Wolverine is a character born in blood, literally. When experimented on by the vile Weapon X, his body was cut open and laced with one of the most resilient metals in the Marvel Universe, adamantium. Even worse for the lone-wolf mutant, his memories were wiped clean, leaving him to ponder if his own insatiable violence is a trait ingrained by his captors… or an inate part of himself.
And though Marvel comics has been exploring a Wolverine with returned memories for some time, the first brand new issue of Wolverine: Black, White & Blood looks back at a Logan of the past who was most defined by his violence than his superheroics – reminding readers that though he may be part of Marvel’s best superhero teams, he’s no hero.
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Black, White & Blood is a unique title in that allows a full-range of writers to tell their own version of the self-healing mutant’s adventures throughout his longer-than-average lifespan. Each story has one thing in common; they’re drawn without the use of any color other than red, with the intention of bringing awareness to Wolverine’s gruesome nature. And this issue’s collection of three short, blood-soaked stories starring the ducktail-haired man himself features a final tale written and illustrated by Declan Shalvey titled, “Cabin Fever,” that boldly highlights Wolverine’s uncontrollable violence, and his awareness thereof.
While off X-Men duty and traveling by his lonesome, Wolverine finds himself in the middle of a deadly trap in a remote cabin near the Canadian border. Not a trap for Logan, since he’s merely there by coincidence. But the sight of a screaming baby near the bodies of its deceased parents quickly awakens the smoldering rage within Wolvie. Naturally, It’s not long before heads fly, claws penetrate flesh, and the surroundings walls get painted red. And as the gruesome carving unfolds, readers are exposed to Logan’s inner thoughts as he confesses to a complete lack of control over his bloody rampage: “The rage takes over. Hard as I try to stop this… no one leaves alive. No one’s walkin’ out this door.”
Here, Logan admits to being consciously aware of a bloodthirst within him that can not be quenched. Knowing practically nothing about the victims he’s carving up, Wolverine assigns himself as judge, jury and executioner in response to their crimes – a moral line that any tried and true superhero like Captain America or Spider-Man would never dare cross. But Wolverine’s admission that he doesn’t even possess the self-control to assess the situation from a more rational perspective before turning to manslaughter makes the scene all the more horrifying.
On the flip side, the end of “Cabin Fever” sees Wolverine save the lives of both the innocent baby and the state trooper the cabin trap was originally intended for. Though his murderous rampage causes the deaths of an entire squad of men, Wolverine’s rage is at least aimed in a direction that helped preserve the lives of two people. However, this doesn’t absolve his actions. This story’s immense amount of bloodshed is clearly utilized to show fans that Wolverine is no hero. And despite the fact that he has fought alongside some of the greatest superheroes in the Marvel Universe, Logan is more than willing to acknowledge the presence and power of the uncontrollable demon within that separates him from the actual good guys.
Wolverine: Black, White & Blood #1 is available now.
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