Wolverine: Revenge (Comics) | Review

The Marvel Universe just witnessed something special. Writer Jonathan Hickman (Avengers: The Last White Event, Avengers: Time Runs Out) and artist Greg Capullo (Batman: Last Knight on Earth, X-Force: Assault on Graymalkin) joining forces sounds like the kind of collaboration that breaks the internet before it hits shelves.

These aren't just any creators– we're talking about the architect behind House of X meeting the visual mastermind who redefined Batman for a generation. The question isn't whether they can deliver quality, it's whether they can channel that talent into something essential.

Here's what matters about Wolverine: Revenge– it strips away complexity that bogs down modern superhero comics and delivers what the title promises. This isn't trying to reinvent Logan or deconstruct revenge narratives. Instead, it leans into brutal, satisfying element that makes Wolverine work when firing on cylinders.

The setup hits you immediately. Logan gets broken, bloodied and pushed past his considerable limits by enemies who know exactly which buttons to press. We're talking Sabretooth, Omega Red and Deadpool– not exactly a friendly neighborhood barbecue crew.

Each villain brings their own distinct brand of psychological torture, systematically turning Logan's greatest strengths into crippling vulnerabilities that cut far deeper than any physical wound could ever possibly inflict on his healing body.

What follows spans years, watching revenge transform from justified anger into something much darker and more personal. Hickman does something genuinely smart here by making this a deeply personal family affair that escalates dangerously through time.

The revenge cycle doesn't stay contained to Logan's immediate circle. It spreads, involving characters you wouldn't expect and creating consequences that ripple across the Marvel Universe in ways that feel both surprising and inevitable.

The story structure smartly jumps between different time periods, effectively showing how one single act of violence creates another, then yet another, until you're looking at something that truly resembles a twisted, blood-soaked family tree of vengeance.

The genius move is how Hickman treats this like a Western revenge tale disguised as a superhero comic. Think Unforgiven meets X-Men, where the violence isn't glorified but shown as the truly destructive force it actually becomes over time.

Logan isn't portrayed as the noble anti-hero here– he's someone who deliberately lets his absolute worst instincts take complete control and systematically drags everyone else into the increasingly bloody mess he creates around him.

What makes this work beyond surface-level carnage is how personal it gets. This isn't Logan fighting cosmic threats or government conspiracies. These are enemies who know his weaknesses, who understand exactly how to hurt him in ways that healing factor can't fix. The psychological warfare hits as hard as physical battles.

This is Wolverine stripped of his usual moral anchors, operating purely on raw instinct and unchecked rage in ways that make you seriously question whether he's still the hero or has become something far more dangerous entirely.

Greg Capullo's return to Marvel feels like a homecoming nobody knew they needed. His art brings kinetic energy that makes action sequences feel like they're leaping off the page. The way he handles Wolverine's rage creates intensity that matches the story's emotional weight.

Capullo's character designs hit different here. Sabretooth looks more menacing than he has in years, Omega Red feels really threatening instead of just visually striking and Logan carries the weariness of someone who's been through hell. Panel layouts during fight scenes create rhythmic flow that makes violence feel devastating.

Hickman's writing strips away unnecessary exposition and lets action drive character development. His dialogue feels natural without being overly casual and he understands when to let Capullo's art do the heavy lifting while keeping readers grounded.

The chemistry between writer and artist creates something that feels both modern and timeless. This reads like a Wolverine story that could have been published in any decade and still felt relevant, which is harder to pull off than it sounds.

Wolverine: Revenge delivers everything you want from a limited series without pretending to be more important than it is. This isn't trying to change how you think about Logan or redefine what X-Men comics can be. Instead, it takes familiar elements and executes them at such a high level that familiarity becomes part of the appeal.

The five-issue structure feels perfectly calibrated. Long enough to develop themes and escalate violence, short enough to maintain intensity without losing focus. This is comfort food for Wolverine fans wanting to see their character unleashed by creators at peak performance.

If you've been waiting for a Wolverine story that remembers why people fell in love with the character in the first place– the raw emotion, the moral complexity, the sense that anything could happen– this is your book. Hickman and Capullo created something together that honors the legacy of Logan while feeling completely fresh.

Wolverine: Revenge is collected in trade paperback and hardcover editions, featuring the full five-issue limited series. Digital readers can also access the storyline digitally on various e-Book platforms like Comixology, Kindle and Marvel Unlimited.