The Best There Is? – Jason Starr to Write WOLVERINE MAX Comic

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In news that feels a long time coming, Marvel Comics has finally given angry X-Man Wolverine a mature readers book. For a long time, fans have been asking for this, only for then-EIC Joe Quesada to nix the idea, claiming that he was a character that too many kids enjoyed reading and blah blah blah. They even got close – it was rumoured that the Charlie Huston Wolverine: The Best There Is series from 2010-2011 was originally meant to be a MAX (Marvel’s mature readers line) book.

Whatever has caused the change of heart, it’s more than welcome news, as IGN has just announced that Wolverine MAX is debuting this October. Writing the series is Jason Starr. Starr is primarily known for his crime novels, and has dabbled in comics a few times in the last few years.

Personally, I find Starr to be a little hit or miss – when he’s good, he’s the best out there, a modern day Jim Thompson (check out the fantastic Fake ID, Hard Feelings, or Twisted City to see what I mean). But, and I mean no disrespect, I find his work isn’t always consistent in quality. His comics work that I’ve read thus far hasn’t exactly set my world on fire.  Recently, Starr took a stab at the Punisher with Untold Tales of Punisher MAX, which was decent, but didn’t exactly give me any great hope for what he could do with a Wolverine series like this (What I’m really looking forward to with the Untold Tales of Punisher MAX is the upcoming issue of that series written by none other than Complex favourite Megan Abbott [The End of Everything, The Song Is You]).

Starr says that while there definitely will be no limits on the violence, he isn’t interested in having shocking sex and violence just for the sake of it. Starr says he’d rather “push the envelope psychologically… reach into the darkness of Logan’s mind.” That does sound promising, but could go either way, really. The last thing we need is some grim-for-the-sake-of-it narration. But I’m wanting to stick to the optimistic side of the fence for this one. Starr says that familiar elements from the regular comics will be in there, but “retooled.” He did, however, promise that Victor Creed (aka Sabretooth) will show up, and that his first story will be set in Japan.

No announcement has been made yet for the artist of the series, so look for the Complex to keep you updated on that. Marvel was kind enough, however, to release the sweet Jock-illustrated cover for ish #1. Very purdy, indeed. Images like this are the reason that I still run around and pretend to have Wolverine-claws well into adulthood.

My main worry, I suppose, is that with comic books, whenever the words “edgy,” “gritty,” “extreme,” etc. are bandied about, we almost always end up with a new Rob Liefeld (he of terrible anatomy, cross-hatching and giant guns fame) comic, and that, gentle readers, is not a good thing. So, until Liefeld is announced as the artist on this, colour me intrigued. Make me eat my doubt off some three-pronged skewers, Mr. Starr.