Erwin Rafael
Jun 5, 2003, 03:23 pm
<a href="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/covers/wolvsnikt2.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/covers/wolvsnikt2t.jpg" align=left alt="Wolverine: Snikt! #2"></a>Reviewer: Erwin Rafael, 3rdsummers@edsamail.com.ph
Quick Rating: Great!
The Mandate has conquered Earth, and Wolverine has been called to save humanity.
Story and Art by: Tsutomu Nihei
Translated to English by: Mutsumi Masuda
Colored by: Guru eFX
Lettered by: Cory Petit
Assistant Editor: Stephanie Moore
Consulting Editor: Ralph Macchio
Edited by: C.B. Cebulski
Editor In Chief: Joe Quesada
President: Bill Jemas
Let's start with a Tsutomu Nihei trivia. Do you know why Tsutomu Nihei's most famous creation is called Blame!? Well, the main character of Blame! uses a gun, a very strong gun. And when he uses it (and he uses it often), it goes Blam! Blam! Blam! Well, Blam! does not sound good as a title, so they changed it to Blame! Nihei likes onomatopoeia, which is why he titled his Blame! prequel as Noise! and now, his Wolverine limited series as Snikt!.
Why did I start with this bit of trivia? Well, more than the similarity in Nihei's approach to the series title, Wolverine: Snikt! is shaping up to be the Marvel version of Blame!. Post-apocalyptic future, people deprived of the sun, robotic beings as bad guys, and lots and lots of tunnels used as the setting. This IS Blame!, whichever way you look at it. Only this time, Wolverine is starring as the main character. And we don't hear much of Blam!, but more of Snikt! and Slash!.
The story thus far: Things were going badly for Logan as he fought off a Mandate. Fortunately, he was aided by the Colonel, lone holder of the only weapon remaining which can destroy the Mandate. The Colonel and Fusa took Wolverine to the tunnels where they gave him the lowdown on his whereabouts. He has been taken to the future where the Mandate has wiped out almost all of humanity and has taken over the Earth.
Wolverine in a sci-fi series is new to me, and Nihei is pulling it off quite smoothly. The plot is not all that original and Nihei's treating the characters so far as stereotypes. Still, the read is very engaging because Nihei is doing it with style. Think about your typical summer movie hit - not much depth but loaded with memorable cool moments.
Much of the coolness factor is due to Nihei's amazing action sequences. The fight scenes in this book are amazing to watch. Nihei doesn't just know how to draw action, he is a master in drawing action. He plays with a lot of elements - speed lines, cinematographic angles, the works. The most impressive thing in this particular issue, though, is Nihei's mastery in using the splash page. A lot of artists abuse splash pages to capture a "widescreen" feel. Not so for Nihei, who makes sure his splash pages are reserved for definite splash page moments.
The page where Wolverine jumps down on a Mandate agent is the best. Right before that moment, Nihei slowly builds up the action with small panels. Then we get some blurry action which suggests somebody moving swiftly and then BAM! - Wolverine takes down the Mandate. Picture perfect moment captured in its full splash page glory.
Nihei's sketchy style is more pronounced this issue. It fits the depressing atmosphere of the story and it is again well-complemented by Guru eFX's colors. The fit between the colors and the linework is actually amazing, considering Nihei's previous works have all been in black and white. Nihei's background as an architect also comes to the fore as we explore the underground hideout of humanity. He has this thing for tunnels of all kinds, so I guess we'd be treated to more tunnels in the coming issues. :D
Just like last issue, this one reads very fast, although there is more dialogue this time so the story is a bit meatier. It still feels like it would read better in collected form, although come to think of it, all stories (specially for limited series) read better in collected form. I notice that Nihei is trying to work through the 22-page format, opening with a set-up splash and then closing with a cliffhanger, ala Morrison and Millar. My new complaint, though, is that the ads are a nuisance. In a comic book where dialogue is sparse and the art carries most of the story, ads really hurt the pacing. Specially that 4-page ad sequence towards the end. It was a real "trouble" (pun very much intended).
I just learned that Nihei scripts in Japanese and Mutsumi Masuda later translates the script into English. I wish that, other than the script, the Japanese symbols in the art would also get translated. There are a lot of Japanese symbols on the walls, on uniforms, on foreheads, even on guns. It'd be interesting to know what they mean and if they would add more dimension to the story.
Wolverine: Snikt! surely passed by unnoticed by a lot of readers because it appeared to be just another Wolverine limited series. While I can not argue that there may be a Wolverine overload right now, trust me, Snikt! is not just another typical Wolverine limited series. This is first-class Japanese sci-fi disguised as a Marvel comic. Get your popcorns ready and experience comic book action Tsutomu Nihei-style. If Wolverine: Snikt! is an animated feature, it would definitely kick Animatrix ass. :p
Reviewer's note: Special thanks to editor C.B. Cebulski for clarifying the translation situation.
ART:
http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/reviews/wolfull.jpghttp://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/reviews/wolfull.jpghttp://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/reviews/wolfull.jpghttp://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/reviews/wolfull.jpghttp://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/reviews/wolfull.jpg
STORY:
http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/reviews/wolfull.jpghttp://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/reviews/wolfull.jpghttp://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/reviews/wolfull.jpghttp://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/reviews/wolnone.jpghttp://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/reviews/wolnone.jpg
OVERALL:
http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/reviews/wolfull.jpghttp://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/reviews/wolfull.jpghttp://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/reviews/wolfull.jpghttp://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/reviews/wolfull.jpghttp://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/reviews/wolnone.jpg
Buy this issue online now from X-World (http://x-worldcomics.com/yourvirtualstore/shopdisplayproducts.asp?id=55&cat=WOLVERINE) and save!
Quick Rating: Great!
The Mandate has conquered Earth, and Wolverine has been called to save humanity.
Story and Art by: Tsutomu Nihei
Translated to English by: Mutsumi Masuda
Colored by: Guru eFX
Lettered by: Cory Petit
Assistant Editor: Stephanie Moore
Consulting Editor: Ralph Macchio
Edited by: C.B. Cebulski
Editor In Chief: Joe Quesada
President: Bill Jemas
Let's start with a Tsutomu Nihei trivia. Do you know why Tsutomu Nihei's most famous creation is called Blame!? Well, the main character of Blame! uses a gun, a very strong gun. And when he uses it (and he uses it often), it goes Blam! Blam! Blam! Well, Blam! does not sound good as a title, so they changed it to Blame! Nihei likes onomatopoeia, which is why he titled his Blame! prequel as Noise! and now, his Wolverine limited series as Snikt!.
Why did I start with this bit of trivia? Well, more than the similarity in Nihei's approach to the series title, Wolverine: Snikt! is shaping up to be the Marvel version of Blame!. Post-apocalyptic future, people deprived of the sun, robotic beings as bad guys, and lots and lots of tunnels used as the setting. This IS Blame!, whichever way you look at it. Only this time, Wolverine is starring as the main character. And we don't hear much of Blam!, but more of Snikt! and Slash!.
The story thus far: Things were going badly for Logan as he fought off a Mandate. Fortunately, he was aided by the Colonel, lone holder of the only weapon remaining which can destroy the Mandate. The Colonel and Fusa took Wolverine to the tunnels where they gave him the lowdown on his whereabouts. He has been taken to the future where the Mandate has wiped out almost all of humanity and has taken over the Earth.
Wolverine in a sci-fi series is new to me, and Nihei is pulling it off quite smoothly. The plot is not all that original and Nihei's treating the characters so far as stereotypes. Still, the read is very engaging because Nihei is doing it with style. Think about your typical summer movie hit - not much depth but loaded with memorable cool moments.
Much of the coolness factor is due to Nihei's amazing action sequences. The fight scenes in this book are amazing to watch. Nihei doesn't just know how to draw action, he is a master in drawing action. He plays with a lot of elements - speed lines, cinematographic angles, the works. The most impressive thing in this particular issue, though, is Nihei's mastery in using the splash page. A lot of artists abuse splash pages to capture a "widescreen" feel. Not so for Nihei, who makes sure his splash pages are reserved for definite splash page moments.
The page where Wolverine jumps down on a Mandate agent is the best. Right before that moment, Nihei slowly builds up the action with small panels. Then we get some blurry action which suggests somebody moving swiftly and then BAM! - Wolverine takes down the Mandate. Picture perfect moment captured in its full splash page glory.
Nihei's sketchy style is more pronounced this issue. It fits the depressing atmosphere of the story and it is again well-complemented by Guru eFX's colors. The fit between the colors and the linework is actually amazing, considering Nihei's previous works have all been in black and white. Nihei's background as an architect also comes to the fore as we explore the underground hideout of humanity. He has this thing for tunnels of all kinds, so I guess we'd be treated to more tunnels in the coming issues. :D
Just like last issue, this one reads very fast, although there is more dialogue this time so the story is a bit meatier. It still feels like it would read better in collected form, although come to think of it, all stories (specially for limited series) read better in collected form. I notice that Nihei is trying to work through the 22-page format, opening with a set-up splash and then closing with a cliffhanger, ala Morrison and Millar. My new complaint, though, is that the ads are a nuisance. In a comic book where dialogue is sparse and the art carries most of the story, ads really hurt the pacing. Specially that 4-page ad sequence towards the end. It was a real "trouble" (pun very much intended).
I just learned that Nihei scripts in Japanese and Mutsumi Masuda later translates the script into English. I wish that, other than the script, the Japanese symbols in the art would also get translated. There are a lot of Japanese symbols on the walls, on uniforms, on foreheads, even on guns. It'd be interesting to know what they mean and if they would add more dimension to the story.
Wolverine: Snikt! surely passed by unnoticed by a lot of readers because it appeared to be just another Wolverine limited series. While I can not argue that there may be a Wolverine overload right now, trust me, Snikt! is not just another typical Wolverine limited series. This is first-class Japanese sci-fi disguised as a Marvel comic. Get your popcorns ready and experience comic book action Tsutomu Nihei-style. If Wolverine: Snikt! is an animated feature, it would definitely kick Animatrix ass. :p
Reviewer's note: Special thanks to editor C.B. Cebulski for clarifying the translation situation.
ART:
http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/reviews/wolfull.jpghttp://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/reviews/wolfull.jpghttp://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/reviews/wolfull.jpghttp://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/reviews/wolfull.jpghttp://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/reviews/wolfull.jpg
STORY:
http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/reviews/wolfull.jpghttp://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/reviews/wolfull.jpghttp://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/reviews/wolfull.jpghttp://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/reviews/wolnone.jpghttp://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/reviews/wolnone.jpg
OVERALL:
http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/reviews/wolfull.jpghttp://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/reviews/wolfull.jpghttp://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/reviews/wolfull.jpghttp://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/reviews/wolfull.jpghttp://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/reviews/wolnone.jpg
Buy this issue online now from X-World (http://x-worldcomics.com/yourvirtualstore/shopdisplayproducts.asp?id=55&cat=WOLVERINE) and save!