- Written by: Chris Condon
- Art by: Alex Lins
- Colors by: Bryan Valenza
- Letters by: VC’s Cory Petit
- Cover art by: Alessandro Cappuccio, Frank Martin (cover A)
- Cover price: $4.99
- Release date: May 7, 2025
Ultimate Wolverine #5, by Marvel on 5/7/25, finds the titular character showing up at a bar to pick a fight with a member of the mutant underground railroad – Sabretooth.
Is Ultimate Wolverine #5 Good?
Recap
When we last left the Winter Soldier in Ultimate Wolverine #4, the issue took a trippy turn when Wolverine dreamt of a wolf fighting a polar bear in the snowy woods. Narration and dialog throughout the fight conveyed that Logan was waking up from his stasis chamber and posed an imminent threat. The issue ended with lots of bodies and the good doctor taking Logan to see the one being who can settle his mind – Jean Grey.
Plot Synopsis
In Ultimate Wolverine #5, we catch up with Vlad Credovski, aka Ultimate Sabretooth, as an ex-soldier who runs a bar in town. He also happens to participate in an underground railroad for mutants to help them escape the Eurasian Republic. On this night, Vlad closes up shop and waits for a driver to arrive to spirit away two mutants he hides in his cellar. The uneventful evening turns deadly when the Winter Soldier shows up at Vlad’s bar.
What follows is a brutal, bloody fight between Wolverine and Sabretooth. With each slash and blow, Vlad remembers a fireside chat he had with his old friend Logan about making sure the enemy never takes him alive to be used as a weapon. The bar fight tips in Logan’s favor, but the fight is interrupted when the expected driver, Natasha, shows up and hits Logan with several tranquilizer darts, aided by the presence of one of the refugee mutants, Leech.
The issue ends with Vlad and Natasha loading an unconscious Logan into the transport along with the refugees.
First Impressions
Give Chris Condon credit for a ripping, shredding, flesh-tearing introduction to the Ultimate Sabretooth. It makes sense that Vlad would be the only person who could hold his own against Logan, so Sabretooth’s entrance is a memorable one, even if the run’s pacing is slow as molasses.
How’s the Art?
Alex Lins steps in on guest artist duties for Alessandro Cappuccio, and the art quality doesn’t miss a beat. Lins and Cappuccio don’t have similar styles, but they have a strong mastery of grim grittiness and bloody violence to pull this series off. Lins isn’t shy about depicting gore, but it’s well done and not gratuitous, so you get a primal story that helps you appreciate how violent these two characters can be.
What’s great about Ultimate Wolverine #5?
Longtime Marvel readers who love a good Sabretooth versus Wolverine fight will love this issue. The setup organically brings Sabretooth into the Ultimate universe, and that setup helps to set the foundation for what happens to Logan next.
What’s not great about Ultimate Wolverine #5?
The problem with this issue is the same problem with every issue. It’s all setup and no payoff in a series that’s not in a hurry to get anywhere. Once Sabretooth is introduced, this issue is nothing but one fight with a semi-predictable outcome. In a universe of titles that are supposed to be gearing up for the Maker’s return in a matter of months, Condon appears to be content to have oversimplified plots that contrive an excuse for Logan to go into berserker mode without paying off the setup or the cliffhanger.
For example, the “wow” moment from the last issue was the unveiling of Jean Grey as the Cerebellum, a mutant/machine hybrid designed for mind control. In Ultimate Wolverine #5, Condon does nothing with that cliffhanger. It’s completely ignored. That’s no way to keep readers invested.
About The Reviewer: Gabriel Hernandez is the Publisher & EIC of ComicalOpinions.com, a comics review site dedicated to indie, small, and mid-sized publishers.
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Final Thoughts
Ultimate Wolverine #5 is long on brutal, bloody action and short on plot or payoff when Logan pays a visit to the Ultimate Sabretooth. Chris Condon’s scene construction and setup are top-notch, and the brutal fight, brought to life by Alex Lins, is amazing. That said, great action and art can’t cover for a lack of payoff for the last issue’s cliffhanger or the painfully slow plot progression.
6/10
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