#murumasa

Murumasa : The Demon Blade

ALL-NEW WOLVERINE #29 REVIEW

Writer: Tom Taylor Artists: Juann Cabal and Nolan Woodard Letterer: VC's Cory Petit Cover Artist: Elizabeth Torque Publisher: @marvelentertainment NCBD: 1/17/18 Review by: Ryan Douglas

After Murumasa pulls some voodoo spirits from the body of Laura, Gabby, and Daken. They have a couple days to rest while Murumasa forges a beautiful piece of work, which will allow Laura to have the upper hand to deflect Orphans of X's lethal bullets forged from the shard of Murumasa blade. But there's no rest for the wicked. They've been found out by The Hand, Laura and Daken are able to sniff them out, giving them time to get into formation and face the Orphans of X's new recruits. When Daken and Gabby retreat back to the house, the Orphans of X follow them ready to put a bullet in Daken there on the spot. There were two major mic drops in the X-Men titles this week, one being in Generation X #86 and the reveal of Murumasa's handy craft work, leveling up Laura by tenfold. The Orphans of X still aren't budging and there continue to egg on Laura with the news of Logan, Lady Deathstrike, and Sabertooth laying in a fridge with a bullet lodged in their heads. This sends Laura into a rage, giving a mighty punch-like roar to give Murumasa’s home a new patio door.

While Laura is taking on the world, Murumasa provides some humor and apologizes for the outcome of their visit, explaining he's called on some assistance. Daken will take matters into his own hands to calm the chaos by stage diving into The Hand swarm, giving himself as a prisoner. But don't you worry, he's got his own plan. With Daken captured, the Orphans of X leave the scene and leaving behind the Hand Lieutenant, who led the army to assist with the Orphans of X doings. The Lieutenant stayed behind for good reasons and that's to pay for his crimes by the hand (no pun intended) of Gorgon, who arrives on the scene to clean up the mess caused. Murumasa is a very kind and generous soul and strikes a deal with Murumasa, offering more of his crafty skills and in return, Gorgon will provide transportation and protection for Laura and Gabby during their travels.

Sometime later, Laura and Gabby posted up on the roof in Brooklyn as the sun sets (very reminiscent to Batman & Robin). The two look onto the warehouse where the Orphans of X have made a base of operations. In a James Bond sly way, the two sneak into building. They've sniffed out Daken's body and there the issue ends with Laura preparing to remove the bullet lodged in his head.

Let me remind you this series is monthly, same creative team, and isn't a flagship title. All-New Wolverine is the example why the bi-monthly X-Men titles need to change schedule. Those series continue to suffer from the sub-par revolving door of artists and rushed story endings. It's obvious the DC Rebirth approach isn't working and Marvel should hop off that train.

Tom Taylor continues to plot out the most consistent series within the X-Men bubble. This issue per usual allows the reader to become attached to each character and giving each person their own voice. A big thing to take away from the issue is Tom Taylor provide a name of the victim hurt by the Wolverines. That would be Henry Sutter, son of Martin Sutter, who was apart of the Weapon X program which created Laura Kinney(X-23). At some point, Laura killed both of Henry's parents. Henry Sutter seems to be mastermind behind the Orphans of X, as we haven't gotten much on him. That reveal can easily for overlooked by the abundance of stunning action and developments surrounding the major plot point. I can really appreciate this arc for paying attention to plotting the story, keeping the reader engaged in every aspect of the comic. Tom Taylor choosing to return to Japan, gives him the opportunity to use the artistic backdrops to enhance his vision for the presentation. This arc continues to get me hyped every week to talk on air and geek out.

When it comes to sinking the reader into the world, Juann Cabal and Nolan Woodard do just that with their art. The collaboration soaks in the fantasy feel using Japan as it's location to take advantage of beautiful landscapes. Every transition is seamless, even at one moment placing a prominent color strip across a panel to not only enhance the scene. But an inventive way for the next page-turner. Pure gold!

9.5/10