Wolverine: Weapon X #14 – Review

by Jason Aaron (writer), Ron Garney (pencils), Jason Keith & Matt Milla (colors), and Cory Petit (letters)

The Story: We peek into the mind of the most successful Deathlok and his creation before Miranda and her commandos attempt to complete their desperate sabotage mission.

What’s Good: Opening with an intense monologue and moving on to depraved narration throughout, Aaron does a fantastic job with the voice of the serial killer turned Deathlok who takes center stage for much of the issue.  I’ve always appreciated it when a writer puts so much into what would otherwise be an incidental character.  The murderer’s voice feels authentic and very unsettling.  There’s also a definite cool factor to seeing what thought processes rest behind the automaton behaviour and dialogue we’ve been getting from the Deathloks thus far and it’s wonderfully horrific to learn that what lurks behind that cold droning is something very, very evil.  It imbues the Deathloks with a very nice sense of internal conflict and it’s sickeningly enjoyable to see how for a serial killer, being a Deathlok is like a video game.

Aaron shows us that what hides beneath the surface is often far more disturbing than what we can see, even if what we can see is violent and awful enough already.  It puts the Deathloks into a whole different light, making them even more menacing when we aren’t privy to the narration, now that we know what’s going on behind those dead eyes and robotic statements.

There are other little demonstrations of Aaron’s twisted imagination as well.  The machine the rebels in the future use to convey their psychic messages to the present day Miranda is guaranteed to give rise to plenty of ghoulish grins.  Meanwhile, the book’s ending is a wonderful twist in that it involves present-day Miranda turning the tables on the Deathloks by effectively using their own tactic against them; the most innocent character thus far looks to get just as brutal as the Deathloks themselves.  Then there’s the implied identity of the rebels’ “general,” which looks to be another inversion.

Garney’s art is a joy on this title, as it has been throughout.  The man is clearly made for a Wolverine book, particularly one as gritty as this.  His Deathloks continue to look great and his facial expressions are expertly done.

Weekly Comic Book Review’s Top Picks

Ray’s Top Picks

Best From The Past Week: DMZ #54– Brian Wood delivered in last week’s installment of DMZ, as the issue was packed with good dialogue and amazing unique cinematic-esque art from Riccardo Burchielli.

Most Anticipated: Batman: The Return Of Bruce Wayne #3 – Two reasons… A) It’s Batman in the high seas…. and B) I now feel justified and unashamed for owning this.

Other Top Picks: Superman #700, Detective #866, Incorruptible #7, Amazing Spider-Man #635,  X-Men Legacy #237, Powers #5

Alex’s Top Picks

Best From The Past Week: New Avengers #1 -The best issue of the week, for me, was also the biggest surprise of the week.  I honestly expected mediocrity but got a whole lot of fun instead.  I’ve gone from the classic comic reader conundrum of buying out of a sense of obligation to genuinely looking forward to the next issue.

Most Anticipated: Legion of Super-Heroes #2 -The first issue was such an absolute blast that I can’t wait to see how Levitz follows it up.  Hopefully it’s just as dense of a read.

Other Picks: American Vampire #4, Avengers #2, Batman: the Return of Bruce Wayne #3, Fantastic Four #580, Powers #5, Secret Warriors #17, Superman #700, Wolverine: Weapon X #14, Zatanna #2

Dean’s Top Picks

Best From The Past Week: Forgetless #5 – This issue shows why Nick Spencer is one of the better up-and-coming creators out there.  Good endings are hard and in this issue he shows that he not only is a font of the weird and wacky, he can also bring the story home in a very enjoyable fashion.

Most Anticipated: American Vampire #4 – There are a lot of big name books coming out this week, but when I scanned down the list, I realized this is the title I was actually looking forward to the most.  I’ve really enjoyed the work that Scott Snyder and Rafael Albuquerque (and some dude named Stephen King) have been doing to create a story about vampires than isn’t just appealing to teenage goth chicks.

Other Top Picks: Avengers #2, X-Men Legacy #237, Sea Bear & Grizzly Shark #1, Powers #5, Amazing Spider-Man #635

DS’ Top Picks

Best of the Past Week: Brightest Day #4 – One of DC’s proven creative teams is taking Brightest Day up and issue #4 swiped this week’s crown. I know some are complaining that Brightest Day is starting slow, but that’s because Johns and Tomasi are writing an epic. Think of Lord of the Rings. Brightest Day is in that spot where they’ve decided to take the ring to Rivendell, but haven’t left the Shire yet. A Johns story needs a lot of canvas, but strap yourself in for a great ride.

Most Anticipated: Batman: The Return of Bruce Wayne #3 – Darkseid has set something bad in motion – Bruce is hurtling towards the present like a living WMD and he doesn’t know it.

Other Top Picks: Green Lantern Corps #49, Legion of Superheroes #2, Power Girl #13, Namora #1, X-Factor #206, X-Men Legacy #237.