Interview: Charles Soule, Matteo Buffagni Are on 'The Hunt for Wolverine' in 'Weapon Lost'

Logan has returned to the Marvel Universe, and now The Hunt for Wolverine is all.

In May, Daredevil gets involved in tracking down Wolverine in The Hunt for Wolverine: Weapon Lost, a new miniseries spinning out of The Hunt for Wolverine one-shot releasing in April. In the series, Daredevil recruits an eclectic group of Marvel Heroes – Misty Knight, the Inhuman police officer Frank McGee, and the mutant Cypher – to investigate Wolverine sightings around the globe. What they uncover is a much larger conspiracy that could have significant ramifications for Wolverine's return to the Marvel Universe.

The four-issue Weapon Lost miniseries is written by Charles Soule – who wrote Death of Wolverine and is writing The Hunt for Wolverine one-shot – with art by Matteo Buffagni. Speaking to ComicBook.com, Soule explained how Daredevil chose this team to investigate Wolverine's return.

"Well, Daredevil's worked with Frank before, during the first appearances of the artist serial killer Muse back in Daredevil #10-14 (drawn by the amazing Ron Garney)," Soule explains. "So, they know and trust each other, and Daredevil's very aware of how good a detective Frank is. He's also aware of some of his own limitations as far as something like this – I mean, while Daredevil has adapted as well as anyone can, he's still a blind man. The rest of the team… well, it happens pretty organically, as we'll see."

Soule admits there's something special about getting to bring Daredevil, whose solo series he's currently writing, and Frank McGee, a character he co-created, together for a story about the return of Wolverine, a character he killed.

"It feels pretty fantastic – the idea that I've done enough work at Marvel to have big storylines, runs and characters of my own to draw on when creating something new is just cool," he said. "I've gone on record a bunch of times about how much I love writing Frank McGee, the grizzled ex-NYPD detective who gave up his old life when he was hit by the Terrigen Mists and realized his Inhuman ancestry. He's just fun to drop into stories, and he clicks with Daredevil really well. Add those guys (and Misty Knight, and Cypher) into the biggest mystery in the Marvel Universe – what's going on with Wolverine – and it just seemed like a natural fit."

Weapon Lost is one of four Hunt for Wolverine miniseries launching in May, each with its own unique genre to explore. Weapon Lost is a noir tale.

"It's a detective story, so I don't want to say too much about the ultimate bad guys, but it's definitely a twisty-turny ride that will bring our heroes to a major revelation in the overall hunt for Wolverine," Soule says. "Our guys get a big piece of the puzzle – one of our clearest looks at what's happened to Wolverine. More than that I'll leave to the book."

The noir tone influences the books visual style as well, as Buffagni explains.

"Over the last two years I've been developing a new style, in which black plays a major role, hiding and melting with characters and backgrounds, so I think these issues will be an important testing ground for me," he says. "I basically tried to have things emerging from the shadows, with strong contrast and some tricky lights. The hardest part when you put together a lot of black areas is to keep the storytelling clear. It's very challenging to not let your ego dominates the page."

Soule adds, "I'm trying to put in as many red herrings, shadowy bars and foggy nights as I can – all the noir tropes. I'm going completely overboard, even as far as adding a series of 'case notes' from Daredevil as the narration that should read like an old detective novel. It's really a lot of fun. I hope readers will enjoy the results."

However, Soule also assures that just because Weapon Lost is a mystery yarn doesn't mean there won't be a healthy helping of superhero action as well.

"Detectives stories aren't always known for their intense action sequences," Soule admits. "It's usually more of a slow burn, building tension until everything explodes. That's not completely off-base for Weapon Lost, but we've got Daredevil involved – there will absolutely be kicking and flipping around. I'm just really happy with how it's all coming together. It'll be a really fun series in and of itself as well as contributing a big piece to the Wolverine mystery.

Marvel editor-in-chief CB Cebulski notes that the series will add one more strand to growing web of intrigue surrounding Wolverine's return.

"These four Hunt for Wolverine miniseries set an eclectic cast of Marvel characters on Logan's trail... from the X-Men to Daredevil to Iron Man to the Inhumans, the search extends to every corner of the Marvel Universe," Cebulski says. "Wolverine has friends, and foes, around the globe, and as rumor of his return continues to spread, everyone seems to want a piece of him, both figuratively and literally."

The Hunt for Wolverine one-shot goes on sale in April. The Hunt for Wolverine: Weapon Lost #1 goes on sale May 2nd.

---

ComicBook.com & Warner Bros Home Entertainment are teaming up to bring one lucky Justice League fan the prize pack of a lifetime! Click here for the chance to win a big-screen TV, a copy of the movie and more!