It's easy enough to think of Wolverine as an old character, as he seems to have been around for as long as we can remember. But compared to some of Marvel’s older flagship characters, Logan is a virtual infant (so to speak).

In his relatively young comic life, there have only been a few definitive versions of the character. Byrne probably set the standard in the 80’s, and then maybe Art Adams in the 90’s with his signature version. Somewhere in between, Barry Smith gave us his unforgettable Weapon X. Which seems to have been the main reference point and inspiration for Hugh Jackman’s Logan character in the four X-films. Since then, there have been many exciting young artists who have attempted to put their own stamp on the character, but few have managed to do so without borrowing at least a little from their veteran artistic predecessors.

These days, finding a fresh, original, and distinctive interpretation of the character is easier said than done. More often than not, you get stale and boring rehashed versions. Even worse, some artists seem so determined to be unique that they obliterate any recognizable aspect of the character.

In this amazing rendition, Wade Furlong gives me everything I’ve been looking for in terms of relevant stylistic exploration. His vision is at once pleasantly familiar yet shockingly new and different. Each and every trail of mesmerizing linework leads to the perfect blend of style and substance. And his ability to render definition through varying densities of cross hatch is nothing short of brilliant.

Anyway, the piece itself (which was acquired a week prior to San Diego) is a pen & ink on a small board, about 9x12, and is dated 2007. The official title is Wolverine Bloodbath. Although it doesn’t appear to be particularly bloody and doesn’t really seem to convey bathing per say (although Logan IS shirtless). LOL! I first noticed the piece in Wade’s CAF gallery when he was working on my Hulk/Spidey commission. When I saw it in person at SuperCon earlier this year, I fell in love!

Since the piece was small enough to fit my standard size scanner, I went ahead and scanned the original with the full color setting. I enhanced it just a bit to compensate for anything that might be lost in the capture. So if the paper looks a little yellow on your screen, that’s my doing and not the art. I always check my images on other people’s computers to get an idea of variance. As I’m sure you all know, it’s almost impossible to get a perfect image, but we owe it to the art and artist to try our best.

Anyway, I would strongly suggest to each and every one of you to get in touch with Wade through his own gallery here on CAF and get your hands on some of this artistic goodness! He does have other artwork for sale and I believe he is currently available for commissions. He’s also one pretty cool dude, so go say hello if nothing else.

On a more personal note, I would like to THANK my friend and brother, for trusting me with one of his precious creations. I look forward to “adopting” more pieces in the future.

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