Comic Vine Review

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Origin II #2 - Book Two

4

Essex hunts for Wolverine, after seeing his polar bear killed, but Wolverine ends up at the hands of Victor Creed.

The Good

There's a lot of characters X-fans are familiar with in this issue. Aside from Wolverine, the men who will eventually become Sabretooth and Mr. Sinister make their ORIGIN debut here. Fans may not like how they're portrayed here because these characters simply aren't the same, especially in the case of Sabretooth. Obviously, Essex is still pompous and willing to do horrible things in the name of science. Sabretooth is a tracker here. He's not feral or crazy but there's a hint of aggression in him though.

Look wise, Essex looks pretty cool, wearing some sort of long, red jacket. Sabretooth looks a bit more like a down on his luck sailor who has been stuck at port looking for work for three months. That's not a joke though. He really looks like that. I'm a bit down the middle on the look, but all-in-all, it works for the book.

Essex takes the prize here though, with his first time of meeting Wolverine. He's very commanding and classy, and the scene of he and his Marauders smoking out Wolverine is extremely cool. It's weird to see him in this book, but overall, he's nice to see here. Writer Kieron Gillen weaves some of these elements into the main story very well.

Adam Kubert does some great things with art here, with Frank Martin on colors. The page layouts and the compositions are fresh and eye catching on every single page of this issue. This issue has a great flow to it, and moves very naturally through the art. Lastly, their work on the cover is phenomenal.

The Bad

This issue got a bit silly, but every time I thought it was way over-the-top, I felt it actually fit with the time, for the most part. The reveal, at the end of the issue, felt truly bizarre as Wolverine is sent to be a sideshow at the circus.

The second issue feels nothing like the first. It's not driven by the narration. It's lost that lore feel the first issue had. This issue is a lot more straightforward than anything else, which is fine, if that first issue wasn't so different.

I really didn't like Essex knowing the Wolverine is a mutant just by looking at him. It felt a bit off.

The Verdict

ORIGIN II #2 moves the story along, and while it really doesn't have the same impact as the first issue did, it's still an enjoyable issue. Essex and Creed are a large part of this issue and story, and while the final reveal was a bit much for me, the overall story still has me on board. Kubert and Martin really drive this book home with some fantastic art and great page set-ups. Hopefully, this story continues to be a bit of fun. Overall, I recommend this issue.