Yeah, I'm a comics guy, but for the most part, things like Wolverine and Punisher are off my radar. It's just not my taste. I solidly believe that heroes don't kill, won't kill, and shouldn't have to kill. It's the main reason for the better part of two decades I haven't read Wolverine. Jonathan Maberry having a short story in Wolverine: The Anniversary changed my buying habits. I have a lot of respect for Maberry's skills both as a writer and as a writing teacher, so I had to see what he was up to with everyone's favorite X-Man. His story, "Ghosts," illustrated by Tomm Coker (who might be better known as the writer/director of 2007's Catacombs), is a mere eight pages long. But page count doesn't matter. In an economy of words, Maberry takes Wolverine down to basics and tells a tale of love and vengeance, and one of the core of the character. It is truly a marvel of words and images, dancing together in battle choreography both of the body and the mind. This is a deeper Wolverine than I've seen in a while.
Word on the street is Jonathan Maberry will also be trying his hand at the Punisher, another Marvel Comics character I've never really cared for. I'm placing my order now.
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Thanks for those kind words about my writing, Glenn. Wolverine GHOSTS is my first comic to hit stores, and when asked to write a short piece for the book I saw an opportunity to style it somewhat like the Samurai Death poems that I've read over the last forty-five years as a martial arts student and teacher. The concept of beauty in the midst of combat has a certain majesty.
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ReplyDeleteRemarkable coincidence maybe, but just for the record, Anonymous (great blog btw), I'm also fairly local to Jonathan Maberry, and I can tell you without a doubt that the man has many many fans, both local and otherwise. Trust me, Doylestown has -lots- of Maberry fans.
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