Issue(s): Wolverine #24
Cover Date: May 90
Title: "Snow blind"
Credits:
Peter David - Writer
Gene Colan - Penciler
Gene Colan - Inker
Daryl Edelman - Assistant Editor
Bob Harras - Editor

Review/plot:
Peter David and Gene Colan return for another one-off Wolverine story. And it's good. The Gene Colan art is surprisingly modern looking, and the story, while being entirely unimportant, is a well told little mini-adventure in Madripoor.

Briefly, an assassin known as the Snow Queen is in town. She's got the mutant (i assume) ability to scramble a person's senses, which is particularly effective against Wolverine. And of course that's why she has powers at all, just to make her a minor challenge for Wolverine. In the story, her suitcase, which contains a bomb, is stolen by a street urchin, and she spends the issue trying to get it back before the bomb goes off, while Wolverine chases her because he doesn't like her shooting at kids. She gets the case back just in time for the bomb to explode in her face. The character driven sub-theme is about how the Snow Queen has suppressed all her emotions to become an assassin, and the street urchins, especially a little girl, provide a challenge to that emotionless facade.

A few screenshots:

The story is a lot like a lot like your average issue of the Punisher: snappy writing, plenty of well paced action, and immediately forgettable once you're done. That makes it a fun read. But as part of the larger picture, it's the sort of thing that adds to a sense of Wolverine oversaturation. Between this book, his X-Men appearances (many of which have been essentially solo stories lately), his increasing guest appearances, Marvel Comics Presents, and one shot graphic novels, we are getting a lot of Wolverine, and the stories are for the most part doing nothing to develop his character or say anything new about him.

This issue does make a passing reference to him not having parental figures (in the context of a local thief that manages and takes care of the street urchins)...

...but we know that's not in furtherance of any kind of long term plan regarding Wolverine's mysterious past.

Statement of Ownership Total Paid Circulation: Average of Past 12 months = 308,675. Single issue closest to filing date = 287,400.

Quality Rating: B

Historical Significance Rating: 1

Chronological Placement Considerations: Wolverine makes a few comments about how he's supposed to be keeping his ID under wraps while deciding to use his claws anyway. I don't think that implies any specific placement. Really, the whole period after Wolverine rescues Psylocke in Uncanny X-Men #256-258 and before he becomes part of X-Tinction Agenda with Uncanny X-Men #271 can accommodate random Wolverine appearances.

References: N/A

Crossover: N/A

Continuity Insert? N

My Reprint: N/A