To my surprise, it wasn't as black as the pits of hell. It's hopeful. To some extent, ultimately. Obviously, it's still showing how the world was overwhelmed by a virus that turns everyone into savage cannibals who'll eat their friends. Nonetheless, this prequel has...

(a) an upbeat ending. There's a chance for the future. The good guys haven't been completely obliterated. Marvel Universe vs. the Punisher made it look as if superheroes were dead, the human race had fallen and the world contained only psycho cannibals vs. an anti-hero who could easily be one of them. However, the Punisher didn't know everything. He'd been staying in the worst possible place to do as much killing as possible. He doesn't know everything in the world.

(b) survivors. Not many, but some. Unlike the Punisher, you see, these guys have superpowers and one or two are even useful. Two anti-heroes have healing factors which might give some degree of resistance to infection. Depending on which Marvel continuity you've been reading (normal vs. Ultimate), another might be an inhuman blob without bones, joints or normal internal organs. That might make him both immune to human diseases and less likely to be devoured (because cannibals might dislike the taste).

(c) surprises. One particular survivor had me rereading Marvel Universe vs. the Punisher because I was sure he'd been devoured. Well, sort of, yes, but nope. The Punisher's version of this book's events was flashback glimpses from the viewpoint of someone deeply disturbing, so there are loopholes.

All that aside, the story itself is strong. I particularly appreciated its no-holds-barred Wolverine, a character whose popularity means he's been overused in PG-certificate nonsense that made me reluctant to buy this book. Fortunately, its blood-drenched tone is perfect for him. I was pleasantly surprised. This Wolverine is kiddie-unfriendly. He severs arms and sticks his spikes through skulls. He kills all his friends. He's a hardcore tough guy and it's impressively scary when he meets the Punisher (who returns here and ends up being as important as the book's title character). Wolverine's brief team-up with Deadpool is cute and interesting, though. That was probably my favourite bit of the book. Mind you, the artist occasionally draws Deadpool's mask as if that's women's underwear on his face. (Get the shape of the eye-blobs wrong and that can happen. Watch the wrong Japanese films and anime and you'll learn to recognise knickers worn as a face mask.)

Don't confuse this book with Wolverine vs. the Marvel Universe, a 357-page collection of Wolverine crossover stories from lots of different Marvel books over the years. That's a pretty cool book just for its snapshot of how Marvel comics art styles have changed over the decades and it includes both the zombie apocalypse epic I'm reviewing here and a Spider-Man vs. Wolverine story I've always rather liked.

If you've read the original Punisher mini-series, you should definitely read this too. It rounds out the story and makes it less depressing. (The latter is important. It's possible to enjoy your reading experience if you've got this Wolverine book too.) These two mini-series fit perfectly and feel like two perspectives on a single big story, not just a one-off hit and a cash-in sequel. The original Punisher mini-series left me slightly dreading the prospect of reading more, but now I'm almost looking forward to Marvel Universe vs. the Avengers. It'll still be a horrible gruesome apocalypse with billions dead, though.

"He's a target I haven't put a bullet through yet."