Welcome back to the Marvel Rundown! This week, Marvel leaves the dark of midnight for the sunshine of Miami as Dan Panosian’s solo Marvel debut, Wolverine: Paradise, takes the lead spot in the Rundown. We also have reviews of Nova: Return of the Ring and Star Wars: Rogue One – Chirrut & Baze.
Wolverine: Paradise #1
Writer/Artist/Colorist: Dan Panosian
Letterer: VC’s Cory Petit
Wolverine: Paradise is another series in Marvel’s ongoing effort to mine its past for standalone stories removed from current day continuity. Some of these books have been more successful than others, or more closely tied to a specific status quo. One point in favor of this title out of the gate is the way in which Wolverine inherently lends himself to vignette stories unpacking varying aspects of his past. In this case, we are vaguely set amid the 80s Chris Claremont era shortly after the Dark Phoenix Saga. Mourning Jean’s death, Logan has hit the road on his motorcycle and traveled as far south as he could get without crossing the border, settling down for a respit in the sun soaked beaches of Miami. A loving sendup to 80s crime shows in general, and Miami Vice in particular, Wolverine: Paradise is an undeniably stylish if fairly by the numbers adventure.
What makes this effort standout among other recent Marvel efforts is that it is a fully creator driven book with a clear artistic and storytelling vision. Dan Panosian writes, draws, and colors the book on his own. That gives Paradise a distinct and consistent tone where its mix of playful fun and grimy crime thriller all feel of a piece. Panosian’s art is full of texture and crunch—the use of screentone patterns, benday dots, and vintage paper texture all evoke a classic weather-damaged pulp thriller. The scratchy, imperfect lines and panel borders remind you there is a human hand putting this all together. There is an undeniable authenticity of craft trapped beneath a veneer of artificial aging effects. It creates an intentional distance between the reader and work that is perfectly suited for Wolverine. He wants people to look at him, his bad attitude and off putting style, and stay away, to reject him as much as he rejects himself, so they aren’t let down when he fails even despite his best intentions. He masks his heroism and nobility beneath a gruff exterior. Panosian’s art echoes the character. This book looks dirty and grimy, but there is so much heart in the work. Panosian’s only artistic collaborator is VC’s Cory Petit who perfectly meshes in with the imperfections and gritty lines. His caption boxes and word balloons look scratched in bleedy ink, and the typeface looks handwritten. It is so cohesive as to merge into the art itself.
The visual aesthetic works for the setting as well. Miami is on its surface an idyllic place with its palm trees and scenic beaches and beautiful people. But there is a hidden darkness too. Another artifice hiding a deeper truth. Inevitably Wolverine is caught up in a criminal conspiracy that puts him on the opposite end of the mob in an effort to protect mutant superstar Dazzler and her fans. Try as he might to take a break from super heroics, Wolverine can’t deny his nature.
Are there familiar beats here? Sure. But it looks fantastic and offers a fresh look at Wolverine from a slightly askew angle. He’s not lost in the Canadian winter, bounding through the jungle, or seeking enlightenment in Japan. This is a world of glitz and glamor he is unsuited for, which I look forward to exploring more in depth as the series goes on, particularly in contrast to the flashy pop princess Dazzler.
There’s not a lot to knock this title on, it nails what it sets out to do. If there is any flaw, it is that, like a lot of artists with less experience writing their own books, Panosian leans a bit too heavily on captions and narrations that don’t add much to the story and actually take away a bit from the visuals. As a result, the gruff and silent Wolverine comes off a bit too chatty. But that’s a fairly minor quibble in what is otherwise a solid and entertaining debut issue with a lot of promise for future chapters. This is a visual feast that transcends its straight forward crime thriller beats on the merits of its style and vision.
VERDICT: BUY
THE RAPID RUNDOWN!
Nova: Return of the Rings #1
This year’s “Marvel Voices” celebration issue for Hispanic and Latin American Heritage Month spotlights Sam Alexander, the teenage Nova from Arizona. I have some familiarity with the Nova concept—the superpowered corps of universal guardians—but I’d never read any of the Sam Alexander stories. This issue is a great introduction to the character, his motivations, and his world. The first story of this special oneshot is classic superheroics, with Sam caught by an alien being and his memories erased. The young hero must discover his own heroism without his powers and prove what makes him truly powerful. It is straight forward but the art by Rafael Loureiro and Bruno Abdias is dynamic and Josh Trujillo’s script provides all you need to know about the character. This first story ends in a tease for an upcoming Iron Man arc, which may or may not feature Nova. The second story is a repacking of one of Marvel’s vertical scroll Inifinity Comics. It’s acharming tale of super powered responsibility clashing with Sam’s everyday relationships. It sees Nova having to choose between being there for family and saving the world. It’s a perfect little teen superhero story in the classic Spider-Man mold, and it’s touching coda left me wanting more of this character, particularly as written by Juan Ponce. The art here is bright and full of motion thanks to artist Andy Pereira and colorist Jão Canola. This might as well be a blueprint for writer to build off of, and immediately sells Sam Alexander as a likable and sympathetic character. I’d love to read more stories about him like this one.
In the latest prequel to my favorite Star Wars movie, writer Stephanie Phillips and artist Sean Chen spotlight two characters from Rogue One, Chirrut Îmwe and his companion Baze Malbus. One is a grizzled war horse that could best be described as a walking tank, and his partner is a former Guardian of the Whills (a Force-adjacent organization). While their first, and so far only, live appearance was in Rogue One, this isn’t the first time these fan-favorite supporting characters have shone in print, but for the sake of this pseudo mini-series of characters from the movie, I’m going to rock with it. Threading the needle of Star Wars continuity, Phillips takes readers to a time before the events of Rogue One to give us a glimpse of the two-man strike force on Jedha doing what they can to fight the fascist rule of the Empire. Chen is a great choice as artist for this book, as his clean, detailed linework lends itself to a fast-paced story set in the Star Wars universe. From Baze’s over-the-top heavy canon to Chirrut‘s futuristic monk robes, he captures their likeness and energy as they secretly take on the Empire. A fun, action-packed story with two quirky characters gone too soon. – GC3
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