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November 29 2010

Marvel Comics
Story: James C. Owsley
Art: Mark Bright, Al Williamson, Petra Scotese

Unless you were in diapers at the time, you remember how much of an impact the Cold War had on culture in the 80’s; it was in movies, on television, in books… hell, Sting even sang about it.

It was also in comic books.

In 1987, Marvel published the one-shot, “Spider-man versus Wolverine”.  This issue was important for several reasons.  As intriguing as the Cold War setting was at the time, the issue’s true strength came from its characters and their development.

First, it gave us a glimpse into Wolverine’s past.  Now you have to remember that we’d not yet been bombarded with the character’s origins, and so every morsel was appreciated… and devoured.

Secondly, it introduced us to one of the best duos of all time; Peter Parker and Logan.  Many people are reading the current “Astonishing Spider-Man and Wolverine” series, wondering where all of the animosity between the characters stems from.

Well, look no further.

“Spider-Man versus Wolverine” opens with Wolverine and a wounded friend named Charlie, in East Berlin surrounded by fifty Soviet operatives.  Though writer James C. Owsley and penciler Mark Bright try not to give too much away, the foreshadowing is fairly evident from that very first frame. 

Regardless of the fact that Charlie’s girls are obviously strapped down, you can still tell that he’s a she… which leads us to wonder why Logan would go through all this trouble unless she’s a love interest.

And that’s how a good writer/artist team can hook you in with a single panel.

From there, you find out that Charlie’d taken a job for the KGB and that they’d decided to end her contract… permanently.  (Insert groan here.)  While Wolverine goes into a berzerker rage, slaughtering all of the Soviet agents, Charlie disappears and doesn’t resurface until years later.  Without spoiling too much, Charlie’s out for revenge.

You may be wondering how Spider-Man factors into all of this.  Well, Ned Leeds from the Daily Bugle has uncovered some leads regarding Charlie, whose become a hot news item.  He convinces Johah to send him and a photographer to Germany to investigate some recent murders of former KGB agents.

As it would happen, Wolverine’s also been tracking Charlie.  He wants to help her, in so much as he can, knowing that her time is very limited.  Seems damn near every agency in the world wants her dead since she’s gone rogue.

While walking the streets of West Berlin, Logan passes Peter Parker on the street, and recognizes him by his scent.

Before you know it, the two are wreaking havoc in west and east Berlin.  Tensions continue to rise throughout the entire issue, first with the death of Ned Leeds, right through till the thrilling conclusion with Charlie.  The fight scenes in the issue, whether Spider-Man and Wolverine are working together, or against one another, are spectacular.  And the dialogue between the two is equally engaging.

Owsley also manages to insert a lot of quirky humor, without taking away from the seriousness of the actual story.  The scenes of Peter trying to rent a costume are certain to make you chuckle… and they provide some insight into the similar costume joke in the new “Astonishing Spider-Man and Wolverine”.

The art is solid, and very indicative of the time in which it was created.  An interesting thing to note about the art however, is that by this time, they’d not yet settled on Wolverine’s claws; whether they sprung out through exit points on his hands, or whether they just sliced through his skin.  I’ve attached a screenshot which shows the metal exit points on his bare hands.

This is a classic issue that deserves a spot on any collector’s Wolverine shelf.  I remember purchasing this issue when it was first released, and was saddened to sell it when I’d stopped reading comic books.  One day, I’ll get my hands on a copy and be able to move on with my life.

For those who read and enjoy this issue, I would strongly recommend you check out the “Spider-Man versus Wolverine What If?” one-shot that was released in March of 2008.  I won’t go into too much details regarding that issue in this review, but to say that it is very, very good.  It offers writers Jeff Parker and Paul Tobin a fantastic opportunity to have a lot of fun with these two characters.  Expect a review for that issue soon.

Screenshots

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