Wolverine (2003 Series) #52

March 26, 2007

Quick Rating: Okay
Title: Blood on the Wind Chapter Three
Rating: Parental Advisory

Wolverine and Sabertooth fight each other… in Wakanda!

Writer: Jeph Loeb
Pencils: Simone Bianchi
Inks and Washed Halftones: Simone Bianchi & Andrea Silvestri
Colors: Simone Peruzzi
Letters: Comicraft
Editor: Axel Alonso
Cover Art: Simone Bianchi
Publisher: Marvel Comics

Previously in this title, Wolverine and Sabretooth fought. This issue: Wolverine and Sabretooth fight… in Wakanda. A subtle difference, to be certain. Apparently the new queen, Storm, summoned Wolverine there to show him something they found at an archeological dig, and his slugfest with Sabretooth simply continued along the way.

Honestly, I don’t know how to feel about this story. Ostensibly, this will finally settle the question of the relationship between the two characters once and for all, but so far we haven’t really seen much other than fighting, flashbacks to previous fighting, talking about fighting, and fighting. Okay, when you’re dealing with Wolverine, especially with Sabretooth in the mix, you’ve got to expect some fighting, but there has yet to be any real substance to go with it. The Black Panther and Storm are pretty incidental to this story, and only seem to be included because of the reveal at the end, which was found in Wakanda, which could have been placed at virtually any other point on the globe except that the creators wanted to include the Black Panther and Storm.

Simone Bianchi’s artwork is… okay. Frankly, I think the art style works far better on covers rather than in sequential storytelling – it makes for a good piece of art, a good static image, but there are several scenes where I feel it simply doesn’t tell the story that well.

I’ve heard mixed reactions on this storyline – a lot of fans seem to love it, a lot seem to hate it. I fall squarely in the middle – it’s not terrible, but it’s not really crying out for a recommendation either.

Rating: 6/10