Venom War: Wolverine #3 accomplishes three unusual things that most tie-in comics fail to accomplish. It fits within the scope of Venom War and is entertaining enough on its own, while also offering glimpses of things like: What moves the character. Most partner companies have difficulty achieving one of these goals, let alone all three. But if you’ve read Local Man or any of their other works, you’ll know that Tim Seeley and Tony Freaks aren’t the creators of most of them.
Venom War: Wolverine #2 picks up where it left off, with Logan getting ready to say goodbye to Emily Burke and her son Flynn. Especially after they defeat Emily’s zombie-infected husband Keene with the help of the X-Men. However, Flynn kept Keene’s severed head…and Zombie Auto had a chance to find a new host. Logan races to save Flynn before the zombies take over…but this pushes him over the edge.
Seeley and Freaks got the hang of writing Wolverine. Logan is a fascinating character who wants to carve out his own life despite being brainwashed and experimented on as a weapon. Most people who discount him as a cash cow character or see him only as a “bad prick” miss that, but the best Wolverine stories capitalize on it. In fact, Logan’s struggle to save Flynn is mirrored by Flynn’s struggle to be “better” than his father at controlling zombies. I have to tell that to Seeley and Freaks too. They realize that Wolverine’s true superpower is taking wayward children under his wing.
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Venom War: Wolverine #3 also pushes the protagonist’s healing factor to its limits, courtesy of Kev Walker. Logan falls from a height? His body slams into the rocks and is torn apart. When he has to fight a new horde of zombies, his claws send symbiote matter and rotting flesh flying across the page. But Walker saves the real horror of a new zombie infected by Flynn. It’s a twisted mass of symbiotic flesh, and the presence of Keene’s severed head at the center of the mass only adds to the unease. If this isn’t the greatest visual metaphor for how toxic masculinity infects young men, I don’t know what is.
Java Tartaglia’s color art is also noteworthy. Tartaglia primarily uses white for the snow-covered roads of Maine, but occasionally changes the scenery. It goes from the pitch black of Zombie Auto to the icy blue of the ocean to the bright yellow of Logan’s Wolverine costume. Bright and bold on your face.
Venom War: Wolverine #3 should be the gold standard for tie-in series, as it proves that you can write stand-alone stories with deep themes that connect to the main story. Regardless of how Venom War turns out, I can confidently recommend it to any Wolverine fan. And I wouldn’t hate it if this creative team reunited for more Wolverine stories.
“Venom War: Wolverine” #3 ends one of the best tie-ins I’ve read
Venom War: Wolverine #3
Venom War: Wolverine #3 should be the gold standard for tie-in series, as it proves that you can write stand-alone stories with deep themes that connect to the main story.
Seeley and Freaks understand what makes Wolverine such a compelling character.
Kev Walker creates terrifyingly convincing artwork.
Java Tartaglia uses bold colors to catch the reader’s attention.
A tie-up work that succeeds in telling an independent story while being based on Venom War.
