WOLVERINE #73 – September 1993

The Formicary Mound!

Credits: Larry Hama (writer), Dwayne Turner (breakdowns), Joe Rubinstein (finishes), Pat Brosseau (letterer), Paul Becton (colorist)

Summary

Wolverine and Jubilee follow the Sentinel through Gateway’s hole in time and space. They land in the Ant Hill, the location of a former Sentinel base. Wolverine saves Jubilee from the Sentinel, but the Sentinel’s blast seriously injures him. Jubilee tries to coax Wolverine back to consciousness while the Sentinel begins his plan to trigger a solar flare that will kill all organic life on Earth. Wolverine recovers enough to reach the Sentinel and attack, but more Sentinels appear from behind.

Continuity Note

The Ant Hill first appeared in Avengers #103, according to this issue’s footnotes. It’s probably the most obscure reference yet in all of the issues I’ve reviewed, but I guess it makes sense for an X-title to follow up on an old Sentinel storyline.

Miscellaneous Note

“Formicary” means ant hill, in case you’re like me and didn’t know.

Review

It’s the middle section of a three-part story, which mainly serves to re-introduce the Ant Hill and give the Sentinel a master plan. The more I think about it, the less I like the idea of Wolverine fighting Sentinels in his solo book. If only Wolverine and Jubilee can face the Sentinels, then it makes the X-Men look like wimps if it takes six of them to stop the robots. I do like Wolverine’s conversation with Jubilee, trying to convince her not to give into revenge fantasies, but it’s too short. This is another issue that’s hampered by rushed, flat artwork, too. Usually, Wolverine is a lot better than this.