The war between Wolverine and his son, Daken, has been a hot topic in the Marvel Universe over the past few years. So alike, yet some vastly different, the battles between the two, mainly written by Daniel Way, are full of great action and even more intrigue.
This trend continues in the Wolverine: Redemption graphic novel, which has the two team up for a short while against Romulus before continuing their fight with themselves. With a appearances from Cloak and Dagger, Skaar, Nightcrawler and Nick Fury among others, the book has a wide-reaching tone that gives the reader an inside look at Logan’s family life.
In the end, as good as Wolverine’s intentions are, he may never be on the same page as his son.
While rifts in family are hardly a new topic in comic books, Daken prides himself on making his father as miserable as possible and goes out of his way to defy him every opportunity he gets. When the chance comes to take out his fathers’ main nemesis, Romulus, Daken wastes no time showing his father where he can stick it. Logan has gotten smarter over the years however and manages to stay a step ahead of his son for most of the trade.
Seeing this physical and mental battle unfold is a fun one. Way’s pacing skills have continued to progress over the years and his story telling ability has gotten to the point that you’d barely recognize his work from the Venom series a half decade ago. While there are a few sappy and even melodramatic scenes here (how many times is Logan going to have a spiritual epiphany, where he feels he’s finally on the right track?), for the most part, the writing is tight.
However, the best part of the graphic novel is the allusions to Daken’s sexuality. One issue in particular brings up some interesting questions that are rarely brought up in the medium. This element alone makes this trade a special one.
Combined with the solid art (which change and blend quite nicely despite the fact that this trade jumps back and forth between two different series) from a host of names, this book continues the growing legacy of the Wolverine character, while shedding more life on Daken, who is quickly becoming the new dark prince of Marvel.
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