Wolverine: Weapon X

June 25th, 2022.

The Wolverine: Weapon X story arc appears in the “Marvel Comics Presents” anthology series and takes place between issues #72 – #84.

The story is written and illustrated by British comic artist Barry Windsor-Smith and it tells the now well-known tale of how James Howlett, or Logan, ends up having his entire skeleton turned into adamantium leading him into a brutal rampage against those that experimented on him before becoming the Wolverine we all know and love today.

Though the book focuses entirely on Wolverine and his transformation, only the prologue and epilogue are told from his point of view. The majority of the story is told through the perspectives of three Weapon X Team members including Abraham Cornelius, Carol Hines and “The Professor”.

The art can be very dark and gloomy and as I was reading it often times gave me feelings of dread or anger. The entire process of the Weapon X Program includes torture, brutal training regiments and brainwashing. For example, in one set of panels “The Professor” orders Logan to be left outside in subzero temperatures overnight after a fresh slaughter leaving him to freeze in his own mess of bile and blood.

As I watched Logan experience this special kind of hell, I found myself constantly rooting for him to break free and exact revenge on those tormenting him and thankfully I got what I wished for!

Once this starts to unfold, Wolverine: Weapon X suddenly starts to feel like a slasher film, except in this case, I’m rooting for the monster stalking and slaughtering his prey. It’s an incredible turn of events that left me feeling justified and excited after every kill – even the ones where he’s just massacring everyone.

Barry Windsor-Smith does a lot of things extremely well with this story, but the absolute highlight is how perfectly streamlined everything is. While reading the collected edition I couldn’t tell where a single issue would have begun or ended, and each panel seemed to have a visual cue linking it directly to the next one like broken windows or destroyed walls and this made the entire book feel like a constant scene rather than bits and pieces.

Most X-Men fans already know how the Weapon-X story ends thanks to it being mentioned in almost every piece of mutant media, but I wonder how many of those fans have had the opportunity to see it firsthand. Thankfully with this book you can witness the entire brutal process from beginning to end with every bloody detail laid out in gorgeous, metal, and gruesomely detailed panels.

The mature theme, breathtaking art and grisly story was enough to keep me glued to my seat until I finished, and I feel like I can’t recommend it enough.

I read this digitally and I feel like the backlight really helped the art pop plus the guided view prevented me from glancing down or to the next page, so I didn’t spoil anything for myself. But I’m sure it’s a great read in physical form as well, plus you get the benefit of smelling and feeling the physical pages which is always a plus.

Wolverine has always been one of my all-time favorite superheroes. So, I’m willing to admit that when it comes to his stories, I may have a bit of a bias. But in this case, I am absolutely convinced that this book goes above and beyond what you would expect and is a must read for any mutant fan.