Wolverine #32
Beast and the Weapons of X make their presence known, and Wolverine prepares to hunt in Wolverine #32, by writer Benjamin Percy, artist Juan Jose Ryp, colorist Frank D’Armata, and letterer Cory Petit. Percy keeps the hits coming with this issue, putting most of the focus on Beast in this one.
In Scotland, a Scottish lord who has been hoarding Krakoan flowers to make up for the UK leaving the treaty with Krakoa is targeted by the Weapons of X. Beast muses over his new role, hoping that mutants of the future will realize that he’s doing what needs to be done. On Krakoa, Wolverine takes Beast’s body to the Quiet Council, dresses them down for letting Beast have too much power, and gets ready for the hunt. Off Scotland’s coast, Maverick and his mercs bring the Scottish lord more flowers, but Beast and the Pointe are watching. The Weapons of X attack the sub, killing Maverick’s men. He kills one of them, escaping and taking the body with him.
One of the things many fans have been saying about Beast’s heel turn is how out of character it is. Of course, this attitude ignores years of development and what has been happening to Beast since at least the ‘90s with the Legacy Virus. That’s why it’s so great that Percy is putting so much focus on Beast and his personal reasoning for why he’s doing what he’s doing. This issue digs even further into that. Beast truly believes he’s doing the right thing; he believes that what he’s doing will protect Krakoa. He’s not evil, but completely immoral, which makes the whole thing so much more interesting.
A lot of fans wanted this to be Dark Beast having taken Beast’s place again, but this is so much better. Beast has done evil things, but that’s because he sees no other alternative. Percy has been slowly building this plot line in Wolverine and X-Force for years now, and that shows just how important having a single writer work on a book for a long period of time is. For readers who have been following along, all the clues were there. This is long-term storytelling at its finest.
Ryp and D’Armata continue to knock it out of the park with the art. It’s even more impressive when one realizes that there hasn’t been a fill-in artist yet. Ryp is all about detail; his pages are always gorgeous, with strong linework and impeccable detail. For him not to have a fill-in artist yet and for the book to come out with no delays speaks to just how good he is at what he does. D’Armata’s colors are the perfect accompaniment, really bringing out the best in Ryp’s style.
Wolverine #32 continues this awesome storyline. Comics just aren’t written the way that Percy writes them anymore, and it’s a joy to see. Ryp and D’Armata get better every issue, and Petit’s letters do an amazing job of selling the emotion of the art and script. Wolverine continues to be a cut above the rest.
