Ultimate Wolverine #6 Gives Readers the Moments They've Been Waiting For

Ultimate Wolverine has been one of the more interesting Ultimate series, melding together two different plot lines — Weapon X and the Winter Soldier — into the person of Wolverine. Ultimate Wolverine #6 continues the story began the issue before, where readers got to meet Ultimate Sabretooth for the first time. Ultimate Wolverine has been introducing more Omega-level mutants, and even teased that the book’s Opposition was basically the original Ultimate version of the X-Men. Ultimate Wolverine #6 brings things to a head, as readers meet even more familiar characters, who all want one thing — to bring their friend Logan out of the Eurasian Republic’s Winter Soldier. It’s a pretty great issue, even if it’s something that long time Wolverine fans have seen before.

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So far, writer Chris Condon’s style on Ultimate Wolverine has been more cerebral than anything else, and this issue plays into that quite literally. The story is happening inside his head, as he’s assisted by David Haller — the son of Professor X known as Legion — to break through the programming the Eurasian Republic put inside of him. It kicks off with a Charles Dickens quote, one that perfectly describes Wolverine at this point. The quote is about the chains we put on ourselves, and the issue goes quite far to show why this is case with Wolverine. Condon realizes something that only the best Wolverine writers realize about the character — the problem with Wolverine was never all of the mind control he’s been through, the problem has always been him.

This isn’t a new idea, but Condon does a great job of making it feel fresh. The Eurasian Republic did use multiple methods of mind control on Logan, but the reason why they were able to work is because of who Wolverine is. They choose him because he was a killer, and that desire for violence has always been the greatest lever to use against Wolverine. Condon isn’t breaking new ground here, but it’s a very interesting way to look at Wolverine and his struggles over the years. The issue is well paced and laid out, and ends with a few surprises, namely more members of the Opposition readers will find familiar. Ultimate Wolverine is about to completely change, and it’s going to get very exciting.

Alex Lins is still on art for the issue, and I’ll be honest — I like Lins’s more stylized pencils than I do regular artist Alessandro Cappuccio’s art. That’s not to say Cappuccio’s art is bad; it’s excellent and it definitely fits the world of violence that Ultimate Wolverine has created. However, for something like this issue, a trip through Wolverine’s mind (a tried and true X-Men comic concept if there ever was one), Lins’s style just plain works better. His page layouts are sensational. The panels gutters are small and get smaller as the pages go on and Lins starts to stuff the page with panels. The panels themselves are often oblong and claw-like, fitting the type of story we’re being told. Page layout is an underrated art in comics, and Lins’s page layouts do a remarkable job of communicating to the reader.

Lins understands the symbolism of the story that Condon was trying to tell, and does a great job of bringing it to life. The jail cells and chains are powerful imagery for the cage of Wolverine’s mind, and Wolverine going after larger than life versions of Colossus, Omega Red, and Magik are great examples of visual storytelling. They are titanic, but Wolverine can beat them. However, the beast inside of him is drawn to be exactly the same as Wolverine, and that little bit of visual storytelling tells you everything you need to know. Wolverine can fight against things bigger than him, he’s been doing that his whole life; however, the fact that he’s always had to defeat himself is wonderfully outlined by him fighting his doppelganger. If there’s any complaints about the art, it’s the last couple of pages aren’t as detailed as the beginning of the book and last issue. However, this is a minor problem for an issue with such tremendous art.

Ultimate Wolverine #6 is the dividing line between what we got before and what we’re going to get. It’s the most psychological issue of Ultimate Wolverine so far, which is saying something, and shows an understanding of Wolverine that we don’t always get to see anymore. The art is perfect for the story; Condon and Lins gel wonderfully, and it would be great if he got to the regular fill-in artist for when Cappuccio needs a break. Ultimate Wolverine has set the bar high, and this sixth issue shows that the book is up to the challenge of clearing it.

Rating: 4 out of 5

Ultimate Wolverine #6 is on sale now.