Brandon Borzelli's Geek Goggle Reviews
Wolverine #19
Marvel Comics
Aaron, Garney & Keith
Wolverine #19 brings an abrupt end to the "Goodbye Chinatown" storyline with another fun issue. The book raced along at such a fast pace I was taken aback that this was the end of the arc. Overall, I liked the issue and found the swift ending to be refreshing compared to the normal six-part arcs these days. I'm not sure this is the kind of Wolverine story that the masses like to see but it was good fun all around from my perspective.
Wolverine and friends bust out of their hiding spots inside the dragons as they break up the ring that Jade Claw has established underneath Chinatown. This, of course, leads to a lot of fighting and more good banter. If nothing else, Aaron has proven he has a good knack for providing a good supporting cast around Wolverine, especially when it is dealing with dialogue. Eventually Wolverine and friends get out of their various predicaments and basically save the day. Oh, and Wolverine finds his bag of money.
The issue moves so quickly it sort of forgets about the lead villain: Jade Claw. Of sure, we see her and she gets mentioned in a few panels but there is no real resolution. It just sort of is assumed that she lost and escapes. It was all a little anticlimactic but in some ways it was par for this bizarre story.
The comic book has other threads going on in this issue. Wolverine and his girlfriend resolve their problems as Wolverine says good-bye to his old life in Chinatown. The book drops Wolverine off right in Westchester to make sure this book literally leads into the Wolverine and the X-Men book. A couple of other characters pop up in the book to round out the next wave of supporting characters for Wolverine and this book in particular. The issue even has a surprise or two in the guest department.
Garney's artwork is very good in this book. He has a lighter side to his penciling in this book that gives the book a grittier feel to it. There aren't a whole lot of polished up pages and that helps when the material deals with dragon vomit. Overall I found the book to have a fun look to it that matches the story very well. This is definitely Garney stretching himself and in a good way.
Wolverine with dragons, beer and a sack full of cash isn't the typical Wolverine story but I liked it. It isn't the most memorable arc but it does provide a nice bridge from the west coast Wolverine to the east coast Wolverine. I wasn't thrilled that the book rushed to its ending but I guess there is only so much you can do with a talking Gorilla and a really hungry immortal fat guy. This was a fun read.
3 out of 5 Geek Goggles
