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Wolverine uses Project Hellfire’s resources to hunt down The Destroyers. At the same time, the demon Bagra-Ghul has chosen a new vessel and resurrected Akihiro, better know as Daken, son of Wolverine! The new Hellverine is slicing and burning evil forces on its way through the country, and a showdown is on the horizon!
- Written by Benjamin Percy
- Art by Julius Ohta
- Colors by Frank D’armata
- Letters by VC’s Travis Lanham
- Published by MARVEL Entertainment
Hellverine and Logan Hunt The Destroyers
Benjamin Percy continues the Hellfire fueled Wolverine, heavy metal madness in issue #2 of Hellverine. Wolverine is pissed at Project Hellfire, rightfully so, and forces their cooperation with him as he hunts down the hellfire powered undead Destroyers, created by Project Hellfire.
Daken’s Fate in Issue #41 of Wolverine!
Logan honestly doesn’t care about bringing in The Destroyers, but he does know that they will be excellent bait for his son Daken, now possessed by Bagra-Ghul. Daken, or Akihiro, is a version of Ghost Rider at the moment. The spirit in him guides him to evil forces and leaves a trail of destruction in its path.
When one of The Destroyers returns to his family, Logan is waiting. He attacks and interrogates the undead warrior for information on his teammates. Unfortunately for him, they come to them and brutally kill everything in their path, declaring war on anyone that gets in their way.
Hellverine in the Benjamin Percy Sandbox
Benjamin Percy is having fun with this, I can tell. He’s created undead hellfire fueled government agents gone AWOL. He’s used the Bagra-Ghul demon from the recent Weapons of Vengeance arc to resurrect the mutilated son of Wolverine, Daken. Then, he tactfully uses all of this to create an intriguing thriller, rife with secret government agencies, undead warriors (That are very reminiscent of Cenobites), and family drama!
Wolverine is as crass and ornery as ever. He’s got that classic Logan swagger and fists full of sharp adamantium to back it up. I can tell that the set up for him and Daken is gonna be great. Percy is already exploring the internal thoughts and feelings of Akihiro, highlighting the pain he feels.
More Wolverine in Blood Hunt!
Percy also humanizes The Destroyers in way, showing that there is some semblance of who they used to be trapped in there some where. They may be government constructed killing machines, but like Logan, they’re trapped in their emotions and clouded minds.
The Art of the Hellverine
There are some fantastic panels and pages in Hellverine #2. The scene when General Harms, Project Hellfire’s commanding officer, meets a Secretary of the U.S. Government in Arlington Cemetery that looks like a picture from a big screen. The tombstones against the night sky, in a down pour of rain is such a powerful image.
Characters are wonderfully designed as are the creatures in this horror inspired book. The Destroyers look great as they stand out so well amongst the living. They really do look like weapons, intimidating and deadly. There’s a thin line between that and looking silly and Ohta does a great job of taking it to the limit.
D’amarta’s colors give each panel a life of their own. Speaking of which, the hellfire takes on a whole personality of its own. The Destroyers don’t get lost in the black and silver that adorns each of their costumes.
Everything Points to 7/10
I think Hellverine is off to a nice start. This issue focused on building foundations for what was to come, while still injecting action and conflict into the narrative. I was worried at times that I might get bored, but then something would happen and keep the pace up. I feel like this book will get better the further we get as Percy is really building some interesting plot points that could pay off big.
