Ultimate Wolverine has its strengths, but one of the problems is how much of it has felt like filler. Thinking back over the book’s run, there are definitely some great moments, but it often feels like Condon didn’t have very much actual story. This is the problem with the new issue. It opens up in the aftermath of Ultimate Wolverine #12, which has set up a rather interesting new status quo for the Logan of Earth-6160. Issue #13 starts off cool, showing readers the origin of this universe’s Magik, but then it just sort of forgets all of that to give readers a much too long fight between Wolverine and Ursa Major.
Rating: 2.5 out of 5
Pros
Cons
The art is great
The fight goes on way too long
The beginning and end of the book are interesting
Not enough actual story to be considered a great comic
The whole thing is kind of mystifying, honestly. There are only a few issues left in the book, and filling one of those last issues with a fight that really doesn’t matter was a strange choice. It’s a pretty hard thing to defend, despite the fight being entertaining. While I was never bored while reading the issue, the whole time I was asking myself why we’re getting this fight instead of setting up the last story. The beginning and end of the book are the only parts that do any set-up for the main story, and it honestly doesn’t really feel like it’s enough.
The Fight Is Filler but It Looks Amazing At Least
Image Courtesy of Marvel Comics
This issue is drawn by artist Domenico Carbone, and it looks fantastic. While people have qualms about the book’s stories, no one has ever said that Ultimate Wolverine‘s art was bad and this issue is yet another example of the book’s artistic quality. Carbone gives readers an awesome fight, and that sort of makes up for the fact that this issue is all filler. Wolverine has been in some brutal battles, and this one is easily the best of Ultimate Wolverine so far.
Carbone’s art is detailed and dynamic, and the page layouts make the fight exciting and easy to follow. Bryan Valenza’s colors are a little too dark, but the line work is so great that it doesn’t really matter. While I disagree with the fight being as long as it was, that’s not Carbone’s fault. He gives readers some awesome scenes, and is able to capture the fury of both Wolverine and Ursa Major. This is classic Wolverine action, and that’s the good thing about this filler issue.
Ultimate Wolverine #13 is an entertaining book, but that doesn’t change that it’s filler. The intent here is baffling: it gives readers what wrestling fans would call a “heatless banger’, meaning a great fight that has no reason to exist other than it’s great. There’s something disappointing about the comic; I was hoping for something that would grab my attention and not let go, and what I got wasn’t that. I like this series, but it’s storytelling decisions like this that make me question why I like it.
Ultimate Wolverine #13 is on sale now.
What do you think? Leave a comment in the comment section below and join the conversation on the ComicBook Forums!
