WOLVERINE: Firebreak #1
© Marvel Comics
Mania Grade: B+
Issue: 1
Authors: Mike Carey, Scott Kolins, Macon Blair, Wasilis Lolos
Publisher: Marvel
Price: $3.99
Issue: 1
Authors: Mike Carey, Scott Kolins, Macon Blair, Wasilis Lolos
Publisher: Marvel
Price: $3.99
WOLVERINE: Firebreak #1
By: Kurt AmackerReview Date: Tuesday, January 01, 2008
Wolverine: Firebreak should not be confused with Firestorm, the 1998 action film starring former Oakland Raiders defensive end Howie Long. It also shouldn’t be confused with a couple of recent Wolverine stories, because it traffics neither in ancient continuity or shoehorned explanations thereof. Rather, it tells two self-contained stories that portray Logan acting as more of a hero and less of a troubled lone of a one-man army. I enjoy those stories, but it’s nice to see Wolverine kicking ass and saving people again. In this case, the geniuses at HYDRA have started a chemical fire in a mountain forest and Logan has to save a family living in a cabin nearby. Writer Mike Carey narrates the story from the point of view of Peter, the father of a family on the verge of a breakdown. The story consists only of Logan running with Peter and his wife, Sue, and their daughter, Ginny through the mountains, dispatching HYDRA agents and trying to stop the fire. But, Peter’s first-person narrative reveals a father that has to rise above his own indiscretions to help save his family. In that regard, Carey lends a welcome personal touch to the story. Unfortunately, that first person narrative frequently drops off for balls-out action, making Firebreak good enough, but not as great as it could be. Artist Scott Kolins draws in a reliably grim and gritty style, though he doesn’t exaggerate to excess. Wolverine looks like a bodybuilder, but retains enough humanity and realism to avoid making anyone roll their eyes. More importantly Kolins non-superheroic characters look all the more human by comparison. Peter couldn’t be any more normal and Sue is morbidly obese. The juxtaposition between the very human and the decidedly mutant makes the situation seem all the more overwhelming for its narrator – and a better experience for its readers.
The backup story, Little White Lies, by Macon Blair and artist Vasilis Lolos, features Logan on a mission to save the meth-addict son of the United States’ drug czar, William Lacey. His son, Samuel, has been kidnapped by a South American drug kingpin who has a few low-rent super-villains at his disposal. Like Firebreak, this story shows Logan saving lives out of sheer altruism, but it forces him into a morally gray area by the end. Logan arguably does the right thing, but he doesn’t feel comfortable with it. Lolos provides some nice, very gritty art that employs inky, heavy lines to create an exaggerated, almost abstract effect. It’s a nice looking story.
All in all, this issue provides two solid standalone Wolverine stories. Pick this one up.
Questions? Comments? Let us know what you think at comicscape@mania.com.
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