Roger is a man who had a good life: a wife, about to have a baby, and a nice truck. Sadly, he lost all of that while Wolverine and Hulk were battling it out. Now, he's a member of the Red Right Hand and seeking his revenge on the man he blames his misfortune on: Wolverine.
The Good
I'm making it official: Wolverine is my favorite on-going series at Marvel comics right now. I never thought I'd be writing that, mainly the Wolverine part. I've had a torrid love affair with this series since issue number one thanks to the bizarre and fresh story lines from Jason Aaron. Wolverine going to Hell, and his body being taken over by a demon sounds stupid and ridiculous, but the actual comic was phenomenal. A revenge society trying to kill Wolverine, at first, seems a tad dated and cheesy Silver-Ageish, but it's the exact opposite. Call me crazy, but this is the Wolverine book I've been waiting my whole life for.
This story revolves around Roger, a man who was racing to get his pregnant wife and baby to the hospital until a battle between Hulk and Wolverine halt traffic and destroy Roger's car, and he's forced to carry his wife to the hospital. What I really liked about this issue is that it differs from the others in a way that Wolverine is not responsible for the deaths of Roger's wife and unborn child, while in the last issue Wolverine is portrayed as an assassin. Roger has no one to blame, and instead of blaming Hulk, who was the real problem, he blames the deaths on the man trying to save everyone. As always, the writing (Jason Aaron) and the art (Rentato Guedes [pencils], Jose Magalhaes [inks], and Matthew Wilson [colors]) are top notch.
The Bad
My least favorite part of the issue is the demon boy and giant snake elements of the story. I know it's adding a lot more to what makes the Red Right Hand the Red Right Hand, and while I love the Red Right Hand stuff, I'm a bit so-so on this added demon element for the story. I think in the next issue or so, I'll be digging on it a lot more.
The Verdict
I'll say it again, "Wolverine is my favorite on-going series at Marvel comics right now. I never thought I'd be writing that, mainly the Wolverine part." I mean every word of that. It's a story that sounds pretty cheesy, but when you take the time to sit and read it, you'll love it. The writing and art are the tops, and this issue is one of my favorites from this series. I've been reviewing this book on and off since issue one, and you haven't bought it and read it yet, then you're really missing out on something special. Yes, it's a Wolverine book, but it's a darn good Wolverine book.