to those thoughts, it’s a fair bet Wolverine wouldn’t see it that way.

Percy also writes X-Force, the mutant black-ops squad, with Wolverine a member following the Beast’s instructions, and much of what happens here runs parallel to events in that series. Commendably, having seemed to have brought matters to a grisly conclusion to a grim story in Vol. 5, Percy amplifies the threat greatly here. As was the case last time around, the title may be Wolverine, but the Beast’s thoughts and plans occupy as much space as Logan.

Artist Juan José Ryp was given a stunning gift in Percy’s script description of Beast’s headquarters, but his visualisation is jaw-dropping. It’s seen in part on the sample art, but the full creation tops even that. A stiffness to some of Ryp’s people isn’t as apparent this time, and he has an amazing talent for drawing destruction.

The previous volume was almost relentlessly grim, but there’s humour to this conclusion, most of it founded on arrogance. After all, if every person in the room is convinced they’re the smartest it’s going to lead to problems.

Concluding the review to Vol. 4 was the wish that Percy would extend himself, and with the ten chapters setting Wolverine against the Beast he’s done just that spectacularly well, producing the best work of his run. And as he’s still going to be around for Vol. 7, he may top this.