This is something new to me in comic numbering. It’s Wolverine Volume 4 Issue 5.1. Yeah that’s a point one on the issue number it came out between 5 and 6 but the story doesn’t fit there. Really this is a one-off put out as a stand-alone interruption of the whole title’s over arching story line. Why it was done like this only the secret Star Chamber of Marvel knows.
Any way, the issue title is Happy and here’s the credits: Writer: Jason Aaron, Art: Jefte Palo, Colors: Nathan Fairbairn, Cover: Palo Rivera, Letters: VC’s Cory Petit, Asst. Editor: Jody Leheup, Editor: Jeanine Schaefer, Group Editor: Axel Alonso, Editor in Chief: Joe Quesada, Publisher: Dan Buckley, Executive Producer: Alan Fine.
All images are the property of their owners I reproduce them here under the Fair Use Doctrine of the copyright law for commentary and critique. No more than three pages total from any one issue is reproduced.
This is a a really simple sweet story. Melita throws Logan a surprise birthday party and invites all of his friends. However, Logan is distracted by saving a truck driver from cannibals on his way to meet her (can’t tell you how many times that’s happened to me). We see Melita learning the Marvel superhero crowd. To me the stand out stars of this are Jessica and Luke Cage. Very good couple interaction there and funny side comments.
Second we get some growth from Logan. Instead of following his instinct and dispatching the cannibals he turns them over to the law. That’s improvement, he’s doing what a Howlett would do not what a Logan would do. However the result might not be what he intended, read the issue to see what happened.
As for the art I’m of mixed feelings. First off I don’t dig the cover, that’s a fanboy cover right there for a sweet story of girlfriend throws a party and meets his friends. Fangurl cover would have Logan in his civvies like he is in the story, maybe a bit dirty from the fight.
The internal art runs from good to awful depending on the panel. So over all it left me blase about it. I’ll point out the good, the bad, and the ugly in the spoiler panels after the jump. I’ll whine again that I miss Sean Chen. I know, I know, it’s been years since he’s done Wolverine but he’s my favorite it was pretty, pretty art.
In the end I liked the story it gives us more reason to adore Logan and Melita together. She’s so good for him. We learn more about James Howlett that even Logan had forgotten despite having recovered memories. All is well that ends well and this one ends well for the couple. So PTI (Pardon the interruption) of the point one issue and we’ll return to the over arching story arc that follows the story line of what happened after Wolverine Goes to Hell. It’s told in a three issue arc entitled Wolverine Versus the X-Men.
NOW FOR THE SPOILERY BITS
Mary Louise Eklund 