Wolverine has had a winning streak of writers and artists in the last coupla years. Millar’s “Enemy of the State/Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.” arc was a peak for the excellent writer, Guggenheim’s run was a killer comic debut, and even the stand-alone issues have been a level of quality that exceeds expectation (Especially “The Man in the Pit”).

Add to that list Jason Aaron’s smart, savage, and (quite literally) explosive take on the ol’ canucklehead in the “Get Mystique!” arc. Wolverine has been given a job to do by Cyclops: Take out the shape-shifting traitor, Mystique, with extreme prejudice. Logan is only too happy to take the assignment.

Since he’s gotten all of his memories back, Logan realizes that he and Mystique have a lot of unfinished business to settle. They have been adversaries, lovers, and partners-in-crime as far back as the 1920s. The story of their first meeting (which has set the tone for their relationship ever since) is told parallel with Wolverine’s current hunt for Raven.

That tone is one of deception, treachery, and violence--perfect fodder for both of these mutants. But the interesting element (from a character point of view) is that Logan and Raven are perfect for each other, if only their natures didn’t dictate that they would be at one another’s throats.

First let’s focus on the action, shall we? There is a hell of a lot. This story is basically a chase across the war-torn Middle East--an appropriate setting that serves as a metaphor for long-standing grudges, the blurred line between right and wrong, and a location of copious amounts of explosives and bullets.

Wolverine hunts Mystique with all the dogged persistence of a Terminator. Mystique, meanwhile, uses her formidable abilities to stay one step ahead of him. For instance, the book opens with Wolverine killing a woman in a village, claiming that the woman is Mystique in disguise. Oops, Logan’s bad.

The killing ticks off the gun-toting villagers so much that when the real Wolverine actually shows up, they fill him with bullets. It was a brilliant deception on Mystique’s part, and this move buys her enough time to take the form of a nun and surround herself with orphans.

The chase plays out like this the entire the story; Mystique using any and everyone in her path as a shield or a weapon but the relentless Wolverine still coming after her no matter what. Consider it a case of unstoppable force meeting a constantly moving object. It’s a great match-up, and Aaron exploits the idea to the fullest--from Mystique impersonating a visiting senator to Wolverine blowing himself up to get close enough to her in that form. The action is swift, well played, and has strong internal logic.

The word realistic can’t really apply to a superhero book, but believability can. The action that takes place during the story is believable in context, and Wolverine and Mystique duke it out like two bitter lovers using bullets instead of words--but there are words too.

Mystique tries her best to play off their sordid past by calling Wolverine a hypocrite and desperately trying to find an angle with her words (bullets sure aren’t working). From the way the flashback story plays out, she isn’t far wrong on the hypocrite label.

Raven recruited Logan into her gang of thieves back in the 20s as she plotted a federal bank heist. She tried her best to seduce Logan body and spirit, and she talked to him about family and the idea of settling down. She got as far as the body. Logan betrayed her to the police when she stopped greasing the right palms. However, Raven had already been planning a double-cross herself, and she was able to escape execution.

Mystique now claims that Wolverine is after her because of what went down in the 1920s, rather than for her betraying the X-Men. Wolverine seems unconcerned about the “why”; he’s dedicated to “when.” He responds to all her taunts and baiting with “it’s gonna happen, let’s get this done.” Mystique can’t find a chink in his armor with bullets, words, or scheming. Karmic payback has taken the form of a relentless unstoppable X-Man, and Mystique’s time is way past due.

As similar as these two characters are in worldview, there is an essential difference--belief in change. Mystique is unapologetic for her actions as she claims it’s her nature to betray. Wolverine turned a corner with the X-Men as he found a higher ideal for himself.

However, here he is hunting down Mystique with the full intention of killing her. The essence of their argument gives Aaron a plausible way out of the corner he wrote himself into; Wolverine can’t really “sanction” Mystique, she’s too good a character to be killed off. That fact makes the entire story moot.

Yet, this conflict isn’t about revenge; it’s about who has evolved further. After their final brutal throw down Wolverine drives the point home, “I’m going to call my friends and have them pick me up. You will die out here alone in the middle of nowhere.”

Ron Garney’s art is excellent as it delivers the right pacing to a taught story. The dialogue scenes play out with a completely different strain of tension, and his choice of “shots” keep the exchanges exciting.

A special note to the covers from the run (collected in a gallery in the back) three of the four covers practically seethe with sexual and homicidal overtones. The final cover especially hits the mark--with Wolverine and Mystique in a violent embrace, tumbling through the air with guns blazing and claws penetrating.

Final Word: In the debate between trades and singles “Get Mystique” doesn’t help either side. I read the story in singles, and each issue built up to a climax that had me jonesing for the next. Now, with the story collected for one continuous read, the pace seems breathless and the story even more coherent.

Either way “Get Mystique” is a real shot in the arm; as good a Wolverine story as you could hope for, and a damn good story by any measure. Jason Aaron and Wolverine make a good pair. After Millar moves on, Aaron could easily continue the winning streak.

My LINK: "Who is Crazy Mary?"

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