Maverick returns as things get hairy for Logan from Benjamin Percy, Lan Medina, Cam Smith, Java Tartaglia, and Cory Petit!
Tony Thornley: Well, that was unexpected. So far in this series, each non-Kubert arc has been the vampire storyline. That we get a Maverick story in Wolverine #17 was a bit of a treat.
Pierce Lightning: As Maverick truthers, it is our sworn duty to enjoy his every appearance and honestly; I had a great time with Wolverine #17. You want to kick things off?
Karaoke Night
Tony: So I think before we get into the meat of the issue, we need to talk about karaoke night on Krakoa. We could probably do a few hundred words each on just individual song choices. This is the sort of downtime stuff I think a lot of fans have been asking for and it’s nice to get it.
Pierce: Wouldn’t it be “Krakareoke” if it happens on Krakoa? I thought this issue showed Percy hitting his stride. A plot and B plot flowed well into each other. Maverick and Jeff Bannister returned. And it had a great balance between out-and-out superhero action, Percy’s penchant for a crime-noir tone and that, “X-Men playing baseball” business that fans are always referring to. The song choices are an inspiration, if a bit on the nose (at least in Pyro’s case). The question is, which version of “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feeling” was Maverick singing? My money’s on the Elvis or Hall and Oates one.
Tony: Hall and Oates, all the way.
Before we dig too far in to Wolverine #17, I think it’s worth mentioning the art. Usually, I like Medina’s work, and it’s fun to see an artist do their take on Krakoa for the first time. I think Medina and Smith do a solid job in the quieter moments, and the less dynamic parts. That said, their work tends to fall short during the more dynamic moments, such as Blob singing his rendition of “Barbara Ann”. What did you think?
Pierce: I’m on the fence about the art. It mostly works just fine. Medina’s pacing was on point and his character work was solid. This is an imminently readable comic book, which is a win considering how wordy Percy can get when he’s trying to build intrigue. I agree with you – there’s something kind of stiff about any scene that requires more dynamism. He also falls in the camp of artists who have a hard time drawing children.
Tony: Yeah, that was another thing that stuck out to me, too.
At least we have karaoke night! That was some good fun. It was great to see Blob and Pyro featured here, Storm and Jean singing Toni Braxton will never be not funny, and Maverick showing up was a riot, if not a little sinister too. Now, I want to hear Logan’s singing voice. I imagine it’s a lot like a cross between Johnny Cash and Hugh Jackman.
Pierce: I want to believe that Logan’s go-to karaoke artist isn’t Cash or Cave – it’s Carly Rae Jepsen.
Cloak and Dagger
Pierce: It’s nice to see Jeff Bridge… I mean, Bannister back in the fold. I know it’s just, my opinion, but he really ties the book together. As much as I like this era of X-Men, Krakoa can seem like a bit of an isolating locale. It’s interesting to continue to see how the outside world is engaging with the current status quo and I think this is a great angle for Percy to explore more.
Tony: Yeah, I really enjoyed Bannister re-entering the story. He’s a good example of using non-X-Men supporting cast. It feels like an indication that a solo series is built to last. Getting more of a view of ‘outsiders looking in’ makes Krakoa feel more real. The entire Bannister storyline felt like a low-stakes spy movie done right to me. It’s not a Bond or Bourne storyline, and that’s okay.
Pierce: Absolutely. I feel like I was kind of lukewarm on Bannister when he first appeared, but it’s clear that Percy is much more at home with the character and this type of story than he was with the vampire stuff. I can’t help but feel like Bannister’s fate is sealed. He is, after all, a human character in an X-Men book who has a first and last name and something of a backstory. If Claremont taught me one thing, it’s that Jeff Bannister is a dead man walking. And that sort of imminent tragedy really feels seeded throughout the story. To make a clumsy comparison, it feels a bit Coen brothers adjacent in the way the plot kind of rolls out for the reader.
Tony: Also, he has a child with a tragic backstory as well. Combine that with the fact that he’s the only survivor of a raid on his CIA office (thank you, Taco Tuesday), and the fact that Maverick appears to be tailing him… I’m worried for the guy. Thankfully for Jeff, it turns out his narration the entire issue seems to be a note in a bottle that he left in his now-vacant home (clever work there by Percy).
Calling In A Favor
Pierce: Here’s the big action set piece for this issue and it’s surprisingly brutal. I mean, our guy’s got giant knives coming out of his hands but I didn’t expect him to lop a guy’s arm off like it was deli meat.
Tony: Okay, we were saying earlier that the art didn’t do great with the action sequences through the issue- this moment was the exception in my mind. A terrorist says a bomb is armed and Logan chops his arm off and says “not for long.”
It was a good joke from Percy, and Medina and Smith paced it PERFECTLY. I laughed out loud.
Pierce: Yeah, definitely a good gag. Kudos to editorial for letting it go through and to the art team for pulling it off. I like the team up between Logan, Maverick and Domino here as well, but outside of that gag, the action feels really stilted and stagnant from panel to panel. Medina’s art doesn’t have a ton of kineticist because many of his characters look extremely posed. He also doesn’t give us a great sense of their surroundings once we’re on the boat.
It’s a serviceable job as a fill-in but he’s not doing a ton for me in this issue. Though, it’s hard to stack up against a legend like Kubert.
Tony: Which I think sums up the entire issue. I am curious what’s next.
X-Traneous Thoughts
- Bannister’s daughter (does she have a name yet?) orders exactly what I would want for breakfast, but am way too old and fat to dare to.
- Quick check of Marvel wiki tells us, no, she does not have a name.
- Loved the Sage’s logbook data page at the end. It definitely brought a new layer to the story that I wasn’t expecting.
- Did Krakoa make the karaoke sound system? Did Forge? Who’s hosting?
Tony Thornley is a geek dad, blogger, Spider-Man and Superman aficionado, X-Men guru, autism daddy, amateur novelist, and all around awesome guy. He’s also very humble.
Pierce Lightning is a longtime comics journalist and critic, singer for a band called Power Trash, and staving off the crushing heel of capitalism with every fiber of their comic book loving being.
