Review by Ian Keogh

There’s a leap from the end of Vol. 6, to the start of this volume, with the existence of all mutants changed by the events of the Hellfire Gala. Long term plotting by the Orchis organisation has paid off, with the mutant population of Krakoa framed, many dead and survivors now targets. Wolverine’s personal situation is worse as he feels responsible for hunting down cloned versions of himself.

Writer Benjamin Percy supplies these well, using their instincts as versions of Wolverine to return to places where the original article has spent considerable time during his long life. An extended opening chapter has him allied with someone who’s able to help in dealing with lesser versions of himself, but no less deadly, and builds nicely toward an inevitable confrontation. Juan José Ryp draws this phenomenally well, detailed and with well considered layouts, almost always from distance. There’s a lot of effort put in, and the only downside is a tendency toward excess when it comes to showing violent activity. Ryp is astounding on the opening chapter, and equally good on the two that follow, making this a collection worth your time for the art alone.

Not that Percy doesn’t hold his end up. With the business of his clones dealt with, Wolverine sets his sights on Orchis, and it turns out the Hulk isn’t the only guest star in this collection. He’s followed by Captain America, Black Panther and Spider-Man, and Percy has interesting ideas about all of them, who they are, what they do and how they go about it. It leads to three very different encounters, but all of them page turners and action packed.

There’s a slight disappointment with the Spider-Man teaming being drawn by Ibrahim Moustafa, who’s also a very good artist, but not in Ryp’s class. Moustafa’s able to emphasise Spider-Man’s athleticism, and certainly brings the problems to life, but his backgrounds are altogether looser and simpler.

Percy took his time settling into the character and the series, but has become a prime example of the value of letting creators work out a few wrinkles along the way. His last couple of volumes have been excellent, and this matches them. Sabretooth is promised in Vol. 8.