Daken, Wolverine’s mysterious son, takes over his daddy’s comic.  Expecting to witness a train wreck, I am very pleasantly surprised.  What could have easily been a thoughtless stopgap during Dark Avengers has become a smartly written expose into the seedy mind of Daken.

Daniel Way and Marjorie Liu have joined pens to pit Daken against Bullseye.  Using his wits and powers of suggestion, Daken is weaving doubt and deceit among his team members.  With a Machiavellian flare, Daken is engaged in a battle of the minds with Bullseye and Norman Osborne.  Setting up events like chess pieces, his final play is still unknown but this arc is moving toward what should be an interesting climax.  Way and Liu are smart in their take on Daken.  Rather than the typical slash and pound, this intellectual posturing is well written and fun.

Giuseppe Camuncoli’s art is brilliant.  From Daken feigning concern, Bullseye’s rage, and Osborn’s tantrums, each expression is captured beautifully.  His battle between Daken and the Thing is of particular mention, fluid and smartly paneled.

While its nothing earth shattering, this issue is unexpectedly solid.  I am very intrigued to see how Daken’s plan works out.

3.5 out of 5