Mary Louise Eklund

Tag: Wolverine

Comic Comments – A Little Impossible

This is a great issue! I truly enjoyed the two stories in this stand alone issue 8 of Wolverine and the X-Men. The cover gives away the surprise ending of the last issue. Fleeing the casino planet with Quentin Quire Logan gets zapped by some odd beam. Once in the spaceship he finds his legs are twisted out of shape! HOW his bones are admantium the indestructible metal! Well this issue explains it all. In the meantime Logan is stuck being headmaster from a wheelchair. Sound familiar?

Credits, can’t go on without the credits. First the Dedication – The issue was dedicated to the memory of Mike Pandel. The rest of the credits are as follows: Jason Aaron, Writer; Chris Bachalo, Penciler/Colorist; Tim Townsend, Inker; Rob Steen, Letterer; Irene Y. Lee, Production; Jordan D. White, Assistant Editor; Daniel Ketchum, Associate Editor; Nick Lowe, Editor; Axel Alonso, Editor in Chief; Joe Quesada, Chief Creative Officer; Dan Buckley, Publisher; and Alan Fine, Executive Producer.

All images are the property of their owners I reproduce them here under the Fair Use Doctrine of the copyright law for commentary and critique. No more than three pages total from any one issue is reproduced.

First the art, I had trepidations with the return of Bachalo as primary artist. I did not like his launching of the series. I still don’t like his fight scenes. However his other scenes have been decluttered and are better. Logan’s tie doesn’t curl over his shoulder like a greyhound tail that has to poop. There is improvement and I get that this style is for a younger audience than me. It’s still overly stylized for my tastes, has photo backgrounds I don’t like, and occasionally the glowy outlines that annoy me show up. BUT over the first few issues this is a vast improvement. I read it and enjoyed it. I didn’t cringe once.

The cover is one of those that’s visually effective but never happens in the book. Logan talks about being rolled into a fight but it doesn’t happen. He doesn’t don his X-Force costume. He is wheelchair bound. That’s about it. I feel it’s a bit dark in printing and more contrast would make it pop.

As for the stories there’s two going on. One is about Logan’s legs and needing to get the matter transducer thingy to fix them. The Bamfs have broken Hank’s transducer. Hank sets out to borrow one from his SWORD girlfriend at her space station. The kids get wind that is what the Headmaster needs to fix his legs so with Quentin’s help they are off to get that one from the casino.

Hanks doesn’t meet his paramour Abigail but instead gets into a space battle with Sabertooth. OMG Sabes is back here and running with the prepubescent HellFire Club. Sabes said the way to get the Jean Grey School For Higher Learning was to go for the heart of the school. I’m still not clear as to why these brats want to destroy the school but oh, well. They determine the heart is Hank and off Sabertooth goes to get ‘im.

**Please note my full on rant about how I hate that Sabertooth is back from the dead is partially here and partially saved for the Wolverine Vol 4 Sabertooth Reborn arc.**

This is a good story we learn that the kids are behind their school and their headmaster. Logan learns a good lesson from them under the leadership of Angel (Warren). The battle of Beast and Sabertooth is a nice twist on the usual battle between Logan and Sabes. The dialogue throughout is snappy and true to the characters. I enjoyed it immensely but was very sad to see the Avenger vs X-Men big event crap comes in to disrupt what had developed into a fun and enjoyable title. This title was bringing back all I loved about the X-Men back in the day, the school aspects with the adventure and fun. My full on rant about that will be in my next Comic Comments. Let’s just say we are stuck with it until at least issue 17.

You know what is coming next – Spoilery comments on pages and panels.

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August 14, 2012
Comic Comments – Mutatis Mutandis

No your eyes aren’t deceiving you, that’s a very pregnant Kitty on the cover there. How and why she got that way is a very important part of this arc. The other key factor is the school needs money. Two story lines run in the arc what’s happening at the school and what’s happening with Logan trying to fund the school. Neither are going smoothly. It all plays out in Wolverine and The X-Men issues 5 – 7.

If you’ve been reading these you know what’s next, yep giving credit to the talent that brought us these books. So here goes: Jason Aaron, Writer; Nick Bradshaw, Pencils; Nick Bradshaw & Walden Wong, Inks Issue 5; Walden Wong, Jay Leisten, Norman Lee, & Cam Smith, Inks Issue 6; Walden Wong, Norman Lee, & Nick Bradshaw, Inks Issue 7; Justin Ponsor, Colorist Issues 5 & 7; Justin Ponsor & Matthew Wilson, Colorists Issue 6; Nick Bradshaw & Frank Martin, Cover Issue 5; Nick Bradshaw & Morry Hollowell, Cover Issues 6 & 7; Rob Steen, Letterer; Irene Y. Lee, Production; Jordan D. White, Assistant Editor; Daniel Ketchum, Associate Editor; Nick Lowe, Editor; Axel Alonso, Editor In Chief; Joe Quesada, Chief Creative Officer; Dan Buckley, Publisher; and Alan Fine, Executive Producer.

All images are the property of their owners I reproduce them here under the Fair Use Doctrine of the copyright law for commentary and critique. No more than three pages total from any one issue is reproduced.

First off the money problems at the school are something I love. Why? Because it’s a real world problem that adults have. Logan is now trying hard to be the adult, take responsibility for the children, and do the right thing. One of these is dealing with the money issue with letting the kids know it’s a worry. The hitch is Logan’s not quite got that last one down. He’s grabbed Quentin the Omega psychic mutant trouble making student to come with him to help count cards and see others hands at a space casino. (More damn aliens in my X-Men! I stuck fingers in my ears went LA-LA-LA and voila it was a rich mutant casino) Whoa there Logan this doesn’t sound like a good idea from the start! It’s not but it plays out with comedy and results that even Logan didn’t expect. In the end he’s getting more like Xavier every day!

The story is Kitty and her sudden pregnancy. Now she’s shocked, it’s been some time since she and Colossus split up. In the Schism she went with Logan agreeing with his philosophy. Colossus stayed with Scott agreeing with him. The couple regretted not coming to terms but with such differences they couldn’t continue. Hank is all understanding when she come into medical and excited about being Uncle Hank, except he finds out she’s not preggers she’s infected! She’s infected with brood (more damn aliens). As members of the staff shrink down to deal with that the school is under attack AGAIN! Except we learn that Kitty’s pregnancy was just a diversion from the real goal of the attackers.

I enjoyed this issue. It has Logan being his own headmaster. No Xavier wouldn’t have funded the school in this manner but it’s pure Logan and I loved it. The school coping with multiple crises at once reminded me of the old day and why I read X-Men all those years ago. To see a school of cool mutant kids led by cool mutant heroes try hard to just be a school. It wasn’t about setting a mutant agenda to rule the humans but rather just to be part of society and deal with threats to the peace of that blended society. Great story fun arc!

The interior art is fun and I enjoyed it. There were little things that irked me. Logan’s hat when at the Worthington Industries didn’t fit right – that bugged me. It’s clean, it’s clear, it’s straight forward. It’s not stylized and overly cluttered. I enjoy reading it and found it did support the story rather than detract from it. At times I feel it’s a bit cartoonish for what is rated as a more mature comic but only a tad. I found it highly enjoyable.

The covers are fun. Issue 6 is my favorite of course except for the aliens. NO ALIENS PLEASE! I thought the cover for issue 7 looked too busy and too tabloid or Vogue-ish. I mean the “X-Man MUST DIE!” and “LOST INSIDE KITTY PRYDE” headlines with the duo art brought that to my mind. Oh and even in an Pym-particle suit Bobby is iced up… WHY?!?

Next is a stand alone issue entitled A Little Impossible. This is the last issue before the Avengers Versus X-Men craptastic over arching Marvel Universe wide story comes marching in to disrupt everything. I’ll rant more on that later but I think you get the gist of where I’ll be heading.

There be spoilery bits after the jump! It’s all comments and laughs on a few specific panels and pages.

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August 13, 2012
Comic Comments – Welcome to the X-Men! Now Die!

This story kicks off the Wolverine And The X-Men series. It’s a three issue arc. James “Logan” Howlett, Headmaster as it now says on his new business cards, is facing the first day at his new school. The story opens up with him giving Professor Xavier a tour. Then the next day the New York State board of education inspectors make a visit to 1407 Graymalkin Lane, Salem Center, New York (that’s in Westchester county ya know) to inspect the school and finalize its accreditation. To say thinks didn’t go smoothly would be an understatement.

If no issue is noted after their credit they deserve credit for all three issues: Jason Aaron, Writer; Chris Bachalo, Pencils & Colors Issues 1 & 2; Chris Bachalo, Duncan Rouleau & Matteo Saleara, Pencils Issue 3; Tim Townsend, Jaime Mendoza & Al Vey, Inks Issue 1; Tim Townsend & Jaime Mendoza, Inks Issue 2; Tim Townsend, Jaime Mendoza, Al Vey, Mark Irwin, Victor Olazaba, Duncan Rouleau, & Matteo Scalera, Inkers Issue 3; Chris Bachalo & Jason Keith, Colors Issue 2; Rob Steen, Letters’ Chris Bachalo, Cover Issue 1 shown here; Chris Bachalo & Tim Townsend, Cover Issue 2 & 3; Irene Y Lee, Production, Jordan D. White, Assistant Editor; Daniel Ketchum, Associate Editor Issue 2 & 3; Nick Lowe, Editor; Axel Alonso, Editor In Cheif; Joe Quesada, Chief Creative Officer, Dan Cuckley Publisher, Alan Fine, Executive Producer.

All images are the property of their owners I reproduce them here under the Fair Use Doctrine of the copyright law for commentary and critique. No more than three pages total from any one issue is reproduced.

If I was to sum up this arc for me it would be stellar writing and detestable art. I know there are people out there who like this art. I am NOT one of them. I find it overly stylized and way too busy. There is no realistic anatomy in any of the figures. If not told by the dialogue I’d not recognize some of the main X-Men characters by their appearance. The proportions of the figures morph constantly in relation to each other and heck on body part to another. There are times I can’t tell what the heck is going on visually! I had to rely on the writing to tell me. Thank goodness that was good.

I cringed at the art when reading but kept reading because the writing was wonderful. The dialogue was snappy, the characters were true to themselves but were obviously out of their comfort zones. That makes a good story, stories move forward by character change/growth. It could be for the better or for the worse but we watch/read to see how characters change. This was doing it so well as far as the writing goes.

There were some fun extras tied to this launch of a continuing series. First off was the flyer for the school. Look James teaches three classes! Witness to history, the art of fighting without fighting and the art of fighting with fighting. He’s also scheduled a field trip to his favorite sushi restaurant. The guy is trying.

He’s not the only one that steps up to the plate and matures here. Bobby Drake, Iceman, finally gets a chance to mature. He was one of the original X-Men but has perpetually been treated as a teenager/junior member. Here he’s a full fledged professor and told by James to use his full potential. He remembers this and taps into aspects of his abilities he’s not used before to help save the day.

Oh and we learn who is James “Logan” Howlett’s lawyer. It’s Matt Murdock, Daredevil! That was good.

There are things I don’t like in the story. I don’t like the aliens there. I sing la-la-la-la in my head and they are just other mutants. I don’t like a children’s Hellfire Club. Do your research on the REAL Hellfire Club is – it’s a sex club, a club for rakes like Ben Franklin. Today it’s an S&M club. That’s why all the corsets, whips, and such in the original Marvel villains Hellfire Club. It was inspired by real life. To have rich brats doing it was just so not right.

Also why didn’t they tell the staff, Hank especially, that TODAY IS INSPECTION DAY? Hmm? Look Hank is the known political animal on the team (pun intended). He’s always been good at working through the system. So why in the world is he taken by surprise if James knows enough to but on the weird tie. (more about that after the jump)

Still with all its faults I loved the series. Why? Because it’s something we’ve not seen before. It’s new, it’s fresh, it’s different, it’s hideous art! As a Wolverine fan I’m so starved for good well written new stuff that goes to different places than where we’ve been that I lapped this up.

Next is a stand alone story entitled Just Another Day in Westchester County which is Issue 4 of Wolverine and the X-Men. Stay tuned for the spoilery bits.

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August 9, 2012
Comic Comments – Underneath

This is a story follows up a limited series from 1989 starring Wolverine and Havoc entitled Meltdown.

The story is set back before Schism (the breakup of the X-Men with Wolverine leading one back to the school and Scott leading the others on Utopia) and just after M-Day (when many mutants lost their mutations) so I’m totally confused as why it appears now in Wolverine volume 4, issue 309. Yet here it is folks!

I always like to give credit where credit is due. Here’s the credits for this issue: Ivan Brandon, Writer; Rafael Albuquerque, Art pg 1-13, 18-20; John Rauch, Color pgs 1-13; Jason Latour, Art pgs 14-17, 20-36 and Color pgs 14-16; Jeanine Schaefer, Editor.

All images are the property of their owners I reproduce them here under the Fair Use Doctrine of the copyright law for commentary and critique. No more than three pages total from any one issue is reproduced.

Let’s start with the art since art was big part of the Meltdown series. It was avant guard, more impressionistic. That’s how I’d describe it not being an art student but more of an art fan. I didn’t like it because I found it distracted from the story instead of adding to it. The style is reflected here on the pages done by Jason Latour but toned down a whole bunch. I’d refer you to where you could get the TPB but everywhere I looked they were sold out so just sent you to the cover art, the interior was much more abstract.

As for the art of this one, I don’t really care for it. The start is the heavy outline boxy style that reminds me of kids coloring books not a gritty story like this. The other is more focused on being stylistic than telling a story. Comic book or graphic novel art should focus on telling the story, expanding it beyond words through images. Neither hit this mark for me.

As for the story it centers around Elixir as a boy. Elixir was/is a mutant with the powers to heal people, manipulate your body into healing itself. He later learned it could be used in another manner, to make your body destroy itself. That was his downfall. For a time he was on the X-Force team that Wolverine commanded. That was before the downfall and when he was a man. So why this story of him as a boy trying to figure out Wolverine is beyond me. Why it’s here in this volume only the Secret Star Chamber of Marvel knows.

Elixir tags along on a personal mission of James’s. You see James seduced a redhead (he’s got a thing for redheads) who was caught in between her mutant state and human state when M-Day happened. She told him of a place where a mutant man was feeding off other mutants like her. James, being James when to stop it. Elixir wanting to understand James more tagged along.

We see how much James has matured. Now he’d take the adult role and keep Elixir from going into what is going to be a battle to the death of the energy vampire mutant. Then he simply said, “Kid you want to get yourself killed, you get right to it. I ain’t yer Daddy. Just so long as you stay out of my wake.” Not at all the stand he’s chosen to take as Headmaster James “Logan” Howlett.

In the end the energy vampire is the villain of the Meltdown story returned. There is a battle and Elixir gets involved. In the end it’s James himself that gives Elixir the answer to understanding the appeal of Wolverine – He gets back up and tries again to do the right thing despite shortcomings and failures.

The story was a good one. It depends on the reader knowing a lot of background stuff from long ago. It’s very out of place in the flow of what’s going on now in this book and in the Marvel Universe. I felt that somewhere there was a lack of planning on Marvel’s part so they tossed in an old story that was sitting on the shelf unpublished to fill the gap between arcs.

We are going to leave the Wolverine title for now. I’ve reached the current story of Sabertooth Reborn. I know you can feel my <strike>trepidation</strike> excitement over that. My next Comic Comments will move on to the Wolverine and the X-Men volume 1 issues 1-3 the Welcome to the X-Men Now Die arc.

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August 7, 2012
Comic Comments – Rot

This is the last completed arc in Wolverine. Just one stand alone until we leave it for the next title on my pull list. We’ll return to the title after I work through the other completed arcs in other titles I read regularly. Next up will be Wolverine and the X-Men arcs that are complete. Before you start wondering given what the rotation has been so far, no I don’t just read Wolverine titles. My system of going alphabetically puts many of the Wolverine themed titles together and X-Men just behind those. Yes, I do read a lot of books he’s in because he’s my favorite character. If you are getting tired of him just hang in there. Once I get through the Ws and Xs it’ll be some time until I get back to him.

Now to the number jump and just what volume do the 300+ issues go? I’ve left them in volume 4 and it seems so has Marvel. (you can always click on images to enlarge them to read stuff) That’s a screen cap of my free digital copies that came with the more recent issues. They file them under volume 4 like me. The orderly librarian in me doesn’t like the jump. It doesn’t make sense if you are going to count all issues ever listed then jump back to issue 1 of volume 1.

That gets my notes out of the way, on to the Rot arc of Wolverine Volume 4 Issues 305-308. Here’s the credits: Cullen Bunn, Writer; Paul Pelletier, Penciler; David Meikis, Inker Cam Smith joins David as Inker for issues 306-308; Rain Bredo, Colorist; VC’s Cory Petit, Letter; Jim Cheung and Jason Keith, Cover Art of issue 305; Chris Samnee & Javier Rodriguez, Cover Ar of issue 306-308; Jared K. Fletcher, Designer; Jake Thomas, Assistant Editor; Jeanine Schaefer, Editor; Nick Lowe, Group Editor; Axel Alonso, Editor In Chief; Joe Quesada, Chief Creative Officer; Dan Buckley, Publisher; and Alan Fine, Executive Producer.

All images are the property of their owners I reproduce them here under the Fair Use Doctrine of the copyright law for commentary and critique. No more than three pages total from any one issue is reproduced.

This brings back a villain I liked Dr. Rot who psychologically tortured James back in the Wolverine Weapon X Insane In The Brain arc. It’s a great story with very pretty interior art. I hardly recommend you check it out. In this arc James again encounters Dr. Rot who is amazed by James’s brain and healing factor. After James starts having trouble telling reality from hallucinations just like in his time with Dr. Rot he sets out find the doctor.

I have to say there are aspects of this arc I don’t like. They just get to fantastical (like the brain machines/bombs in the first arc). I can take a mad genius who manipulates people by re-wiring/surgery on brains. I can take a mad genius who tortures/manipulates people into hitmen or assassins that self-destruct and he sells them to the highest bidder.

There are parts of this arc I loved. I find James overcoming psychological torture, his ultimate weakness a good story line. Dr. Rot is the person who knows how use James’s Achilles heel. Rot’d ability to control James is a thread to which I’m clinging. There is a way to make that an epic battle between the two of them that gives James a way to over come that mind control business for good. I’m hoping that is what happened here in this arc. There are panels that allude to it, but the kicker at the end leaves some doubt. Just like the Get Mystique Final Repose‘s ending came back later to bite us readers in the ass with yet another round of Mystique after James.

I don’t buy that Dr. Rot’s taking out pieces of James’s brain makes it heal clean, no memories. How about in the last arc when Mystique kept shooting James in the face? Didn’t pieces of his brain splatter out his nose from being liquefied by the repeated impact on his metal skull? Why wouldn’t that cause blanks spots? I’ll make leaps with you, if you are consistent in the rules of those leaps.

In the end this arc that could have been grand but felt as if it was just pathetic devise to get James back to having amnesia of sorts like he was before M-Day. So now he’s not got a stable relationship, Sabertooth is back, Mystique is back, and he’s got amnesia. We are quickly falling into the same old tired stuff. I returned to comics, to Wolverine upon hearing about change and growth. Those reasons are quickly evaporating. It’s going to get easier to alienate me from the title for a while if we keep rehashing stuff I’ve read for 30 years.

As for the art, I like the interior art. It’s good solid comic book art. Many times it pulled me deeper into the story. That’s what the art is supposed to do add visual elements to the story. I do think they went over the top on the gore factor. Yes, Dr. Rot collects brains and isn’t observing sanitary conditions. I get that. But trust me (I’ve seen lots of real stuff having a college friend that majored in forensics) blood doesn’t work that way be it from live or dead bodies, but especially from dead ones. I know there is an audience for gore. That’s why we have gore horror and such. I’m just not one of that audience. I’ll take realistic gore to a point. I don’t see it as an aspect of entertainment but more to add an emotional and realistic punch.

As for the covers, issue 306 is my favorite. I like the abstractness of it but what it represents within the story. Issue 305 looks like a stock image of Wolverine. I imagine they said “Oh crap we forgot to get a cover made we’ll use this.” The others go well with the arc and visually summarizes the story.

Next is an odd book out of sequence in the stories currently building. This one is set back before Schism. I’m not sure why it got stuck in here. Underneath is a stand alone where we revisit the time James lived in Utopia and was still working with Scott Summers, kinda.

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August 6, 2012
Comic Comments – One More Round

This is a stand alone that does nicely to wrap up some aspects of the last few story lines and open up some others I have a feeling are in the works. It’s issue 304, of Volume 4 or the revisit of Volume 2 or where ever we are in that.

First off with the credits. From the cover scan you see this time it took a larger than usual village, many artists contributing to the issue. Here’s the village: Jason Aaron, Writer; Steve Dillon, Ron Garney, Paul Pelletier with Dave Meikis, Mike Perkins, Jefte Palo, Daniel Acuña, Steven Sanders and Renato Guedes, Art; Matthew Wilson, Matt Milla, Rain Beredo, Andy Troy & Chris Sotomayor, Color Art; VC’S Cory Petit, Letterer; Dale Keown & Jason Keith, Cover; Jake Thomas, Assistant Editor; Jeanine Schaefer, Editor; Nick Lowe, Group Editor; Axel Alonso, Editor in Chief; Joe Quesada, Chief Creative Officer; Dan Buckley, Publisher; and Alan Fine, Executive Producer.

All images are the property of their owners I reproduce them here under the Fair Use Doctrine of the copyright law for commentary and critique. No more than three pages total from any one issue is reproduced.

The cover of this looks so familiar. I think this art has been on a cover before. It’s just one of the covers that strikes me as a cool Wolverine picture so put it on a transition issue. At least he’s bearing his teeth without doing an underbite.

The interior art goes from great to why does Sabes look like Hulk Hogan?

The story is one of Sabertooth throwing a party for all of Wolverine’s enemies. Since he now rules both crime families of the East (Hand and Yakuza) they actually show up. It’s fun to name the villain even those just in the background. It’s his birthday party and since he’s alive James turns the tables and crashes the party. He kicks Victor’s ass along with the guests to announce this is going to be his new annual tradition. Inter cut through this we get caught up the status of a few things. We see what is going on with Maverick, Melita, Hell, and much more.

It was a light issue that I’m sure will be a launching point for some stories. It made me smile that James turned a tradition on its head. For years we had Victor coming to beat up James on what they thought was his birthday. Now it is reversed. I enjoyed the issue. It was fun and got me thinking where would I take these stories next.

Next up is a four book arc, called Rot. That’ll be issues 305 through 308. It brings back a character I like very much that was previewed in this issue. Dr Rot was the villain from Insane In The Brain arc from Wolverine Weapon X volume 2.

After the jump the usual spoiler panel bits.

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August 5, 2012
Comic Comments: And Then There Was a War/Back In Japan

This story runs in Wolverine volume 4 Issues 20, 300-303. Okay I’m not sure it’s still volume 4 or did we revert back to volume 2 which would match what issue numbers we would have had volume 3 and 4 not occurred and the issue be numbered straight through. I’m leaving them in volume 4 just to keep chronological order straight for myself. WTF! Marvel this former volunteer librarian is upset in disruption of issue numbering.

The credits for this run are complicated. Issues 300-303 are done in chapters with changing artists. So stand back for a long credit appreciation list. Credits for the whole arc are: Jason Aaron, Writer; Jared K. Fletcher, Designer; Jody Leheup and Sebastian Girner, Assistant Editors, Jeanine Schaefer, Editor; Nick Lowe, Group Editor; Axel Alonso, Editor in Chief; Joe Quesada, Chief Creative Officer; Alan Fine, Executive Producer. The issue specific credits starting with Issue 20: Renato Guedes, Pencils and Cover Art; Jose Wilson Magalhaes, Inks, and Matthew Wilson, Colors. Issue 300 credits: Adam Kubert & Paul Mounts, Art for Chapters 1, 4, & 7; Steve Sanders & Sotocolors, Art for Chapters 3 & 6; VC’s Cory Petit, Letterer; no cover art credit listed in credits due to cover variants the one I have is the Adam Kubert cover. Issue 301 credits: Billy Tan & Jason Keith, Art for Chapters 8, 11, & 12; Steve Sanders & Sotocolor, Art for Chapters 9 & 10; VC’s Cory Petit, Letterer; Adam Kubert, Cover Art. Issue 302 credits: Billy Tan & Jason Keith, Art for Chapters 13, 15, & 16; Steve Sanders & Sotocolors, Art for Chapters 14 & 16; VC’s Cory Petit, Letterer; Arthur Adams, Cover Art. Issue 303 credits are: Billy Tan, Steven Sanders & Paco Diaz, Art; Mat Milla, Sotocolors, Jim Charalampidis and Rachelle Roasenbert, Color; VC’s Chris Eliopoulos, Letters, Brandon Peterson, Cover.

All images are the property of their owners I reproduce them here under the Fair Use Doctrine of the copyright law for commentary and critique. No more than three pages total from any one issue is reproduced.

WHEW! It took more than one village to make a comic this time! Apparently many wanted to help celebrate hitting the 300th issue since the start of Volume 2. Oh his whole solo title run it’d be the 304th issue. So let’s not get picky, let’s not go into who counts who’s volumes and issues. Still why go back to Volume 2? I dunno once again it’s left to the Secret Star Chamber of Marvel to know what the heck they were thinking.

Now for the cover art of the arc – to me the best is issue 301. I like the composition of it. I like that he’s in his Samauri mode, appropriate for an arc set in Japan. I think the colors are lovely. Over all it hits all the right notes with me. Thought cover 20 was close I don’t like the orangeish skin tones, could be bad printing and I’d love the original. The worst is issue 303. OMG! Those glowy outlines are back! (pounds head on desk takes comfort they aren’t in piss yellow). Ohhh and shiny shiny outfits that fit like a glove, ICK. The back ground looks off too, like a mix of photo and art – photo shop of horrors again? Finally cover that has the worst dental work – Issue 302 saw the need for some underbite action. Cover 300 which does nothing for me at all can at least bear teeth without an underbite.

The interior art is all over the board with so many contributors. Issue 20 is wonderful and I love the interior there. The rest vary from great to bad but luckily no awful stuff. After the jump I’ll chat about specifics.

The story made me lose heart for my hero. First off Sabertooth is no longer dead with his soul decapitated in hell. How long did that last? eh undid the soul part in just a hand full of issues. I’ve had decades of *singsongs* Sabes and Wolvie sitting in a tree f-i-g-h-t-i-n-g. I’m so over it. I liked it being settled and moving on. Can’t be though because I think Marvel fears letting a story line grow but instead cling to the tried and true plots until even the characters in the book mock them. I was pissed off to take three steps back to this tired overly done story again.

Speaking of that didn’t last long, Mystique’s death was even shorter. But we knew this was coming as the ‘magic’ Hand bought her corpse and dang they bring people back from the dead as often as they go get groceries. Dammit another tired worn out thing done again – just wait there will be a bit that includes a chase where James kills her in the end. This pissed me off too. When can we stop doing the same damn thing?

Seraph is still alive too. Guess it doesn’t matter we saw her bones in her coffin over in Wolverine Origins only part of that story became cannon – Daken. So mark this down as another back from the dead. It never stops!

Why do I feel I’m trapped in Groundhog Day? Where’s Bill Murray? Do I have to fall in love with Andi McDowell to get out of these over done plots? WHAT WHAT DO I HAVE TO DO MARVEL? Don’t know how to do it maybe take a gander at Fables they do it with style, grace, and character growth but keep a stable core of beloved characters. You could learn something there Marvel.

The core of the story I didn’t care about. It’s a crime family war in Japan. Except here some of the crime families have magic that bring back the dead and there are unlimited numbers of them. James teams up with his adopted daughter Amiko’s foster mom Yuriko to try to stop the war. Amiko’s boyfriend is the Silver Samurai’s son and moves in to claim his father’s position but winds up allying himself with the newly returned Sabes and Mystique. This leads to a fight between them and a break-up.

James and Yuriko eliminate the Hand in Japan. (how much you wanna bet this isn’t the end of them either?) We learn she’s alive after Hellverine’s attack but wheelchair bound. Doesn’t keep this ninja woman down or stop her from trying to get James’s pants down. Which leads to something that may destroy James and Mariko’s relationship. Which is yet another thing I find disappointing about the arc. The only thing cheery in it is Amiko, Yuriko, and James become a happy crime fighting family.

Overall I found this a very disappointing arc. Many of the things that enticed me to start buying Wolverine comics regularly again have been undone. I feel this is a disservice to long time fans. We love our characters we want to see them develop, we don’t want to keep doing the same things over and over again but this time only in San Francisco without flashbacks. I know I’m banging my head on the wall hoping for this type of deeply mature change but hope springs eternal.

Next is a stand alone issue entitled One More Round. There’s more spoilery bits and comments after the jump, join me won’t you. If not – Until next time.

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August 5, 2012
Comic Comments: Goodbye Chinatown

This starts a whole new saga in the Wolverine series. The story covers Wolverine Volume 4, Issues 17-19. The kick off saga made up of multiple arcs came to a close in the last issue. This arc sets the stage to kick off the Wolverine and the X-Men title where he becomes headmaster reopening Xavier’s school in Westchester.

As always it takes a village to make a comic and I want to give them credit for it. Here’s this team: Jason Aaron, Writer; Ron Garney, Art; Jason Keith, Color Art; Ron Garney with Jason Keith, Cover Art; VC’s Cory Petit, Letterer; Jared K. Fletcher, Designer; Jody Leheup, Assistant Editor; Jeanine Schaefer, Editor; Nick Low, Group Editor; Axel Alonso, Editor In Chief; Joe Quesada, Chief Creative Officer; Dan Buckley, Publisher; and Alan Fine, Executive Producer.

All images are the property of their owners I reproduce them here under the Fair Use Doctrine of the copyright law for commentary and critique. No more than three pages total from any one issue is reproduced.

This story violates my ‘jump-the-shark’ rule for MY X-Men. No aliens, no magic, no supernatural stuff are allowed in my favorite X-Men stories. You might like that stuff in YOUR X-MEN and more power to you, glad there are arcs for both of us. I can take these things in other titles where they fit but they don’t fit in my X-Men or for that matter when I read Batman. This story brings me so many violations I had to put it away for months and talk myself up to reading it. The pretty art helped lure me to tolerate it. Also I decided to take it laughingly – NOT seriously.

That said, the only thing that was value to me in this arc was James’s announcement of his new purpose – to start a school and not lose any more kids. He’s out to get all the money he’s stashed all around the world over his years of wandering to put into this dream. He’ll reopen it in Westchester NY where Xavier’s school was. In doing this James also saves one of his favorite bars, Harry’s Hideaway, from bankruptcy with his tab alone.

What I don’t like is the meat of the whole arc between that takes place between those events. For those who did, GREAT! I’m happy for you. But I found it just too fantastical. James gets Indiana Jones’s boy companion from the Temple of Doom. He also acquires a talking gorilla private investigator partner while physically going underground in San Francisco to battle the opium drug trade to get his money back. You see, there are HUGE (the size of Australia) opium fields under the earth manned by slaves who have real dragons as beasts of burden. Lost you too huh? Wait until you see them get the talkative Sumo wrestler and all three men get swallowed by dragons to go undercover in da bellies!

The fun part of this whole thing was the banter between James, Gorilla, and Sumo. The battle was boring and stupid because of where it was and it involved magic. I didn’t care beyond James getting his money. I was like Porter in Payback just get the money and it’ll be over. I did enjoy how Melita managed to make the move to New York to be with her man. That was just a side framing story to the whole nonsense in the underground opium fields. In the end – good wins and surfaces (again literally) in Westchester in time to save Harry’s Hideaway from closure. James is all set to start his school. So anything that saves a bar, a relationship, and a school can’t be a total waste of three issues can it?

As for the art I have praise. I think the covers are pretty. It’s a whole new team since the big saga has wrapped. I really like the formatting of them. The elements are put together to catch the eye. The first one is the start of a big journey from rogue lone wolf team member to headmaster of a school with real adult worries like financing the school and such. Dragon one is interesting and I laughed at turning the title character on his head for his cover. All in all they are what I want in a cover – reflects the story while catching the eye.

The interior art is also pretty. I enjoyed it and wished it was there to tell me a more serious story. At times it’s a bit too sketchy for me but that’s being really nit-picky. Even nit-pickier is when that damn underbite shows up for James. Other than that I’d put this up as art I’d like to see again.

Next arc is a war between Japanese crime families in the arc of two titles and five books, And Then There Was a War/Back In Japan, Wolverine Vol. 4 Issues 20, 300-303. Yeah we’ll chat about that whole issue numbering thing later, really WTF Marvel? Along with why can’t the dead just stay dead?

Until then enjoy the spoilery panels/pages comments after the jump.

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August 3, 2012
Comic Comments: Wolverine No More/Wolverine Forever

Though not numbered as an arc these two stories fit together and close the huge arc that’s been developing since volume 4 started. It is told in Wolverine Vol. 4 Issues 15 and 16.

All images are the property of their owners I reproduce them here under the Fair Use Doctrine of the copyright law for commentary and critique. No more than three pages total from any one issue is reproduced.
The credits are as follows: Jason Aaron, Writer; Goran Sudzuka, Art; Matthew Wilson, Color Art; Jae Lee with June Chung, Cover Art; VC’S Cory Petit, Letterer; Jared K. Fletcher, Designer; Jody Leheup, Assistant Editor; Jeanine Schaefer, Editor; Nick Lowe, Group Editor; Axel Alonso, Editor In Chief; Joe Quesada, Chief Creative Officer; Dan Buckley, Publisher; Alan Fine, Executive Producer. It takes a village to make a comic.

I’ll start with the art. Again the same cover team as the other issues in this volume. There things I love and things I hate about both these covers. First off the wolves, wolves don’t look like that. They don’t have coats like that. They don’t have musculature like that. Wolves just don’t look like that. I will say the posture of the one in silhouette is good but if as artists you are going do so well with anatomy of the human body use that talent with the anatomy of animal bodies too!

Second I have an issue with James having an underbite on both covers. He’s never had an underbite. Aaron and I each had one but braces fixed it for us. This dental hygienist’s daughter can’t take bad teeth. I can take the slightly oversized upper and lower canines on him. That’s been done so much to suggest the animalistic aspect of his nature. A visual reminder of his always struggling against his beast nature. However, I can’t stand by and watch bad orthodonture be depicted. My up-bringing won’t let me.

That said let me say I like the face and format of issue 16. It’s excellent and interesting. The red is very eye-catching and the off-center half face shot grabs you. The claws on display unite the elements. It’s an excellent cover. I even like the position of his fingers there, unique and eye catching.

Interior art is fine. At times it’s very pretty, at other times it’s off for me. I’m not sure how, it just is. I don’t dislike but something, too something at times. At times seems to me to be a very talented novice that’s not found their voice yet. That’s how I would describe it if it were a written piece. Too studied, too following the formula, now owned and expressed by the artist’s individuality. It’s a hard line to walk in comics to hold to the tropes and be original. It takes talent and experience to do it. Same goes for genre writers – hold to the required tropes but express your own voice. Only comes with the confidence, insight, and comfort that experience can give.

In the story James is dealing with the heartbreak of learning the last five people he killed, the Marauders, were his children. No, he didn’t know they existed but once he got into the Red Right Hand’s inner sanctum to find them all dead (think Masada) there was the proof he’d just killed his own children. His revenge hurt him deeply, he joined the Red Right Hand whose membership requires death of family caused by Wolverine. He can’t blame mind possession this time – he was in full control of himself. He did it willingly and against the advice of his BFF, who is now an angel.

In issue 15 we see him wallow in that pain. Of course he runs to the Canadian wilderness to go wildman at some point in this wallow. He does all he can to numb himself against it, almost killing himself over and over, drinking to drunken hallucinations but always his healing factor brings him back. To say he hits rock bottom isn’t going too far. In issue 16 he finds himself. Partly because he saves a group of children and returns them to his family and partly because Melita is once again strong enough to fight for her man.

I was disappointed with the final pages of issue 16. It was a stupid over the top ending to what was a character changing emotional issue. There are funny pages of various superheroes telling Melita who Wolverine is to them. The big two page spread of ‘here’s your friends’ was so sappy and so dopey. It annoyed me so much I physically dropped the issue. I felt it was a grand disservice to the more moving mature aspects of what James was going through this time as he comes out of the emotional fire with a purpose to help kids like the ones he never knew he had. (Had to happen with his man-whore ways, condoms James use them). Instead we get this ending that seems to have come from the mind of a 5-year-old – “And then, and then, ALL his SUPER HERO friends show up to stand together for him!” pfft stupid.

Which I guess is it’s okay to have a hokey ending since we are set up now to enter a really hokey three book arc, Goodbye Chinatown. Did not like it as it violated my ‘no magic or aliens’ in my X-Men rule way too much. Even with my fingers in my ears shouting LA-LA-LA I couldn’t ignore it.

The good things to come out of Wolverine No More/Wolverine Forever are major. James realize he is a hero by nature and can do a world of good. He took on the mission of helping kid be kids and protecting them. I feel he did this to honor his kids that are gone, the ones he killed and buried with his own hands. He also realized these revenge marches have consequences beyond no more bad guys. I think that’s a lot of character growth bought at a very bitter price. If Marvel has the guts to keep that growth as part of him and build on it then this whole going to hell and Red Right Hand was one of the best Wolverine arcs ever. If they don’t it falls to just another mind controlled/revenge arc for Wolverine. We have too many of them as it is.

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August 2, 2012
Comic Comments: Wolverine’s Revenge!

This is a five book arc taking Wolverine Volume 4 Issues 10-14. The story is powerful and actually is a catalyst for changes in James Howlett’s life. I have to say I greatly enjoyed it and STRONGLY hope Marvel doesn’t undo it.

The credits are as follows: Jason Aaron, Writer; Renato Guedes, Pencils; Jose Wilson Magalhaes, Inks; Matthew Wilson, Colors; Jae Lee and June Chung, Cover Art; VC’s Cory Petit, Letterer, Jared K Fletcher, Designer; Jody Leheup, Assistant Editor; Jeanine Schaefer Editor; Nick Lowe, Group Editor, Axel Alonso, Editor in Chief; Joe Quesada, Chief Creative Officer; Dan Buckley, Publisher; and Alan Fine, Executive Producer.

All images are the property of their owners I reproduce them here under the Fair Use Doctrine of the copyright law for commentary and critique. No more than three pages total from any one issue is reproduced.

Before we get into the story let’s talk art. The cover team is the same one that’s been doing the issues since the start of the run. It’s nice in that it gives the title a cohesiveness while this large arc is working itself out. Issue 10’s cover is the worst of the bunch. Usually my complaint is the depiction of the faces but on that issue it is Wolverine’s chicken legs. He’s got spindly looking legs to me. I don’t know if it’s the shading messing with my eye or what, but it’s bad. Also the guy on our left, hanging from Wolverines right there – why does he have on an ice skate? The guy on top forgot his dentures that day. It just doesn’t do a thing for me, nothing except make me think I don’t like it. If you love it fine and more power to ya, this one isn’t one I’d put on my decent cover list. But issue 14 is a different story. Despite the fact in the whole arc James NEVER wears his X-Men uniform I think 14 sums up the point of the story very well. It reflects the contents, the coloring is lovely, the anatomy is great, and the face isn’t pinched it’s in emotional agony a good representation of this arc. It would go on my list of great covers.

Now something I loved – the interior art. Really! I loved this stuff it’s good, it goes with the story very well and helped tell the story. I liked it. I can’t say enough good about it. I’ll gush more over some particular panels after the jump below. Beware though – they could be thought spoilery by some.

Onto the story, this follows the Mystique arc but to really get James’s motivation you’ll have to hearken all the way back to Wolverine Goes To Hell. Here his soul was sent to hell by a grassroots hate Wolverine group run by a Ross Perot look-a-like that calls itself The Red Right Hand with help from Mystique. While he was out of his body some demons from the pit of hell filled the void where James soul used to be. While controlling the body they killed and attacked people James cares about. If that wasn’t bad enough when he got back into his body he had to fight the demons out. All that pissed him off and he’s out to get revenge on the Red Right Hand for putting him through that. That’s our story.

He goes to their headquarters and takes his revenge. To get to the members he has to fight his way through the mutant team that takes orders from the group. That team calls themselves the Mauraders. Logan kills them all taking on the apparent leader of them, Gunhawk, last. When he finally gets to the group he learns that his quest for revenge was the ultimate weapon the Red Right Hand wielded against him. His revenge in the end wasn’t sweet but instead soul wrenching, his soul is the one most wrenched. He ignored Angelic Kurt’s advice to give up vengeance and pays a high price. I won’t spoil it here for you but it’s a kicker! One that changes James Howlett, hopefully, forever.

Inter cut between the battles with the various Mauraders we get the bios of the prominent members of the Red Right Hand. We learn that James killed Ross’s dad years ago. Ross’s dad wasn’t a good man and had killed an old woman among other things. But as is often the perspective Ross sees his dad as a good man and makes it his life’s purpose to kill James. He recruits others hurt by James to help him pull this off. We learn how Veil Lady, Trucker Hat, Japanese Woman, and the Boy all lost people they loved to Logan’s killing ability and how Ross recruited them.

I like this arc on many levels. One we get to see the inadvertent pain caused by superheroes. I’m sure most heroes in Marvel universe have a Trucker Hat type story out there that they might not know about. Where superhero and supervillian action harms bystanders. (Wasn’t that the catalyst for the whole Civil War/Mutant registration thing?) I’m sure ordinary people trying to help in the supers battles are harmed just like in the Boy’s story. I don’t think these are things Wolverine cornered the market on but I do think they are things that would effect that fortressed heart of his deeply.

Also I like all the growth potential here for James Howlett. He has reason to stop going on these murderous revenge marches. He has reasons for taking on responsibility for kids and seeing that they aren’t pawns of organizations like the Red Right Hand. He has reasons to grow as a character and not be stuck in the same old tired story lines rehashed and retold with slight variations like say set in San Francisco with no flashbacks. Only time will tell if Marvel finally grew up enough to move a story forward letting go of what sold well a decade or more ago.

Next are two issues that show how Logan deals with being the living one most harmed by his own revenge. How does a man who has dealt with pain by acting out his rage deal with the pain caused by that rage? What if because of his own mutation he can’t be destroyed by it, what then? Issues 15 and 16 answer that.

Now for the SPOILERY bits with page or panel scans and comments after the jump:
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August 1, 2012