Venom War: Wolverine #2 begins with what feels like a simple story about a man taking his son fishing. But things quickly turned dark when the man threatened to throw someone overboard for stealing from him, and when the son intervened, the father forced him to grab the man. At this moment, the book expands on part of Venom’s larger storyline about how toxic masculinity can lead to destructive behavior, and how important it is to escape from it. Let’s move on to the lesson.
Tim Seeley, Tony Fleecs, and Kev Walker continue their streak through Venom War: Wolverine #2. After being possessed by a symbiote in the previous issue, Logan takes refuge in his old haunt and reunites with his old friend Emily Burke and her son Flynn. Flynn had saved Emily from abuse at the hands of her husband Keene years earlier. But little does Logan know that Keene has encountered a group of zombies who will listen to him…and he is intent on getting his family back.
Wolverine comics are definitely not the place you would expect a discussion of healthy masculinity. Especially since Logan is known to mostly solve problems by stabbing him. But Seeley and Freaks understand that Wolverine’s best stories are always the ones where Logan fights to be better than himself, not to mention serving as a mentor to younger characters. That’s something they focus on in their scripts. Logan gives Flynn some sage advice. “If a guy like me can make friends… if we can form a family, then anyone can do it,” he says.
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When it comes time for battle, Walker doesn’t shy away from the horror elements. Zombies are shown to be downright terrifying beings, with symbionts enveloping their cold, dead bodies. Java Tartaglia relies heavily on shades of black in this issue, creating two distinct shades: the bluish black of the night sky sprinkled with white snow, and the inky black of the zombies. Once Logan starts carving and chopping, red is often used as well.
There are one or two surprises in the second half that definitely up the stakes, and I wish this had been at least a four-issue miniseries. But for what it’s worth, the creative team goes above and beyond the call for a miniseries tied to a comic book event. That’s the best thing about Venom War: Wolverine #2.
Venom War: Wolverine #2 is more than just a tie-in
Venom War: Wolverine #2
The creative team has gone above and beyond the call of duty for a miniseries tied to a comic book event. That’s the best thing about Venom War: Wolverine #2.
Seeley and the Freaks do a great job of breaking down toxic masculinity and understand why Wolverine is such a great character.
Walker doesn’t hold back on his fears, especially when it comes to zombies.
There are some real surprises at the end of this book.
It feels like additional issues are needed to make things breathe.
