Enter Amadeus Cho
I've been a huge fan of Wolverine for many years now, with the little runt being my third favourite comic book character, but I've been disappointed with his outings in the Wolverine, and Wolverine and the X-Men series' prior to the relaunched Marvel NOW! I decided to finally give this a try when the second issue was released, but haven't gotten around to reading any until now, with there now being three issues released, and one issue released in the other Wolverine series. I will however be dropping this series after issue 5, as I can only really afford one Wolverine series, and with Frank Cho leaving this series, and a brilliant writer like Paul Cornell, and artist like Alan Davis working on the other I think I'll prefer the other in the long run.
Plot
After a massive fall Wolverine returns to help Shanna face the Reapers. Meanwhile Amadeus Cho has been brought to the Savage Land the same way Wolverine was.
Review
This issue was better than the first one, and Frank Cho is showing that he knows what he's doing. The issue was full of plenty of action, as well as plenty of fun, and Cho has showed that he can write a good story, as well as draw one. I also liked how Cho brought Amadeus Cho (coincidentally they have the same last name) into the series, as I've really missed seeing the character having enjoyed reading him in Incredible Hercules, Incredible Hulks, The Mighty Avengers, and Chaos War and haven't really seen him in much since, but I'll talk more about his appearance later. Cho also continues to give some breathtakingly amazing artwork, and that is the real highlight of the series. The detail is marvellous, and everything from Wolverine, to Shanna, to even the natives, with everything looking perfect. The action is also drawn perfectly, and it gives a very dynamic feel. Cho's art also shows brilliant emotion in the characters, and you can really feel what they feel, whether it's anger, joy, or embarrassed. Jason Keith's colours also heighten Cho's already brilliant art, making it look beautiful, and giving the final touch that makes it phenomenal.
As I said earlier, Amadeus Cho enters the story in this issue, and although I'd been considering getting the series prior to that, it was when I heard he was making an appearance that I decided to get the series, as I always like seeing the character. I really liked his appearance, but I wasn't too sure if he was quite to character. I'm used to reading him when he's with either Hulk, or Hercules, and during that time he's usually jokey, but due to being on his own, he isn't as much. Besides that I liked his appearance, and found it interesting that he entered the same way that Wolverine had, making me more curious about how that happens. It was also nice to see that Amadeus had a A.I. named Calvin (as in Calvin Klein), as it shows that he's been busy whilst away. I also loved that Amadeus had his own armour, and that he was prepared, showing that he doesn't need Hulk, or Hercules for protection. Amadeus also used his armour to help fight of natives, which was a very fun, and exciting sequence.
The fight between Wolverine and Shanna, against the Reaper continues in this issue, and I found it exciting, and very entertaining. With the way the last issue ended I was hoping for something like this, but you can never be too sure, as some series' have a issue finish with the start of a big fight, only to have the next issue end it real quick. What I liked about the fight was that it started just between Shanna, and the Reaper, but Wolverine comes in like the hero saving the damsel in distress, but Shanna shows that she's no damsel, and she's not in distress, which is what I like about her.
There was a fun sequence just after this were Wolverine stops to have a drink, drinking the water like a dog. I found the sequence amusing as Shanna points out that he, "shouldn't drink out of the same water you washes in." This was followed by another amusing sequence, but I won't mention anything about that, as it's really only amusing if you read it yourself, and I wouldn't want to spoil that. I will however say that I really enjoyed seeing the development of the team of Wolverine, and Shanna, and enjoyed seeing them interact, whether Shanna trying to be helpful, or have fun, or the two just plain disagreeing, and I feel that this is what makes the story fun, and dynamic.
The natives don't actually appear much in this issue, and at least not until the end, but they are still a very interesting, and mysterious group of individuals. I won't go into any details about what happened at the end of the issue, as it'd be a massive spoiler, but it was very interesting, and showed that the natives do have a big part in this story, and for a good reason. Although they didn't do a great deal in this issue, I felt that this was a good thing, as with the things that were added to this issue, as well as the fights, and the Wolverine, and Shanna sequences in general that it needed the time to build up, but I do however expect a much bigger input from them in the next issue.
Final Verdict
This was a better issue than the last, and it is showing that this story is more than just interesting, it's also exciting, and full of action. After a slightly disappointing opener, I'm happy that this series is fulfilling the promise that it showed, as this was a very fun, and entertaining issue, and Cho did a brilliant job of developing the story. I'd recommend this to anyone, and if you were disappointed with the first issue, and decided to drop it, I'd recommend giving it another shot, as it's one of the better Wolverine stories there's been in the last year.
