Wolverine / Gambit: Victims #1 Review

by Andrew Hurst, CMRO Contributing Writer

Wolverine / Gamgit: Victims

Issue #1

Written by Jeph Loeb, Art by Tim Sale

Published: September 1995

In the mid-1990s few comic book characters were more popular than Wolverine and Gambit and even fewer of the industries blossoming creators were as hot as Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale. Though, regardless of the decade, Loeb and Sale offer a timeless gem that has been shadowed by the now legendary duo’s resume.

Set in modern day London, a Jack the Ripper copycat is loose, reprising the ancient murderer’s original modus operandi. When Gambit discovers the latest victim to be an old friend, he wastes little time tracking down a suspect: Wolverine.

The classic murder mystery would go on to be Loeb and Sale’s bread and butter with Loeb’s cleverly crafted tales and Sale’s noir-like stylized art, but Victims isn’t exactly the “who done it” that you might expect after reading the duo’s Batman: The Long Halloween. These three issues are more like a fun action romp across London, complete with sarcastic quips and banter between the two main characters. I actually really appreciated how humorous the script was given the very dark tone over the three issues.

The Jake the Ripper theme kicks off right from the first page, but, thankfully, the story isn’t over saturated by a cheap 19th century metaphor. Loeb never attempts to make Holmes and Watson out of LeBeau and Logan, sticking closely to the great personalities that make these X-Men favorites. And the elevated amount of narration — which I’m personally not a fan of usually — adds a mystery novel taste that is very welcome.

Tim Sale shines as bright as ever with his adrenaline and attitude injected character designs and odd panel structures. The way he invokes a specific emotion with only a blank page and a single panel off in the corner has not gone unstudied by today’s generation of artists.

Though Wolverine & Gambit: Victims is not Loeb and Sale’s most brilliant mystery, it’s certainly a great three issues of X-Men. The book offers plenty of well-placed exposition for readers new to either of these characters, and is a great go-to comic for new or old fans. This is a comic that has a place for any reader’s collection.