Let me start by saying that this is an important issue. It’s not a particularly good issue. It isn’t a well written issue. It is however an important issue.

It’s been rumored for awhile now that Wolverine will become killable this summer in the pages of issue #8. However, I believe what we see in these actual pages is the start of the loss of his healing factor that causes that to happen. There’s also a rumor that Wolverine will be killed in 2014.

Personally I’m completely sick of Marvel killing characters they are going to bring back. Hell, Doc Ock is still Spider-Man and he will be at least through October if not the end of the year. Still, I find it hard to believe that they will end up killing the one character that makes it into almost every book on a monthly basis at this point.

At any rate, I digress. We’re talking about long term consequences of what appears to be starting in this issue and not the issue itself so let me backtrack a little.

Wolverine #6 is part 2 of a story arc entitled “Drowning Wolverine” and mainly takes place on a helicarrier that is currently well underwater. There is an alien race (from the Microverse) that are slowly taking people over. They plan on creating peace on Earth through infestation.

It’s a nice warm and bubbly excuse to take over the world, however, Wolverine isn’t going to lie down and let anyone rob humanity of its freedom. I should say we don’t know the aliens are from the Microverse right off the bat, but honestly this story is so disjointed with S.H.I.E.L.D. being taken over and one of the few agents left standing calling Wolverine to get him all riled up. They also show that the aliens try to drown Wolverine at one point which really seems to freak him out when he remembers that is how he killed his own son. In fact, with how he was reacting, it’s surprising that the agent calling him a coward could snap him out of it so quickly.

It just felt disjointed. At any rate, shortly after Wolverine finds out they are aliens from the Microverse he is able to use a stun gas to knock them all out. With them unconscious, they are able to raise the Helicarrier and use Shield’s resources to save the day. As Samuel L. Jackson Nick Fury Jr. is debriefing him, Wolverine suddenly seems violently ill. Yes, it’s the important moment of the issue. Whatever these creatures have done to him have started kicking off the removal of his nearly unlimited powers of healing. Yes, the healing factor is going to be disabled and Marvel will never be the same again! (Really why couldn’t this have been done by one of his older villains or from the nanobots Cyclops put in him awhile back. Either way would have been so much more fitting.)

Was I happy with this story? Clearly not. I felt it was a cheap way to kick off the removal of Logan’s ability to heal and the entire concept of killing him off instead of just cutting him back from being in every comic to the X-Men and his own is just a waste.

I am not happy with where the rumor mill is suggesting this series is going. Honestly, if it wasn’t due to the fact that I know how important the ending will be, I don’t think this would have even broken the 2 atom territory.

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WOLVERINE #6
Writer: Paul Cornell
Artist: Mirco Pierfederici