Though Wolverine may have technically returned to the Marvel Universe last fall, he’s decided to stick to the shadows for the most part, appearing in various “post-credits” scenes in select comic books along the way. But after recently learning that Logan will once again be headlining his own series before long, we naturally assumed it to be an ongoing title.
Hot on the heels of that revelation was the official announcement regarding The Return of Wolverine, a five-issue miniseries written by Charles Soule and illustrated by Steve McNiven set to kickoff this week. For now, though, we’ll have to enjoy this tale before further pondering whatever may launch out of it.
Now, what added to the pageantry of said unveiling was that of confirmation on Wolverine being granted a new superpower. And in case you hadn’t heard, it turns out that the fan favorite mutant can now heat his adamantium claws to extreme temperatures, in addition to sporting a brand new costume that’s also gotten True Believers talking.
Naturally, making any sort of change to an enduring character who boasts such an extreme level of popularity will be met with hesitance, but luckily, Soule has revealed to Marvel.com that there’s more than meets the eye when it comes to the new status quo:
“You’re talking about the #hotclaws! I have a lot of fun with that idea on social media, because I think many folks are thinking it’ll work sort of like a Johnny Storm “flame on” idea—it’s won’t. The idea that Wolverine’s claws can heat up in certain situations is tied to his history, and it’s really more of a side effect than a power. It’s not a good thing, generally speaking. I can’t wait until folks see how it really works—it’ll open some new doors for stories down the road, I think. Or not! The claws serve a specific purpose in this story, and that’s why they’re there. Wolverine’s pretty effective regardless, #hotclaws or not! And man, they look cool on the page.”
Knowing that Soule is a rather intelligent guy, I’m more than willing to see where he’s going with this one. If anything, he’s just building upon the Logan we love and may end up crafting new stories we’ll be talking about for years to come. I could be wrong, sure, but this creative team deserves the benefit of the doubt.
The Return of Wolverine #1 arrives in comic shops this Wednesday, September 19th.