Wolverine: Blood Debt

Rating:
Summary: As violent as Wolverine can be
Review: The big attraction in WOLVERINE: BLOOD DEBT is Steve Skroce, the storyboard artist who exploded into the mainstream consciousness thanks to his work on THE MATRIX. Skroce both illustrates and writes the story arc collected here in trade paperback from the monthly WOLVERINE comic (#150-153), and though it's clear that Skroce has an affection for the character and a desire to do something interesting and exciting with him, the end result is a decidedly mixed bag.

Problems arise from practically the first page. BLOOD DEBT is sold as a complete story in a single volume, but the tale is almost impossible to understand without having a strong familiarity with WOLVERINE issues that came sometimes years before these. Skroce reaches deep into the continuity bag with BLOOD DEBT - not a bad thing, necessarily - and revives a fairly complex subplot involving Wolverine's foster daughter, his long-dead love and her brother. Yukio, another character from this old storyline, also returns, as she's served as guardian to the aforementioned foster daughter for the last few years. See? It's complicated.

It gets worse. Not content to work solely with an already tangled plotline, Skroce adds another layer in the form of a family of a Mongolian gangsters muscling in Yakuza territory in Japan. This family has a long history of killing one another off in order to consolidate power in the hands of the "fittest" member. The motivation for this makes little sense, nor is there any real reason these criminal masterminds would appear in Japan. Skroce tries to invest their story with some degree of interest, but the whole thing is so confusing that the narrative strangles itself on its own plot threads.

Skroce seems to be out of his depth on the writing end of BLOOD DEBT. The initial storyline, which finds Wolverine trying to reconnect with his estranged daughter, is dropped completely in favor of the melodrama provided by the Mongolian crime family, and oftentimes panel after panel goes by while Wolverine stands around doing nothing, if he's present at all.

BLOOD DEBT fares much better on the art side. Skroce obviously loves to see Wolverine in action, and the artwork doesn't get any better than when everyone's favorite mutant maniac pops his claws and wades into a crowd of faceless bad guys with violence in mind. There's real dynamism in these big, cinematic panels, so it's disheartening when it turns out Skroce doesn't have much for Wolverine to do except repeat the same set-pieces over and over again. By the time Wolverine has hacked through another few dozen, gun-wielding guards, the reader is left looking at the cool pictures, but feeling oddly unmoved.

It probably would have been a better idea to marry Skroce's strong visual sensibilities to a more capable writer's script. WOLVERINE has always been a more action-oriented comic than any of the X-Men titles in which Wolverine appears, but it's a narrow path to walk between adrenaline-pumping exploits and cartoonish redundancy. Unfortunately, BLOOD DEBT tends to fall more into the latter category, though reading it is hardly a loss.

Rating:
Summary: Solid art, but a shaky story.
Review: The big attraction in WOLVERINE: BLOOD DEBT is Steve Skroce, the storyboard artist who exploded into the mainstream consciousness thanks to his work on THE MATRIX. Skroce both illustrates and writes the story arc collected here in trade paperback from the monthly WOLVERINE comic (#150-153), and though it's clear that Skroce has an affection for the character and a desire to do something interesting and exciting with him, the end result is a decidedly mixed bag.

Problems arise from practically the first page. BLOOD DEBT is sold as a complete story in a single volume, but the tale is almost impossible to understand without having a strong familiarity with WOLVERINE issues that came sometimes years before these. Skroce reaches deep into the continuity bag with BLOOD DEBT - not a bad thing, necessarily - and revives a fairly complex subplot involving Wolverine's foster daughter, his long-dead love and her brother. Yukio, another character from this old storyline, also returns, as she's served as guardian to the aforementioned foster daughter for the last few years. See? It's complicated.

It gets worse. Not content to work solely with an already tangled plotline, Skroce adds another layer in the form of a family of a Mongolian gangsters muscling in Yakuza territory in Japan. This family has a long history of killing one another off in order to consolidate power in the hands of the "fittest" member. The motivation for this makes little sense, nor is there any real reason these criminal masterminds would appear in Japan. Skroce tries to invest their story with some degree of interest, but the whole thing is so confusing that the narrative strangles itself on its own plot threads.

Skroce seems to be out of his depth on the writing end of BLOOD DEBT. The initial storyline, which finds Wolverine trying to reconnect with his estranged daughter, is dropped completely in favor of the melodrama provided by the Mongolian crime family, and oftentimes panel after panel goes by while Wolverine stands around doing nothing, if he's present at all.

BLOOD DEBT fares much better on the art side. Skroce obviously loves to see Wolverine in action, and the artwork doesn't get any better than when everyone's favorite mutant maniac pops his claws and wades into a crowd of faceless bad guys with violence in mind. There's real dynamism in these big, cinematic panels, so it's disheartening when it turns out Skroce doesn't have much for Wolverine to do except repeat the same set-pieces over and over again. By the time Wolverine has hacked through another few dozen, gun-wielding guards, the reader is left looking at the cool pictures, but feeling oddly unmoved.

It probably would have been a better idea to marry Skroce's strong visual sensibilities to a more capable writer's script. WOLVERINE has always been a more action-oriented comic than any of the X-Men titles in which Wolverine appears, but it's a narrow path to walk between adrenaline-pumping exploits and cartoonish redundancy. Unfortunately, BLOOD DEBT tends to fall more into the latter category, though reading it is hardly a loss.

Rating:
Summary: Best Wolverine Saga Since The Claremont/Miller Series
Review: The Wolverine: Blood Debt edition collects issues #150 to #153 of the ongoing series that was published in 2000. A four part story arc that is written and pencilled by Steve Skroce. Silver screen connoisseurs will undoubtedly recognize the name. Skroce formed part of the storyboard designer staff of 1999's blockbuster hit, The Matrix. Skroce not only delivers awesome cinematic visual but offers a Wolverine story that incorporates the intensity of Hong Kong action films into comic book form.

What pleased me about the characterization in this book is that it went back to the roots of the Claremont/Miller miniseries (1982). None of that one dimensional berserker rage or angst that some of the previous writers constantly focused on. That aspect of the character has been flogged to death and I am glad that Skroce did not head in that direction. If Skroce's intention was to make Wolverine: Blood Debt a dynamic and easy to read book, he has succeeded on all accounts.

On a surface level, the plot appears simplistic but Skroce manages to grip you with in-depth personas. The story entices you through its mood and excellent story telling. Skroce has really done his homework about Wolverine and it reflects in this comic. The old supporting cast and the new characters that are introduced to the story arc are solid. Even the Silver Samurai is revitalized after ex-Wolverine writer Larry Hama had reduced him to a faceless strawman villain during his tenure. Then again, this is only one of the least damaging aspects that this hacker's legacy bestowed upon this series.

The art work and design is some of the most imaginative that I have ever come across in my years of comic book reading. Skroce's visual inventiveness makes Blood Debt a must have in anybody's collection. His panels and layouts are flawless. The pencilling work is crisp and beautifully rendered while the characters are realistically depicted. Their poses and body structure teem with life while the action scenes will take your breathe away. Without a doubt, Skroce is one the Top 5 story tellers currently working in the industry. His cinematic angles are just too innovative and astounding to ignore. Colorist Steve Buccellato not only complements the artwork expertly but enhances the visual experience as well. It would have been criminal negligence to have put the final pencil and inked pages in the hands of somebody else.

Not only do I highly recommend this book to Wolverine fans but to anybody who can appreciate solid sequential art. Wolverine: Blood Debt will definitely please fans of Chris Claremont and Frank Miller's groundbreaking miniseries but it will also entertain the socks off any comic book reader.

Rating:
Summary: As violent as Wolverine can be
Review: There are two kind of Wolverine fans, the ones that like to see wolverine fighting powerfull mutants, and the ones that like more reallistical enemies, the tale belongs to the second group, in the story Wolverine fights against a Mongolian Mob, wich is very fractured from the inside.
The action is non-stop, as Wolverine battles houndreds of mobsters in order to rescue his stepdaughter from the Mob leaders.
The art is simply outstanding, not only Steve Skorce makes an intresting aproach to Logan, but he also creates very visually atractive caracters, with original clothing and body language.
The story could have been better, but is entretaining enough to make the book worthy.

Rating:
Summary: i liked it
Review: This storyline I wasn't aware of until I came across this TPB in a bookstore. And I'm glad I did because it is a great story with one of my favorite characters starring in it. And I loved the artwork. I'd love to see more books done like this.

Rating:
Summary: an exellent graphic novel
Review: What can I say this is and exellent novel with a great story. The art work is Beutifully done and the whole story keeps you wanting more if your a fan of wolverine buy this you won't be dissappinted. This contains Wolverine 150-153. (p.s sorry about the spelling)

Rating:
Summary: An Impressive Writing Debut By Artist Steve Skroce
Review: Wolverine: Blood Debt is the brainchild of Artist Steve Skroce, who is perhaps best known as the storyboard artist for The Matrix. The story, while following a twisty path of double-and-triple-crosses, is fairly straightforward: Wolverine is drawn into a war for control of The Yakuza (The Japanese Mafia) while in Japan visiting his Foster Daughter. The art is spectacular; It's easy to see Skroce's influence on the visuals of The Matrix. His epic battle scenes in Blood Debt are staggeringly detailed, reminiscent of George Perez in his heyday. Skroce also gets high marks for addressing Logan's Foster Daughter, a character that has gone largely ignored by most Wolverine/X-Men Writers since her introduction. If this IS Skroce's first writing job (I think it is, but I could be wrong..), he does one hell of a job with the characters and their personalities. Skroce has since gone back to Hollywood for The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix: Revolution, but if he does ever come back to the wacky world of Comics, I'll be first in line to buy his new product.