Written by Roy Thomas & R.J.M. Lofficier
Art by Tom Morgan; Janice Chiang; & Tom Vincent
Cover Art by Tom Morgan
SUMMARY:
Entitled “What If … Wolverine Had Become the Lord of Vampires?,” Marvel Comics published this issue for April 1991. Diverging from Uncanny X-Men # 159, Dracula succeeds in converting Storm, Kitty Pryde, Colossus, Nightcrawler, and Wolverine to vampirism. Yet, Wolverine savagely dispatches Count Dracula, and takes his job. Along with the remaining X-Men, the New Mutants, Juggernaut, and Magneto also transformed into vampires.
Wolverine’s conquest of Earth begins with the brutal assassination of Doctor Strange. With most of Marvel’s heroes falling to and/or joining the X-vampires, it’s up to the defiant Punisher channeling the Sorcerer Supreme’s ghost to invoke the Montesi Formula to save humanity.
Note: Despite her presence in the cover image, the ‘deceased’ Jean Grey/Phoenix is only briefly mentioned.
REVIEW:
Consider it a precursor to Marvel Zombies. While it’s a major scripting cheat to have Captain America, Iron Man, and the unidentified surviving Avengers merely on the sidelines (because they refuse to kill), seeing a solo Punisher, in full Van Helsing mode, mostly works, nonetheless.
Is it plausible that, even with magical weapons, a mortal Frank Castle could possibly take down the X-Men by himself? Hardly so, but the expected Punisher vs. Wolverine showdown at least justifies such contrivances. However, judging by two blatantly obvious decapitations, What If … # 24 is by no means a kid-friendly read. As for the visuals, gruesome mayhem is implied, but the serviceable artwork is still tame compared to contemporary standards. Ironically, its best selling point is the deceptive cover image.
What If … # 24’s horror-fest makes an intriguing read, but it had potential to be better. Specifically, had it been a two-parter, pitting Wolverine’s dark forces vs. stalwarts Captain America, Iron Man, etc., in a last stand would have been worth seeing.
ADDITIONAL CONTENT:
None.
BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING: 7 Stars
