A mind-controlling virus from the Microverse--nobody we know, I don't think--has both invaded earth and "eliminated" Wolverine's healing factor. The Host, a bioterrorist that could possibly stop the virus, has been arrested and sentenced to suspended animation, in Wakanda; a nation currently in turmoil: among other disasters, they were currently short a queen, as Storm had just left the Black Panther. S.H.I.E.L.D. is concerned the virus might have already possessed T'Challa; so the plan is Storm, Nick Fury, and Victoria Frankenstein would get the Host; while Logan would see whether or not T'Challa had been got, by pushing on his emotions.
Sending the most hair-trigger X-Man to set off the incredibly composed and controlled T'Challa, seems like a terrible idea: Logan needles him about trying to control his ex "like you're 13" but T'Challa pushes right back, since he knows his healing factor was off. What was Logan trying to prove? Could he still cut it? Or was he "a scared, desperate fake--" Oh, that'll do, fighty time. The panel where Logan tells him, "you only see the Wolverine, then the Wolverine's all you get" may sound like his usual fight-talk, but may be a clue as to Cornell's overarching plan for this series.
T'Challa has Logan's number, noting his fighting style was built around taking damage he couldn't take anymore. Logan gets floored, but comes back; but T'Challa is a step ahead as usual. He had been wearing a breathing apparatus, to protect himself from the virus; and was using them to flush out any infected in his country. While S.H.I.E.L.D. takes the host, Storm greets T'Challa: she had sworn to never return to Wakanda, but he asks her to be free of that vow. All's swell--wait a sec, Logan's getting a call--Mystique, loose in the Jean Grey Institute! I'm not sure how she took that picture, it doesn't look like a selfie. (The next issue explains it as surveillance camera footage hacked and sent to him, but that's a weird angle for that?)
Things would of course get worse for Wolvie over the course of the next five issues, with him taking a kicking from Batroc the next issue. I don't think this has been reprinted yet, so keep an eye out; if you can sort out Wolverine's numbering...
How much of Cornell's run did you collect? He's a pretty solid writer, and when you throw in Alan Davis art, that's a pretty damn marketable & unbeatable pairing that should be pretty much be a lock to be collected.
ReplyDeleteThe Marvel trading cards from the '90s had Logan's "fighting ability" as a 7, the highest level, meaning he was an expert in practically every style or something like that. Which is how i grew up thinking of him, as this excellent fighter in addition to the unbreakable claws, enhanced senses and healing factor. (Although looking over them, Black Panther and Daredevil both got 4s, while Nightcrawler got a 5, so who the hell knows)
ReplyDeleteSo it was kind of funny from what I remember of this run seeing T'Challa and Batroc bemoaning how crappy of a fighter Logan was, but I do like the notion that he got complacent over time, just letting guys hit him because he could shrug it off. Although you'd think the stretch where he had no adamantium would have taught him something.
I can definitely see that being a legit explanation for why he may have gone down in quality of ability over time, yeah. Of course as always, it's going to ultimately come down to Logan being as good as the writer of that story says he is.
ReplyDeleteNo way DD & BP retain those 4's for fighting ability nowadays. Just ridiculous.