This issue takes us through several of Wolverine’s relationships with women, focusing on his current lover, Melita Garner. Logan is apparently truly in love with her, because Yukio offers him a no-strings-attached romp and he declines.
Jason Aaron is, of course, the author of the famous “A Mile in My Moccassins” Wolverine story, which (satirically) attempted to show readers how he manages to appear in a dozen comics each month. This story, similarly, touches multiple storylines (with Rogue, Storm, Black Widow, Yukio, Jubillee, etc.). In one great scene, he is able to get Danielle Cage to stop crying.
It’s a wonderful page, showing how Logan is softening as a result of his relationship.
At the suggestion of his friends, Wolverine tells Melita that being with him is dangerous and she should learn to defend herself–so she enrolls at the Sons of the Tiger dojo.
On the final page, we see that Mystique is stalking Melita.
I can’t say enough about how great this issue is. In a single comic, Aaron shows Wolverine becoming vulnerable and how the world reacts to that–including the looming threat from Mystique.
I read this issue right after reading the latest installment of Daniel Way’s Wolverine: Origins. The differences are striking. Jason Aaron is a phenomenal writer with a fresh voice, who is able to write a franchise character consistent with his past but also with a unique voice and take on the character. In other words, don’t hate Wolverine because of the writer, hate the writer when you see what Aaron can do with Wolverine.
Grade: A+