Wolverine (2nd series) #90

Issue Date: 
February 1995
Story Title: 
The Dying Game
Staff: 

Larry Hama (script), Adam Kubert (pencils), Mark Farmer & Dan Greet (inks), Pat Brosseau (lettering), Marie Javins (coloring), Bob Harras (editor), Tom DeFalco (editor in chief), cover by Adam Kubert and los bros. Hildebrant

Brief Description: 

In the X-Mansion, Logan visits Creed in his cell. Upon seeing Logan, Creed immediately tries to get at him but is unable to do so thanks to the force field present. Logan calmly walks away even though Creed tells him that he’ll be back. Logan proceeds to go along his normal business trying to not let Creed get to him. After watching a story on the news about Linus Dorfmann, Logan heads off to bed. Unable to sleep, he knows that Creed is going to break out of his cell. He discovers this to be true when he makes it down there. During a vicious battle in which Logan doesn’t use his claws, Creed threatens to kill every lady that Logan holds most dear. At that moment, Logan snaps and eventually stabs Creed in the head with one of his claws. Once he does, the crystal shatters…

Full Summary: 

As Creed watches Linus Dorfmann get beaten up by a bunch of cops, Logan tells him that he’s back and that they’re gonna talk. Creed replies that they got nothin’ to talk about. Logan informs him that they have a lot to talk about. Seething, Creed turns and asks the little sawed-off runt he wants to talk? Lunging himself towards the door, Creed tells him he’ll talk to him while he rips his guts out!!
Logan calmly replies not hardly and asks didn’t Xavier explain to him the consequences o’ messin’ with a phased disruption force field? Slamming himself into the force field, Creed asks Logan if he… thinks.... he’s… gonna… let… some… erratic… electrons… stop… him… gaaaaaaaa!
Logan stands before him and tells him that the containment field has got some mighty high parameters. He seems t’ remember Forge told him it could stop a full grown mad elephant. Creed exclaims that he ain’t no elephant. As he flings backwards from the reverberation of the force field, Logan tells him nossir, he is somethin’ else entirely.

The report on the television continues, it says that they have to take into consideration that accused serial killer Linus Dorfmann had already ripped out the throat of one police officer with his teeth and that he had clubbed another officer into unconsciousness with what appears to be a human femur. They ask what possessed this serial killer and what the meaning is of his strange obsession with wolverines. The reporter encourages to tune in later tonight for Trish Tilby’s special report on Linus the Heinous, right after the late news.
The smoldering Creed picks himself up off the ground and mentions that was almost as good as the glow. He tells Logan that he should really let his old bud out – gotta be a sport. He adds that ya know ya can’t kill me, unless you let me out.
Logan simply looks at him and replies there’s nothin’ in the world that would make him happier than rippin’ his throat out but he made a commitment to the X-Men and the good o’ the team comes before his personal whims. With that, he turns and walks away. As he does, Creed calls to him that he’ll be back, he wants his cold slice. He wants his pretty payback. He adds that he ain’t no little pissant sissy-boy bleeding heart gonna let him slide fer the likes o’ what he done – he’ll be back!!

His encounter with Creed finished for the time being, Logan begins his workout. While he does, he thinks to himself that he can’t let Creed get to him. If he gets to him, he wins. He can’t let that happen. No way. He has to lose himself in the reps, in the speed-bag rhythm, in the hot-tub.

Later that night, while he is eating dinner, he watches Trish Tilby’s special report on Linus. Trish reports that there is very little doubt in anyone’s mind that Linus Dorfmann is a deranged serial killer… Logan inquires but? Trish finishes her thought with “but does that give the police the right to brutalize him during the course of his arrest?” Logan says that it didn’t look he was comin’ along too peacefully. Trish asks aren’t they better than that? Logan replies ha, try bein’ a cop for a week, or a superhero for that matter.
On her special, Trish introduces Chief Eamon X. Reilly of the NYPD to reply directly to her question. Chief Reilly says that there’s not a man or woman on the force who didn’t want a piece of that maniac. They found the parts of over twenty people in his apartment, there were dead animals as well. A wolverine that had gone missing from the zoo was in there. Logan comes to the realization that he thought Linus looked familiar and turns the volume up.
Chief Reilly adds that they didn’t lay a finger on Linus. They had to storm his apartment when he started killing his hostages. Even then, they subdued him. They were playing by the rules but when he broke free and attacked Officer Mendoza, ripping out her throat with his teeth, well, he just crossed the line.
Trish thanks Chief Reilly and introduces her next guest – Doctor Sybil Survess. She asks her what her views are on this case as the director of the National Council of Personality Disorder Specialists. Dr. Survess says that there are a number of different factors in play. It is important to note that Linus Dorfmann was an auto-flagellant. He beat himself, he knew he was being bad and that he had a punishment coming but what in effect he was accomplishing, was a conditioning. He had inured himself to the pain. That was why the initial efforts of the police to subdue him seemed so ineffectual. The police reacted in the only way the knew, by increasing the amount of force… After hearing that and finishing his ice cream, Logan switches off the television.

In his bed trying to sleep, Logan thinks to himself that he’s gettin’ to him – made him paranoid enough to switch rooms for the night. Didn’t want ol’ Creed know where he could find him if he… Nah, no way he could get out. But somethin’s naggin’ him. Like a fragment o’ thought that got loose in his head, rattlin’ around in there. Like, maybe he forgot somethin’ or didn’t quite get a joke. He wonders what it is. Gotta be somethin’ about Sabretooth. Was it somethin’ he said, or was it… No – it was what the shrink said!

In his cell, Creed watches “True Tales of the ATF” on the television. After it ends, an announcement comes on that says to stay tuned for a special edition of the late late news where they will continually replay the most violent footage from the Linus Dorfmann arrest as many times as time allows.
After that, Creed watches the David Letterman show where he asks Roseanne to show where she really got Tom’s name erased. Roseanne says okay, howsabout he show everyone where he got the NBC logo erased. At that moment, Creed turns and says it’s time to do it – time to go for the money. Time to jump face-first into a world o’ hurt!
With that, he rushes headfirst into the barrier and continues to push against it, ignoring his own agony until he makes it through and is on the other side. When he gets to the other side, a voice tells him they say that TV rots yer brain.
Creed looks up to see Logan standing there in his blue and yellow costume. Logan adds that he learns a lot o’ neat stuff from TV. Holding restraints, he tells Creed that he’s gonna slip them on peaceably or does he have to go in there and pop open a can o’ butt-kick.
Creed asks him what he’s going to do, chain him up and lock him in the basement – it ain’t gonna happen. Logan says that was his own mom and dad that did that to him, wasn’t it. Maybe they were right, maybe they should’ve thrown away the key and emigrated to New South Wales.

Creed yells out that he fixed ‘em both, just like he’s gonna fix him. With that, he lunges at Logan and slashes him across the face. Logan strikes back with a punch to Creed’s face and tells him that’s funny, he just don’t see that happenin’. Creed fires back with another slash and accuses Logan of just waitin’ on him to bust out so’s he could come down there and throw down on him. Logan replies that he didn’t have a clue until a few minutes ago.
Continuing to trade punches, slashes, and kicks, Logan thinks to himself yeah right. Why bother explaining himself to a psychopathic sick-puppy like Sabretooth. It’s not like anythin’s gonna turn on the light upstairs. Besides, he might be right. Creed asks he’s right, ain’t he – the sawed-off runt set him up. He adds that when it comes down to the crunch, he ain’t got the guts to pop his claws on him.
Creed is able to knock Logan to his knees and walks towards the door. As he does he tells Logan that he ain’t even worth the bother o’ finishin’ off. Before he can leave, Logan gets up and pops his claws. He orders Creed to step back from the door or… Creed asksor what, ya little hypocrite?
He challenges Logan to go for it, all it takes is one good slash. He offers a clear shot to his jugular and tells Logan to get some payback for Silver Fox. That’s what he really wants, ain’t it? He says to him for them to finish this once and for all. Logan tells him that it ain’t up to him to punish him for what he’s done. It’s just up to him to see that he don’t leave the room. With that, he retracts his claws. Seeing that, Creed gets a demonic look on his face and tells Logan that it’s dyin’ time.

At that moment, Creed tears into Logan, slashing his face left then right then left again. As he does, he tells him that it surely ain’t enough just to rip him until he dies. No, after he kills him and hangs him out to dry, he’s gonna go after all them frails he’s been sweet on. He’s gonna rip ‘em just for grins. He’s gonna start with that uppity Jean Grey. Then maybe he’ll mosey up to Canada and do that to Heather Hudson. He really can’t wait ‘til he gets to rip up them young ones, like Kitty Pryde and Jubilee. Just then, Logan snaps.
He tells Creed that’s it, he just stepped over the line and gave him all the reason he needs to stop his filthy clock. Logan then grabs Creed by the collar and slams his face into the wall with all of his might. Pinned up against the wall, Creed tells Logan that he believes the lil’ fireplug found the guts ta get heavy on him. Logan tells him that he said it. Creed adds that he guesses he’s just a low animal like the rest o’ them. Logan yells at him that he’s fed up with holdin’ back the wild part o’ him. Creed tells him to quit yappin’ and do it.
Holding his right fist under Creed’s chin, Logan pops his claws. When Creed sees that they are the claws on the outside, he asks Logan if he’s punkin’ out on him. He tells him that if he pulls this half-way malarkey out in the jungle, he’ll be bad breath on a hyena. He ain’t lyin’, if he lets him walk, and’ he swears, he’ll track down every livin’ thing he ever cared about one way or the other. Kitty Pryde, Jean Grey, Jubilee, Ororo, Cyclops and he’ll make ‘em suffer a good long time before he kills ‘em. He adds that he’s ready for that last big glow and yells at Logan to do it! Do it! DO IT! With that, Logan complies and pops his middle claw into Creed’s head just as the glass shatters….

Characters Involved: 

Wolverine/Logan

Sabretooth

On television:

Trish Tilby

Linus Dorfmann

Various members of the New York Police Department (Chief Eamon X. Reilly is the only one named)

Doctor Sybil Survess (director of the National Council of Personality Disorder Specialists)

Story Notes: 

Linus Dorfmann was last seen in Wolverine 2nd series #43.

Sabretooth became a guest at Xavier’s back in X-Men(2nd series) #28.

The Dave that Creed was watching on TV was most likely David Letterman. In the episode Creed was watching, Letterman was interviewing Roseanne Barr who had a tumultuous marriage with the comedian Tom Arnold. During the marriage, Roseanne got Tom’s name tattooed on her derriere.

None of the other X-Men were in the mansion as they were dealing with Legion in the past as shown in the Legion Quest crossover.

The crystal shattering at the end of this issue was widespread and can also be seen in X-Men (2nd series) #41.

When the events of this issue complete, Wolverine 2nd series becomes part of the Age of Apocalypse in the form of Weapon X.
The title is a play on the famous movie “The Crying Game”.

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