Broken Frontier

Coming off a fun, surprising, insightful, and beautifully drawn first issue, Astonishing Spider-Man & Wolverine #2 had its work cut out for it to match and/or exceed its predecessor. Luckily, writer Jason Aaron and artist extraordinaire, Adam Kubert, deliver even higher stakes, funnier dialogue, and an even richer dynamic between these two heroes who’ve never really liked one another.

In the last issue, we were introduced to Peter Parker (Spider-Man) and Logan (Wolverine), now living many million years ago, lost in time and awaiting an impending disaster. Parker searches for a way to stop the coming doom, while Logan takes kindly to the “Small Folk” natives and teaches them how to defend themselves. By the end of issue one, they are hurtled forward in time, but it’s not really the timeframe they left. In this new world, the planet has died and is reborn a shell of its former self. In the ruins, the Small Folk that Wolverine fostered all those years ago, live as civilized scavengers. All they do is wait for the next visit from the world’s destroyer, frantically searching for some salvation.

Aaron brilliantly uses the same structure as the previous issue, mirroring his use of setting, text boxes, and panel layout. It’s a fun way to keep the reader subconsciously attuned to the plot progression, especially when dealing with elements that are often confusing, like time travel. There is an inherent comfort in the storytelling device he’s chosen, almost working on a meta-textual level. But, don’t let those lofty words get in your way. This is still a slam-bang action comedy at its core.

Helping ever so graciously with that endeavor are the spectacular pencils by Adam Kubert, made tastier with inks by Mark Morales and Justin Ponsor’s colors. This team is top notch and knows how to capture the awe, terror, and comedic timing this story requires. Kubert is giving this title every ounce of his considerable talent. I challenge any fan to compare his pages and layouts with anything else he has worked on in the past five years. It’s that good.

Surprisingly, too, Aaron has successfully captured the voices of Spider-Man and Wolverine so perfectly, it’s as if he’s been writing them for ages. Granted, he’s been tackling Wolverine for some time now, but not many writers are able to slip into Spidey’s booties so effortlessly. Being that he’s the emotional center of this series, it’s an imperative plus for the whole package to work.

Between this title and Marvel’s other Astonishing-ly branded book, I would implore readers to give this one a gander. That is, if you were forced to choose between the two. What smelt like a media ploy or cash grab by taking these two iconic characters' names and slapping them on a book has actually turned into a monthly must read.

Besides, any time we get to read Wolverine say something as cool as, “Jeanie and I got this,” is reason enough to warrant a thumb through.