Wolverines #3 Review-Meet Fantomelle!

The Wolverines story arc is really getting interesting with this third issue. As we left off in Wolverines #2, Neuro says he knows of a person who can sneak into Mr. Sinister’s lair undetected. That person is named Fantomelle, and we saw her first appearance in the last panel of Wolverines #2.

Wolverines #3 Cover-Fantomelle

Wolverines #3 serves as the vehicle to introduce Fantomelle and her supporting characters to the reader. We learn that she (and her male friend/lover(?) are refugees from the same Weapon X Program at the Paradise facility where Logan died and the other new characters originated. She is a thief with a particular skill/powers set that facilitates her profession. She also has a four-legged companion named Culpepper, a fox who presumably was also a subject at Weapon X since he can communicate with Fantomelle. If her name sounds familiar, it should. Fantomex is a member of Cable’s X-Force (which is also a great series to read if you like mutants and explosions), and we are left to assume that Weapon X somehow copied or stole Fantomex’s powers to create Fantomelle.

Wolverines #3 Credits Page

At this point, we will discuss some plot points, so, in other words…mutated SPOILERS lie below to snatch you and eat you…don’t let it be said we don’t warn people!

Wolverines #3-Fantomelle

As this book opens, we see Fantomelle and Culpepper infiltrating an underground facility, and from their conversation, it is clear that they had already evaded multiple traps and security devices to get to their target, which turns out to be a sleeping…Punisher!

As Fantomelle and Culpepper converse telepathically, we learn that they are there to steal something from Punisher. Here we start to see some of her powers. She can project illusions into a man’s head, she can evade bullets fired at her, and she shows off some fancy agility and gymnastics moves in evading Punisher’s weaponry. We will not get into the details of the encounter, since it is worth reading to see some of the humor and pro-Punisher writing put into this issue.

We next see Fantomelle in her fancy Spanish apartment, selling off the item she stole from Punisher to a dealer in superhero memorabilia. From their conversation we learn that she refuses to steal or deal with weapons. We also meet her male friend (whom we assume is her lover/boyfriend), who, we learn, is also a Weapon X Program refugee with powers not spelled out, but somewhat hinted at.

Wolverines #3-Fantomelle and Culpepper

Suddenly, they are visited by that ugly green creature called Siphon, who we saw in the Logan Legacy series, and as it attacks, we also learn that Fantomelle can heal quickly and that her boyfriend may be a lover, but is not fighter, as he punches Siphon to no effect, and is then summarily chucked out the window, presumably to his death.

And then…the cavalry arrives…

This is a very good, well-written (by the excellent Wolverine writer Charles Soule), character introduction issue with good art (by Juan Doe). One of the best parts of this whole Weapon X Program/Logan Legacy/Wolverines comic book story arcs, is that Marvel is giving us several new characters to meet and learn about, and they are doing it right!

Stay tuned for next week’s review of Wolverines #4.

Next: Keep Up With The Wolverines: Check out the Review of Wolverines #2

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