WOLVERINE #89 – January 1995

The Mask of Ogun

Credits: Larry Hama (writer), Fabio Laguna (penciler), Joe Rubinstein (inker), Pat Brosseau (lettering), Marie Javins (colorist)

Summary

While on his way back to New York, Wolverine meets Ghost Rider, who warns him that a specter from his past named “Ogun” has returned. Wolverine follows Ghost Rider to a museum where Ogun’s spirit has killed the employees. On display are Ogun’s sword and his mask, which Wolverine remembers shattering after he killed Ogun. Ghost Rider explains to him that mystic objects can’t be destroyed by physical means. After they’re distracted by noises from the other side of the museum, Ghost Rider and Wolverine return to see that Ogun’s sword and mask are gone. Ogun suddenly appears and attacks. When Ogun throws his sword at Wolverine, he flashes back to a lesson Ogun taught him about balancing his human and animal sides. Ghost Rider saves Wolverine from the sword, which Wolverine then uses to split Ogun’s mask in half. As his form dissipates, Wolverine sees his own face on Ogun’s body. He explains to Ghost Rider that Ogun used sorcery to reach beyond the grave and attack him with a part of himself. Meanwhile, Gambit warns Sabretooth that Wolverine is coming.

Continuity Note

Ogun is Wolverine’s former mentor, who tried to possess Kitty Pryde’s body in the Kitty Pryde & Wolverine miniseries. The image of him on this cover doesn’t represent the interior art at all.

Review

It’s another issue that’s marred by Laguna’s artwork. The incessant swipes continue, with even the Wolverine image from X-Men #1’s cover getting lightboxed. Swiping from the cover of the highest-selling comic ever isn’t the smartest way to hide what you’re doing. I don’t remember Laguna getting any more work from the X-office after this, so maybe they realized that he was doing more tracing than drawing (the Swipe of the Week archive has a few examples from this issue). The story reads like filler while it’s biding time until next issue’s confrontation with Sabretooth, although I do like the idea of Ogun’s spirit returning as an antagonist. The final confrontation seems to hinge on the fact that Wolverine is balancing his human and animal natures, but I don’t see how that’s represented just by having him throw a sword. The mask it cuts splits in two, so the imagery there is obvious, but that doesn’t feel like much of a payoff. The idea that Ogun is attacking Wolverine with a part of himself doesn’t really make a lot of sense, either. The flashback scene with Ogun repeatedly hitting Wolverine until he gives in to his animal rage is nicely done, though. It’s definitely a weak issue, but I can see the potential of Ogun as a recurring threat for Wolverine. It’s surprising he wasn’t brought back sooner.

WOLVERINE #88 – December 1994

It’s D-D-Deadpool, Folks!

Credits: Larry Hama (writer), Adam Kubert & Fabio Laguna (pencilers), Mark Farmer & Tim Townsend (inkers), Pat Brosseau (letterer), Marie Javins (colorist)

Summary

As a favor to James Hudson, Wolverine goes to San Francisco to check on Kane. When he enters the apartment Kane shares with Vanessa, he discovers Deadpool. Deadpool attacks, seriously wounding Wolverine when he stabs him in the back. Deadpool sees a photo on the wall of Kane and Vanessa at a local theatre and leaves. Wolverine works past his pain to catch a taxi and follow Deadpool. At the theatre, Kane and Vanessa are rehearsing lines for a play when Deadpool enters, wanting revenge on Vanessa for leaving him. The pair fights Deadpool while the breaks go out in Wolverine’s taxi. He rips open the passenger side door and uses it to glide down the street to the theatre. Deadpool throws two swords, one at Kane’s head and the other at Vanessa’s heart. Wolverine enters in time to stop the sword from killing Vanessa, while Kane knocks away the other sword. Deadpool drops a smoke grenade and teleports away. As Wolverine leaves town, he tells Vanessa not to feel bad about Kane stopping the sword aimed at him instead of the one Deadpool threw at her. He reasons that if Kane were dead, he wouldn’t have been able to get her help, or stop Deadpool from killing her some other way.

Continuity Notes

Kane and Vanessa are working as actors in San Francisco because they’ve retired from their violent lifestyle. This doesn’t last, and I think this story was just ignored when they were brought back.

This is presumably the first meeting between Deadpool and Wolverine. They seem to only know each other through reputation (Wolverine asks, “Deadpool, ain’t it?” implying that he’s never met him).

Wolverine’s healing factor is returning to its full strength, after being damaged after Magneto’s attack in “Fatal Attractions”. Deadpool claims that he has a “mutant healing factor” even though he’s not a mutant (he might simply be joking, though.)

“Huh?” Moment

In-between panels, Kane’s clothes change from normal street clothes to his elaborate superhero outfit with a bandoleer and other accessories.

We Get Letters

There’s a letter from a reader who refuses to read any X-comic that’s had an appearance by Apocalypse in the past, because he’s offended that the name of God’s judgment day is being used for a villain. He’s thankful that Apocalypse never showed up in Wolverine, so he can keep buying this book. The editor’s brilliant response is to bring up a Wolverine special from 1990 where Apocalypse actually did appear.

Review

This is the infamous Fabio Laguna issue, the one with a direct Jim Lee swipe on all of his pages. The Swipe of the Week website got all kinds of material out of this one. Even Wizard magazine called Laguna out by printing a letter from a fan who noticed the swipes. I was more than willing to go along with the Jim Lee clones when I was fourteen, but I couldn’t take this one even back then. Once the Adam Kubert pages stop, this turns into a really hideous looking comic. The story just seems to be killing time until Wolverine can get back to the mansion to confront Sabretooth before the “Age of Apocalypse” crossover begins. Deadpool is back to the creepy “kill my ex-girlfriend” motivation he had almost two years earlier in X-Force, which undermines the work done to develop his character in his two miniseries. The opening fight scene between Wolverine and Deadpool with the Kubert art isn’t that bad, but the rest of the issue is pretty dire.