Comics
Published July 27, 2017

Wolverine & Daken: Family Values

Wolverine & Daken take sibling rivalry to a whole new level in Orphans of X!

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When it comes to families, complications naturally follow. It doesn’t matter if you’re a “standard nuclear” version or the kind revolving around claws and being the best there is at what you do.

With Logan as a patriarch, you can imagine that big holidays would prove about as non-traditional as possible especially when it comes to his son Daken and clone Laura, currently known as Wolverine.

The two “siblings” will come together once again in the pages of ALL-NEW WOLVERINE #25 as Tom Taylor and Juann Cabal kick off the new “Orphans of X” story, a title that not only refers in a sense to Laura and Daken, but also specifically to a new group looking to cause trouble. We talk to both creators about this unique family dynamic, the Legacy idea and working with other to put all of that and more on the page!

Marvel.com: Tom, how does “Orphans of X” fit into the overall idea of Marvel Legacy?

Tom Taylor: Orphans of X deals with Legacy everywhere. The core cast are Laura, Gabby and Daken–Logan’s Legacy. And Logan, Laura and Daken’s pasts are all converging to haunt them in a big way.

Marvel.com: Juann, Daken and Laura are pretty different in a lot of ways, but what unites them in their physicality and the way they literally attack a problem?

Juann Cabal: I’m going for the obvious: The claws, period. From here the interest, in my opinion, is to depict the contrasts between them. We’re focusing on showing their different body languages, in boldly contrasting their fighting styles–how the work can be done differently despite having (almost) the same tools. I think it’s very challenging and, most important, fun! And about attacking a problem I think they both are like Logan, they want the problem solved and they want it solved NOW.

Marvel.com: Tom, what drives Laura to save Daken as this story kicks off?

Tom Taylor: They’ve had some rocky moments in their relationship, but Laura is one of the few people Daken is genuinely close to. “Orphans of X” is all about family. And Laura and Daken are family. Sure, they may have tried to kill each other a few times, but what families haven’t?

Marvel.com: It might be a stretch to say that Daken and Laura are siblings, but the connection could be made. Does a traditional sibling vibe come into play at all when these two are together?

Tom Taylor: I wouldn’t call anything about Daken “traditional,” and there are some pretty shocking moments coming for everyone in this series. Yes, they’re close. And we will see this a bit. But, at the end of this arc, it’s hard to say whether their relationship will be stronger or completely torn apart. I won’t even confirm everyone survives this.

Marvel.com: What can you tell us about the Orphans of X and what they want with our leads?

Tom Taylor: The Orphans of X are a complete mystery. But one thing is clear, they are wide-reaching, resourceful, and intent on Laura and Daken’s destruction. And they have the means to destroy them.

Marvel.com: Juann, what was the design process like for the Orphans of X?

Juann Cabal: You know, the Orphans of X are a mystery even for me! Christina Harrington sent me a line of script and a tiny reference from a previous issue and said, “Here you go.” I just revamped their masks to look a bit leathery and more creepy. I also added some subtle lodge-esque motifs to their environment.

Marvel.com: How has it been working with each other on this project so far?

Tom Taylor: Juann is incredible. He’s a great visual storyteller, and he’s adding so much to this along with colorist Nolan Woodard. I’ve been floored by some of their pages and, honestly, I’m having to lift my game to keep up with them. As a creative team, we’re really jamming, and it feels good. We’re a far more functional (storytelling) family than Logan’s offspring.

Juann Cabal: It’s been an absolute delight so far. His scripts are so enjoyable. He’s got a great sense of pacing and suspense. But above all, his characterization and dialogue are pure gold. He makes you fall in love with the characters from page one. From the visual point of view he’s given me total freedom which has developed in an amazing feedback. I’m positive readers are going to notice it.