Ripped from his mother’s corpse as an infant, only to later be murdered by Sabretooth. Then haunted by a demon so as to come back as the HELLVERINE. Akihiro has had a rough life (and death). Last we saw him he was face to face with a nightmare version of something he’s always wanted: his mother.
Creative Team
Writer: Benjamin Percy;
Artist: Raffaele Ienco;
Color Artist: Bryan Valenza;
Letterer: VC’s Travis Lanham‘
Cover Artist: Kendrick “Kunka” Lim;
Variant Cover Artists: Andrei Bressan [Invisible!]; Jonas Scharf & Alex Guimaraes; Skan.
Check out a review for another current Wolverine run: WOLVERINE #7.
The Story for Issue 4
We kicked right off in issue 4 with the nightmare version of Akihiro’s mother, Itsu. She’s surrounded by a version of kids, that makes the children of the corn, not look so bad. Akihiro goes up against them, but not with just his claws. He also uses some advice from Dr. Strange. From one nightmare of a parent to another, Akihiro moves on. Fighting what’s inside him, and fighting for all mutants. He next moves on to Genosha to face another nightmare that isn’t exactly as it seems.
The Art
Throughout this run the art has been incredibly dark and beautiful. However, this issue took it up a notch. The details in Genosha combined with what Akirhiro is now facing, made for an absolutely stunning background, and an incredibly beautiful and powerful opponent.
Overall Grade: 9.5/10
I am absolutely loving this dive into Akihiro’s tragic past all while he continues to fight evil, and save mutants. While, I have read many Wolverine comics, this is my first time reading a Daken/Akihiro focused book, and I’m questioning myself as to what the hell (pun intended) took me so long. If you love a good Wolverine story, but want something a smidge different, then HELLVERINE is a guaranteed good time, and it seems to get bigger each issue.
HELLVERINE has the perfect combination of action, mystery, and origin storytelling, with a sprinkle of cameos and nods to other storylines. Whether you’ve deep dove into the origin story of Daken, or had no clue he was Wolverine’s son, you’ll enjoy the story all the same. I got to give HELLVERINE #4 a 9.5 SNIKTS out 10. SNIKT!
For more from Lauren, check out Hops Geek News.
Have you picked up an issue of HELLVERINE yet? Let’s know your thoughts, or ask a question.
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