Ultimate Wolverine #14
Author : Chris Condon
Artist : Alessandro Cappuccio
Colourist : Bryan Valenza
Lost In Limbo : Issue #14 Summary
Condon gets us back on track in Ultimate Wolverine #14 as Logan tracks down Illyana Rasputin, aka Magik. We’re given a glimpse into Magik’s past and her first encounters with Limbo and the Shadow Man.
Wolverine, Phoenix, and Sentinel One are on the trail to find Magik and her abductees, which leads the trio to a group of soldiers in the middle of the forest. With Wolverine trapped in the woods with 20 soldiers, I think we all know what kind of picture is about to be painted—and exactly what color it’s going to be.
Getting Back on Track : Issue #14 Review
WARNING SPOILERS!
Need Some Magik
Thankfully, in Ultimate Wolverine #14, Condon brings us back to the main plot point: finding Magik and finally eliminating the last standing leader of the E.R. My primary expectation was for Condon to explain the next steps for Wolverine after Magik escaped him and Jean Grey. We got that, in a way—Wolverine and Jean are now tracking her down, searching for the specific access points required to travel into Limbo.
The only layer added to Logan in this issue is his clear affection for Jean Grey after saving her. This is a complicated but constant relationship throughout the Marvel Multiverse—no surprise there—but it’s great to see some genuine emotional character development from Wolverine. Condon cleverly explores the "bipolar" nature of Logan through this dynamic in Ultimate Wolverine #14; one minute, Logan feels a sense of warmth while talking to Jean, and the next, he’s a cold-blooded psycho butchering twenty E.R. soldiers from Moscow.
I also appreciated how Condon has evolved Logan’s dialogue throughout the series. We started with basic, animalistic grunts and noises, but he’s now speaking with that rough accent and dialect I’ve always associated with Wolverine. It makes the character feel less wooden and provides an emotional bridge for the reader; it feels like we’re finally watching him become his true self.
Portal to Hell
Tracking Magik isn’t going to be easy now that she’s escaped to Limbo via a portal. I appreciate that Condon doesn’t spell this out, instead letting the reader follow along with Wolverine’s heightened sense of smell. This is the Ultimate Universe, and everything is brand new to these versions of the characters—however, it felt unnecessary to dedicate the entirety of Ultimate Wolverine #14 to Wolverine, Phoenix, and Sentinel One trekking through a forest, only to come up short on the portal they need.
With the news that the series has been extended to 16 issues (up from the original 12), it makes perfect sense why I, as a reader, also feel stuck in "limbo." While this issue had its bright spots, it ultimately felt like a filler chapter designed to stretch the story arc to accommodate those four additional issues.
The pacing for Ultimate Wolverine #14 was slow and cumbersome, masked only by an eight-page "masterclass massacre" intended to inject some artificial adrenaline into the storytelling. Alessandro Cappuccio’s artwork during that bloodbath is stellar, but even that can’t hide how bland this issue feels when it should be hurtling toward a high-stakes finale.
Unfortunately, I just don’t feel any sense of urgency or consequence here—and that should be the first thing screaming off the page. Elsewhere in the Ultimate Universe, the world is literally on fire; the Ultnet has mobilized the global population to overturn their evil overlords, yet the Ultimate Wolverine series isn’t matching that energy or chaos. It feels strangely isolated from the revolution happening right outside the forest.
Death Strikes The Lady
The biggest moment of Ultimate Wolverine #14 is the introduction of Lady Deathstrike. In this Ultimate Universe, she has been experimented on to the point of becoming a mere machine, with very little humanity left. Her one-on-one battle with Wolverine is as gnarly as you’d expect, perfectly showcased by the immense artwork of Alessandro Cappuccio. Beyond the action, Condon uses her as a vessel to advance the hunt for Magik; Jean Grey probes Deathstrike’s mind and uncovers twenty possible locations that could lead them to Illyana Rasputin.
Jean also gets a haunting look into Deathstrike’s past, which doubles down on the barbaric nature of the Eurasian Republic’s overlords. In my opinion, this wasn't strictly necessary—we’ve seen how they’ve treated mutants since the beginning of this series. I didn’t need another reason to dislike Magik more than I already do.
One very fine detail caught my eye and actually frightened me: three small box panels involving Phoenix. I’m hoping Condon is deliberately withholding information about this universe’s Jean Grey; given how messed up Logan, Archangel, and Cyclops have been, I’m not fully trusting of the Ultimate Phoenix.
An average comic book fan knows how ridiculously powerful Jean Grey is, but the way Condon writes her to take pleasure in easily snapping a soldier's neck was uncomfortable and disturbing. That, combined with Cappuccio’s phenomenal rendering of the smirk on her face, made me uneasy. It makes me think that Logan might eventually be burned by flying too close to the sun.
Blood-Soaked Art
The coloring from Bryan Valenza has been a 10 out of 10 since the beginning of the Ultimate Wolverine series, and somehow, he kicks it into overdrive in issue #14. From his rendering of Limbo to the Shadow Man, Valenza crafts an atmosphere that feels dark, evil, and inherently untrustworthy. Through his masterful use of deep blacks, dark reds, and bright oranges, he forces the reader to focus intently on the page—checking twice to make sure nothing is lurking in the darkest corners of Limbo.
The purposeful dark shading of Bryan Valenza’s palette creates a gloomy, depressing, and hopeless vibe that perfectly captures the outlook of the people within the Eurasian Republic. His work throughout this run has been consistently fantastic and remains one of the definitive high points of the series.
Of course, we can't forget Alessandro Cappuccio’s input in Ultimate Wolverine #14; he delivers a cacophony of chaos and a "velodrome of violence." The scene that wowed me most features Wolverine with blades fully drawn, literally ripping bodies apart. This is also where we witness the cruel, uncomfortable enjoyment of Phoenix as she snaps a soldier’s neck. Cappuccio’s delightfully dangerous linework, paired with Valenza’s cataclysmic coloring, makes for a hauntingly beautiful reading experience.
It’s not the first time I’ve noted that the artwork is the primary highlight of this run; it consistently makes the story feel worth the cover price just to witness the ruthless aggression of Wolverine displayed on the page. We see that clearly in a near-one-page splash where the Ultimate Wolverine rips a man’s body in two—a brutal visual that hits home the idea that this violence is the only way Logan can express his deep grief over losing his friends in The Opposition.
Conclusion & Rating
Ultimate Wolverine #14 feels exactly like a book caught in the middle of an extension. Originally slated for 12 issues, the series has been stretched to 16, and the hunt for Magik is starting to feel dragged out. It was an issue where, frankly, a lot of nothing happened. By the end, we had only taken a tiny step forward, learning that Wolverine, Phoenix, and Sentinel One now have to visit twenty different locations just to find a single portal to Limbo.
The saving grace of Ultimate Wolverine #14 and the entire run has been the artwork from Alessandro Cappuccio and Bryan Valenza—creating a Eurasian Republic that feels every part of depressing as the people of it endure. In Ultimate Wolverine #14 Cappuccio and Valenza create an epic near one-page splash that captures Logan’s ruthless aggression and pent up violence from losing his friends in The Opposition—plus you see an E.R solider damn near ripped in half.