Free Comics Review for 03/16/11

Welcome to another edition of Free Comics Review! This is a bit of a strange week, because it is perhaps the smallest one to date yet, with only two free comics from Marvel to review. On top of that, I’ve reviewed one of those in a previous column. Anyway, we must soldier on, so hit the jump to see the reviews.

Cable # 1 (Marvel App)

Written by Duane Swierczynski
Art by Ariel Olivetti

This comic was reviewed in a previous edition of Free Comics Review. Click the link to see the review for it.

Wolverine #50 (Marvel App)

Written by Jeph Loeb
Art by Simone Bianchi & Ed McGuinness

This issue marked the first chapter of Evolution, a high profile storyline by Jeph Loeb that revealed the character Romulus, who has apparently been controlling the fate of Wolverine and Sabretooth (among others) since they were born.

Despite the fact that the story would end up being one of the most critically panned of the year (and perhaps even decade), there’s not many terrible things in this issue, but small things that add up.

At the time Sabretooth was staying with the X-Men, something that Logan does not like. He decides to go to the mansion and pick a fight with him. Considering their past together, this is the understandable reaction to have.

Meanwhile, we get some revelations into Logan’s mind, including his dreams and his past. This is where things start going off the rails. For starters, this is where we see Romulus, seemingly controlling a race of were-people.

Then there’s also the revelation, thrown around matter-of-factly, that Sabretooth raped Silver Fox before killing her. As far as I know, this is a retcon put here by Loeb, but please do correct me if I am wrong.

The art is this issue’s saving grace, but even that is not without it’s faults. While Simone Bianchi does a wonderful job on the art chores, there are small details that do no work. One such example is Wolverine’s mask, which is broken early in the fight, then appears to have miraculously repaired itself, and broken again.

I should also note that even though the original print issue came with a short back-up story by Loeb and Ed McGuinness (his name even appears in the credits), the digital issue does not have it. Not a big deal since this was free, but strange that they would not include it.

That's it for this week's column! Any ideas, tips, or advice are welcome. Remember that you can always read the comics in the ComiXology web reader (with the exception of the Marvel ones). We always try to improve our content based on your suggestions, and with a new column, it's good to hear back from the readers. So, comment away!

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