It's a shame the art in All-New Wolverine #18 isn't more dynamic, because otherwise this issue manages to deliver a strong finish to "Enemy of the State II" and the first 18 months oft he series as a whole. It embraces positivity rather than darkness and it paves the way for a newer, more hopeful era for the new Wolverine. Read Full Review

Overall, this was just an okay issue. Yeah, we got the showdown between Laura and Kimura and I was happy to see that all play out, but the issue just lacked any real punch. It felt like it was just slogging alongto the ending I'm sure everyone saw coming. I reallyhope the next arc takes Wolverine in a more exciting direction as I am a big fanof Laura taking up the mantle and I'm not ready to write this title off. Read Full Review

What an amazing ending for this phase of Laura Kinney. X-23 is in the past. Tom Taylor was more than capable of rescuing the character's original spirit and shape it in a new personality, an incredible progress. The trigger scent, Kimura, her distance from her family, that's all gone. X-23 is dead and buried, long live Wolverine!

Laura orchestrates a triumphant conclusion to the long story of Kimura vs. X-23. Nik Virella's work pulls this issue down. The lack of expressiveness actively undercuts the very dramatic script. I've seen her do good work - her Hyperion series was excellent - but this looks inexcusably shabby. Tom Taylor's script is full of great character work, dramatic twists, and a fair splash of humor. All of which is robbed of its impact by this art.


SECOND THOUGHTS: To be clear, I don't blame Nik Virella for this issue's limitations. Whatever editor waved an insultingly small check out the Bullpen window and said "Who wants to put a key issue of Wolverine on their resume with a quick two-week hack job?" betrayed this comic and significantly reduced the quality of the finished product. more

A year and a half ago, fans watched as Laura Kinney declared herself Wolverine in the absence of her mentor, and she did so with an optimism and fervor that called back to the days of good guys fighting bad guys because bad guys are bad. Since then, that hopefulness and cheer has been slowly beaten out of Laura, culminating in her murder of an entire town after exposure to her trigger scent. All New Wolverine #18 acts as her rebirth from all things X-23 as she sheds her past and embraces her future with her allies at her side. With the only downside of this issue being some of the art, this conclusion to the Enemy of the State II arc does so neatly, with a few twists and turns, while still feeling very faithful to the characters.

Although the "Enemy of the State II" title was a bit misleading its conclusion was satisfying.

Enemy of the State II hasn't been the strongest arc of the series, and the climactic showdown between Laura and her arch-nemesis doesn't play as strongly as it could have. Much of it is because Virella's artwork never really clicked, however there's also a lack of urgency here. Perhaps had the last issue ended with Kimura knocking on Megan and Debbie's door to force the final confrontation might have ratcheted up the stakes to the same level as the first arc. Still, it's satisfying to see Laura finally close the book on her origin story.