All New Wolverine #1
Written By: Tom Taylor
Art By: David Lopez, David Navarrot
Release Date: 11/11/15
All New Wolverine was my most anticipated title for All New, All Different Marvel because Tom Taylor is one of my favorite comic book writers. He has proven to write strong female characters in his run of Injustice Gods Among Us and Superior Iron Man. I couldn’t ask for a better writer to handle a truly under rated character, Laura/X-23/the clone of Wolverine.
My biggest complaint about All New All Different Marvel is that most of their number 1’s aren’t very new reader friendly. I can’t say this for All New Wolverine. I think this is a perfect jumping on point for a character with a lot of history.
Laura was first introduced in the X-men Evolution television show. Her character became popular and then Marvel introduced her into the Marvel comic book continuity.
Plot Summary
With Logan still dead, Laura has officially taken over his Wolverine mantel. The issue begins with Laura in Paris as she is chasing down a masked individual. She is shot in the head and remembers the teachings she learned from her mentor, Logan.
Laura heals and with the help of her boyfriend, Angel, she is able to find her masked opponent dead. Laura takes off her opponent’s mask to reveal that she was fighting her own clone. Laura, the female clone of Wolverine, now also has clones.
Story
This was a wonderful start to a new Wolverine series. As I said earlier I think it’s very important for these All New, All Different Marvel titles to be new reader friendly, but also entertain old readers. All New Wolverine #1 did this perfectly!
When Laura was healing she saw a memory of Logan teaching her that it’s okay not to kill people, it’s actually a good thing. This scene plays an even bigger role once we learn who the person is under the mask. Logan taught Laura empathy, that life means something. Laura is not just a weapon, she’s a human being.
This issue has really proven how much Laura has grown as a character. For a long time Laura had been a loner, but over time she learned to open up to people. This is why I love that Angel is a supporting character in her book. We saw their relationship blossom in Bendis’ run of All New X-men, and I am glad to see it continue in this series.
Angel and Laura have great chemistry in this issue. I love the scene where Laura literally takes a leap of faith and she is waiting for Angel to grab her. She tells Angel, “What took you so long”.
Another scene I really enjoyed between Angel and Laura is when Laura gets hurt from an explosion and Angel is ready to give her a hug then Laura stops him immediately. Angel thought that Laura was embarrassed by his public affection, but Laura said she was still healing from her wounds. So instead he pats her on the head.
This scene was very humorous, but it also says a lot about Laura. Old Laura would never want someone to hug her. She never felt she deserved love, she was created to be a weapon. Laura has really opened herself to Angel and I am excited to see more from their relationship.
Now let’s talk about that cliffhanger. It’s revealed that Laura was chasing down her own clone. This development brings a slew of awesome possibilities for this series. I think we are going to see Taylor, really dig deep emotionally on what it means to be a clone.
These clones don’t feel pain. Whoever did this to them are slowly taking away their humanity. They have literally pushed these clones over the edge. How have these clones gotten this way? Laura has finally learned what it means to be human and I think she is going to have to teach her clones the same. Laura has not just taken the name of Wolverine, but just like Wolverine was a mentor to Laura she might have to be a mentor to these clones.
Art
This issue was pretty action packed! I really liked the way the issue utilized Laura’s abilities. I loved when Laura jumps onto the plane, and uses her claws to stay on. She starts sliding down and then uses her claw in her feet to stay on the side of the plane. It was a great way to reveal to new readers that, yes, Laura also has 6 claws.
The artist used space very well in this issue. When Laura wakes up from being shot in the head she realizes it’s raining. Her brain is patching together the feeling of rain. The rain really dramatized the situation, in a great way.
The facial expressions were pretty good in the issue, but I am curious to see the artist’s style when the series simmers down and it’s just about emotion. (I have a feeling that type of issue will come sooner than later with everything going on with the clones)
Verdict
One of the best All New All Different issue 1’s I have read so far! It’s new reader friendly, but old readers can enjoy Laura’s character development. Very exciting cliffhanger that will lead you wanting more! I highly recommend you pick up All New Wolverine #1.