May 1997
In a Nutshell
In a Nutshell
Wolverine battles a possessed mime over a mysterious box.
Script: Larry Hama
Pencils: Leinil Francis Yu
Inks: Edgar Tadeo
Letters: RS & Comicraft
Colors: Joe Rosas
Editor: Mark Powers
Script: Larry Hama
Pencils: Leinil Francis Yu
Inks: Edgar Tadeo
Letters: RS & Comicraft
Colors: Joe Rosas
Editor: Mark Powers
Chief: Bob Harras
Plot
Inside his apartment, Wolverine battles the possessed mime who attacked him. During their fight, the mysterious box Wolverine was given to protect by Zoe Culloden falls to the floor. It triggers a memory in Wolverine, of the first time he saw the box, years ago in Shanghai, after he saved an old man and his younger companion from members of the Japanese army led by Ogun. Outside, Helen approaches Wolverine's apartment, intent on apologizing for brushing him off. But when she sees Storm and Jean Grey, arriving to check on Wolverine, she holds back. As Jean and Storm enter the apartment, they interrupt the mime and briefly incapacitate him, allowing the entity possessing him takes control of Jean. When the possessed Jean telekinetically hurls a knife at Storm and Wolverine jumps in front of her, taking the knife instead. the act of selflessness briefly confuses the entity. This allows Jean to reassert control of her mind, forcing the entity to flee. It leaves the apartment, and passes into Helen, still waiting outside. Elsewhere, Daimon Hellstorm, the Son of Satan, spies the box in his scrying crystal, and decides to take action.
Firsts and Other Notables
Wolverine #113 marks Leinil Francis Yu's debut as the new series artist. A Filipino artist who came up through Whilce Portacio's Wildstorm studio, Yu will remain on the series (with a healthy number of spells by fill-in artists) through issue #145 in 1999, making him more or less the definitive Wolverine artists of the end of the decade.
Plot
Inside his apartment, Wolverine battles the possessed mime who attacked him. During their fight, the mysterious box Wolverine was given to protect by Zoe Culloden falls to the floor. It triggers a memory in Wolverine, of the first time he saw the box, years ago in Shanghai, after he saved an old man and his younger companion from members of the Japanese army led by Ogun. Outside, Helen approaches Wolverine's apartment, intent on apologizing for brushing him off. But when she sees Storm and Jean Grey, arriving to check on Wolverine, she holds back. As Jean and Storm enter the apartment, they interrupt the mime and briefly incapacitate him, allowing the entity possessing him takes control of Jean. When the possessed Jean telekinetically hurls a knife at Storm and Wolverine jumps in front of her, taking the knife instead. the act of selflessness briefly confuses the entity. This allows Jean to reassert control of her mind, forcing the entity to flee. It leaves the apartment, and passes into Helen, still waiting outside. Elsewhere, Daimon Hellstorm, the Son of Satan, spies the box in his scrying crystal, and decides to take action.
Firsts and Other Notables
Wolverine #113 marks Leinil Francis Yu's debut as the new series artist. A Filipino artist who came up through Whilce Portacio's Wildstorm studio, Yu will remain on the series (with a healthy number of spells by fill-in artists) through issue #145 in 1999, making him more or less the definitive Wolverine artists of the end of the decade.
Damion Hellstrom (spelled "Hellstorm" hear, a common alias for obvious reasons) pops up at the end of the issue, leading into a guest appearance next issue.
Creator Central
Yu and Inker Edgar Tadeo are sub-credited as "Starfire Studios" through issue #118; that is Whilce Portacio's studio.
A Work in Progress
The first panel of this issue takes place before the last panel of the previous issue.
Wolverine's memory of seeing the mysterious box involves him saving two people being harassed by a young Ogun. Ogun is impressed enough by Wolverine's gumption, basically, that he tells him to look him up at his dojo. This is to date the earliest chronological appearance of Ogun.
While not named explicitly, the two people in possession of the box are the Ancient One and a young Stick.
In his flashback, Wolverine is singling "The Sweet Trinity", an English sea shanty.
Names on Wolverine's apartment building include BMX bikers Dennis McCoy and Mat Hoffman, rock musician James Iha and Filipina actress Amanda Page.
Young Love
Jean says she loves Wolverine like a brother. No one tell Chris Claremont.
Upon seeing Storm and Jean entering Wolverine's apartment, Helen turns away, saying they looked like women who stepped out of Vogue while she looks like she's from Popular Mechanics, despite the fact that she's still a woman drawn by a man in a comic book.
It's in the Mail
This issue's letters page again seems to be meant for the next issue, as it teases Bastion's attack on the X-Men next issue (which actually in the issue after the next...and after the Flashback Month issue).
Austin's Analysis
Austin's Analysis
It's tough to say that Wolverine #113 is decompressed; it's part of a serial narrative, but it also tells a complete story of its own. Wolverine battles a possessed mime, and in the end, with the help of some X-Men, defeats him, for the moment. Change up the names, and that's basically every standard comic book story ever. But it still feels like a deconstructed issue, largely because "Wolverine fighting a mime" really isn't that engaging or compelling. This *shouldn't* take a full issue to resolve, even with a flashback cutaway and the whole "possessing Jean" angle. But it does.
Hama does his best to justify it by making it clear the mime is possessed, and thus Wolverine is pulling his punches, but still, it's just a mime, evil or not. This fight shouldn't last long. The fact that the entity possessing the mime is still shrouded in mystery doesn't help either, because it's not even clear who Wolverine is fighting or why they want to fight Wolverine (granted, knowing in hindsight, this is Ogun, doesn't add much, but that's more of an Ogun problem). And while Leinil Francis Yu will go on to become one of the signature Wolverine artists, he's still cutting his chops here, his art looking closer to Anthony Winn's Top Cow House Style from the previous issue than his own later style. Maybe there's an artist that can tap into the vibe of a creepy mime to liven up an otherwise humdrum action sequence, but Yu at this point isn't one. All in all, Wolverine #113 feel like a non-issue, a workmanlike effort that technically advances a storyline but offers little in the way of thematic, artistic, or entertainment value.
Next Issue
Next Issue
The Earthbound X-Men wrap up their Hong Kong trip in X-Men (vol. 2) #64!
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It's odd - even though this is not a bad issue, I remember even at the time buying it and being somewhat dissatisfied (unusual as I would enjoy all comics at the age I was back then). Nice curiosity for it being Yu's first Wolvie issue. I mostly remember him for the 'Marvelscope' New X-Men Annual.
ReplyDeleteDid you mean "decompressed" rather than "deconstructed"? Nothing about the story seems to be a commentary on the book or its tropes...
ReplyDeleteYes, decompressed. Blargh. Thanks, I corrected it.
DeleteI had the same reaction to Helen’s self-assessment. Meanwhile: Storm in a lace bra spilling out of her open top = ugh.
ReplyDelete