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SKAAR: SON
OF HULK #2
preview art by
Ron Garney |
By Marc Strom
Ladies and gentleman, welcome
Skaar and Daken to the ring!
No, the son of
Wolverine and Son of
Hulk won't come face-to-face any time in the near future, but on July 30 both of their origin stories chug along with SKAAR: SON OF HULK #2 and WOLVERINE: ORIGINS #27 hitting stands.
While SKAAR #2 will continue fans' introduction to the savage son of Hulk, writer Greg Pak says readers shouldn't mistake the titular character's ferocity for unintelligence:
"As the story continues, we'll explore just what drives Skaar's savagery—is he just an animal, ready to attack anything that looks like a threat or a meal? Or is there a real person inside there somewhere, with the capacity to think and learn and grow? The answers to these questions may just mean life and death for the refugees who find themselves seeking the protection of Skaar's sword."
And while the cold, calculating Daken has made it his mission to hunt down his absentee father over in ORIGINS, Skaar…well, fans don't really know how Skaar feels about his old man/monster.
"He hasn't yet revealed his feelings on the subject," Pak points out. "Heck, he hasn't yet uttered a complete sentence. But it's hard to imagine he'd be nurturing particularly warm feelings for the dude who left him as a naked infant in the boiling, radioactive sea where Crown City once stood."
One of the many other mysteries surrounding the gray-green behemoth remains just what, if anything at all, he's inherited from his parents. Just don't expect Pak to spill too much this early on.
"Can Skaar take on the stone form of an Oldstrong and channel his mother's continent-shattering tectonic powers?" the savage scribe wonders. "Or is he just a big gray-green guy who likes to hack cannibal barbarians into itty bitty pieces using good old fashioned elbow grease? Dontcha dare miss issue number two, True Believer!"
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SKAAR: SON
OF HULK #2
preview art by
Ron Garney |
A father-son reunion would most likely occur a ways down the line, can fans expect to see it happen eventually?
"I'd probably put some green on that," Pak coyly responds.
In the meantime, however, Skaar will have more than enough to keep him busy.
"Get ready for the Axeman's dragons, the claws of Omaka, the return of the Wildebots, and the terrifying trials of the Prophet's Walk," Pak teases.
But most importantly, who would win in a knockdown, drag out grudge match for the ages, Skaar or Daken? Pak weighs in with his—totally unbiased, we're sure—opinion:
"I'd put my money on the kid who was born in fire and raised by monsters in the radioactive swamps of a shattered, savage world."
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WOLVERINE:
ORIGINS #27
preview art by
Stephen Segovia |
Back on Earth, WOLVERINE: ORIGINS #27 concludes Daken's two-part origin story, one which series writer Daniel Way says he chose to tell now for a very simple reason:
"It's time for it. Just like with Wolverine, for Daken to move forward he must examine his past. And we get to peek in."
Daken has made it his mission to make sure no one but he kills his father. And while patricide might seem a little extreme to most people, Way almost makes it sound like a reasonable reaction on Daken's part.
"As you've already seen in past issues, Daken blames Wolverine for the death of his mother—an accusation that Wolverine accepts as being true," the writer recounts. "In future issues, you'll see that [mysterious Wolverine foe]
Romulus did, in fact, 'augment' the facts to make sure Daken's number one priority in life is to see his father destroyed."
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WOLVERINE:
ORIGINS #27
preview art by
Stephen Segovia |
Since Daken first made himself known, he's also made it clear that very few similarities exist between himself and his father, ridiculing Logan for his berserker tendencies. So where does this hatred of Wolverine's nature come from?
"Daken, as you may have noticed, has a very high opinion of himself—as opposed to Wolverine, who considers himself to be utter trash," Way responds. "Daken agrees with Wolverine's assessment.
"To Daken, Wolverine is the lowest, most contemptible being on the face of the planet…so of course he doesn't want to be like him. Also, Daken sees Wolverine's inability to keep his emotions in check as a weakness, and weakness is something that Daken cannot stomach in the least."
Regardless, that won't stop Wolverine from saving Daken—or trying to, at least.
"Wolverine knows that Romulus will never release Daken, so [his] plan is to hide his son away until he can get some help—until he can find someone who can save Daken as he, himself, was saved, so long ago," says Way.
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WOLVERINE:
ORIGINS #27
preview art by
Stephen Segovia |
Thankfully, readers of WOLVERINE: ORIGINS shouldn't expect Daken to go away any time soon, as Way promises major things in the misguided youth's future.
"Daken's entire world is going to change," he ominously intones. "The lies he's been fed will be exposed as such…but will that be enough to change him? Or will it push him even further into the darkness?"
Finally, Way, perhaps wanting to avoid the wrath of either Daken or the brutal Skaar, remains non-committal on the subject of which problem child would crush the other:
"Depends on who's writing it."
SKAAR: SON OF HULK #2 and WOLVERINE: ORIGINS #27 both rumble into stores on July 30. In the mean tine, you can get caught up with ORIGINS on Marvel Digital Comics Unlimited.
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