by Jayden Leggett, Editor

Everybody who knows anything about comics knows about Wolverine, the dude with the ‘tude, ‘burns and massive freakin’ claws. But for quite a long time none of us knew just exactly how his story started, thanks to his frustrating bouts with amnesia. Well, true believers, you can wonder no more, with the motion comic adaptation of Wolverine Origin.

At a rather posh mansion in the countryside, a young Irish lass named Rose is arriving by horse and carriage. Her purpose for being here is to provide companionship to the sickly James Howlett, son of the very wealthy John Howlett, a kind and generous man who makes Rose feel right at home.

The two youngsters get along wonderfully, and play together alongside their other friend nicknamed “Dog”, who is the groundskeeper’s son. Unfortunately, the groundskeeper (who coincidentally enough goes by the name of Mr. Logan) is a cold-hearted and violent alcoholic, and when he finally has enough of his son mingling with the “upper class”, he takes matters into his own hands, thus starting a deadly chain reaction of devastating and tragic events that result in James and Rose being forced to flee their home for good. The only chance they have for survival is by finding work at a large quarry nestled amongst the wilderness, with the physical work really taking its toll on the previously frail and perpetually ill James Howlett. As if this weren’t bad enough, James is grappling with the recently discovered fact that he is something not quite human…

In terms of the story content, I loved Wolverine Origin, learning about his exploits working in the quarry and engaging his feral side in the freezing Canadian wilderness, while constantly encountering various forms of love, loss and danger along the way. I felt that having the story narrated through Rose’s journal entries rather than by Wolverine himself was a wise move, as it allows for one character’s interpretations of what seems to be happening from one point of view while the audience is visually shown the other events from Wolverine’s perspective. Bonus points should be awarded for the story not spending much time at all introducing us to James Howlett’s newly discovered abilities. We all know who Wolverine is and what he can do, so why treat us like morons? Kudos to you Marvel, kudos.

As is often the case with motion comics, the animation style itself initially takes a bit of getting used to, but once I had adjusted, I was hooked. Sure there were the occasional odd moments were a character’s movements just seemed a tad too obscure, but for the most part the unique style that resulted from animating what were previously still images in a comic book was really enjoyable to watch.

Then there is the artwork itself, a beautiful combination of hand-drawn pencil-heavy character sketches with bold background textures and patterns that makes this animation incredibly visually striking. Simple things like bright and vivid color schemes for James and Rose’s carefree youth contrasting with the grim blue palettes of some of the more horrific events really do add depth to the storytelling. This animation has done an excellent job of not only replicating the visual appeal of the original comic, but adding a whole new layer of enjoyment for the eyeballs.

Of course, all the pretty moving pictures in the world tend to not be anywhere near as emotive without a stirring sound score. Thankfully, Wolverine Origin triumphs in generating the appropriate audience emotions with its powerful musical presence. Whenever something truly awful happens, you can bet dollars to doughnuts that there will be some incredibly haunting music accompanying the on-screen action to further help you feel sick to your stomach. And the brooding tune for the intro is something that still haunts my dreams to this very day…

Naturally, one of the boons about watching an animated version of a beloved comic book comes from actually hearing an actor’s vocal rendition of the dialogue that previously only played out in your thoughts, and in this regard Wolverine Origin delivers quite well overall. Kelly Sheridan’s performance as the sweet and caring Rose was solid, as was Michael Dobson’s portrayal of the callous and spiteful Dog. It is Brian Drummond, however, who arguably steals the show. Playing grizzly old Thomas Logan clearly wasn’t enough for Drummond, who was also given the opportunity to flex his vocal chords as the mighty Wolverine himself. I particularly loved how Drummond’s performance echoed with the development of James Howlett’s character, as he grows from being a rather frail boy into a strong and powerful man with a gravelly voice (must be from inhaling too many stones from the quarry…)

I thoroughly enjoyed Wolverine Origin almost until the very end, but my engagement with this series was interrupted as abruptly as the series ended, because at the end of the sixth twelve-minute episode, just when you think some vital questions are going to be answered, BAM! The credits roll. Done. Finished. Finito. Now, having a total running time of just over seventy minutes wouldn’t necessarily be a bad thing were it not from the fact that the story itself seemed to cease spontaneously, leaving way too many plot points unresolved. I won’t divulge any of these to avoid revealing any spoilers, but this series really could have used a hell of a lot more closure in its finale.

All told, Wolverine Origin is excellent viewing and a more-than-worthy addition to my ever-growing motion comic collection. I just wish the ending wasn’t so damn sudden, but hey, perhaps they can amend this in the next series…

If you are a resident of Australia or New Zealand, ComicsOnline recommends grabbing your copy of Marvel Knights Animation – Wolverine Origin from one of the retailers listed on the Beyond Home Entertainment Website.

Rating:

ComicsOnline gives Marvel Knights Animation – Wolverine Origin 4 out of 5 big bald bullies stealing gold.

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