New Avengers #42
Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Pencils: Jim Cheung; Inks: John Dell

I am getting so tired of these interminable flashbacks.

Yes, I know that Brian Michael David Bendis has been planning Secret Invasion meticulously since before he was born. I just don’t need to read about every single freakin’ detail of the Skrulls plan in every single freakin’ issue of ‘New Avengers’ and ‘Mighty Avengers’ for the past three freakin’ months!

TMI. OK?

And while I’m ranting, it would be helpful if Jim Cheung could draw characters so we know who is who. The sequence between ‘Jessica Drew’ and Madame Hydra is so unbelievably confusing because both characters look exactly the same.

Oh and Wolverine cameos in a flashback.

From Marvel (preview): “For 42 issues readers of New Avengers have wondered, who caused the breakout in New Avengers #1 and why? And how was this the real start of the SECRET INVASION? Find out right here!” On sale June 25, 2008.

Mike Wieringo Tribute #1
“All Possible Worlds”
Writer: Jeff Parker:
Penciler: Mike Wieringo et al: Inker: Karl Kesel et al

Mike Wieringo tragically passed away last year at the age of 44.

Hero Initiative and Marvel Comics tastefully and lovingly present the final story he worked on, bringing a host of Mike’s closest friends to finish the issue.

The story itself (the ‘new’ Fantastic Four of Wolverine, Hulk, Ghost Rider and Spider-Man) is fairly forgettable as are most ‘What If?’ tales, but the love and caring from his colleagues are palpable, making for a very special issue.

From Marvel (preview): “Before artist Mike Wieringo passed away, he had completed seven pages of a What If? story featuring the ‘replacement’ Fantastic Four: Spider-Man, the Hulk, Ghost Rider and Wolverine! Marvel Comics generously donated the script and Mike’s art to The Hero Initiative. Mike’s talented friends and fans stepped up to finish the story, and pay tribute to Mike in this great tale!

“This awesome 48-page book contains the full story, and additional written tributes to Mike, and includes artists Arthur Adams, Paul Renaud, Stuart Immonen, Cully Hamner, Alan Davis, David Williams, Sanford Greene, Humberto Ramos, Skottie Young, Mike Allred, and Barry Kitson.” On sale June 25, 2008.

Wolverine: First Class #4
“The Last Knights of Wundagore, Part Two”
Writer: Fred Van Lente
Artist: Salva Espin

Looking at the abysmal sales of this series (22,430 for issue 3), it makes me wonder if ‘Wolverine: First Class’ is perceived as a comic for kids. Which is a shame, for it cleverly honors the Wolverine and Kitty Pryde of the 1980s, an era that few kids would go back and read.

That said, it would be refreshing for Marvel to produce kids comics of this quality for the series is a hoot, adding classic lines to the mythos such as Wolverine pronouncing, “I’m the best at what I do. And what I do is… is… RUN!”

If you’re undecided on ‘Wolverine: First Class,’ let me recommend you take a look at the synopsis page… perhaps the best in comics today.

From Marvel (preview): “Wolverine has been ‘evolved’ out of his berserker instincts… Kitty Pryde has been mutated into a half-cat, half-human creature… And they are all that stands between an unsuspecting Earth and the ravenous hordes of the rampaging MAN-BEAST!” On sale June 25, 2008.

Ultimates 3 #4
Writer: Jeph Loeb
Artist: Joe Madureira

Four months since the last issue.

I mean who remembers what’s going on after four months?

And after such a long gap, is it possible to not use dialogue from ‘The Terminator’ like, “Come with me if you want to live.”

Ugh.

So excuse my while I reread the previous issues.

Hmmm… Testosterone on overdrive. Psycho Hawkeye shoots Wolverine repeatedly. Captain America admonishes Hawkeye for cursing (but not for shooting Wolverine). Cool Tyrannosaurus Rex. Unbelievably stupid Black Panther twist.

Wow. This really is a crappy series (and yes, Wolverine does appear, uttering perhaps the best line of the issue, “The @#$%ing Juggernaut!?).

But the best news is that the Ultimate universe as a whole may finally be coming to a close in a few months with ‘Ultimatum.’

That is if the next issue of ‘Ultimates 3’ ever comes out.

From Marvel: “Who rules the Savage Land? Who could possibly challenge Magneto’s authority? How about the Ultimates with special guest Wolverine! Plus: back in NYC, the Wasp makes a discovery that will change everything!” On sale February 19, 2008.

Uncanny X-Men #499
“Divided We Stand, Part Five”
Writer: Ed Brubaker
Artists: Mike Choi & Ben Oliver

I’d like to ignore the hippy plot again, but Cyclops’ line, “Emma! Watch your flank!” and her response (“My what?!”) is simply too priceless.

Another strong fight sequence by Brubaker and Choi, this time with Wolverine and Colossus battling Omega Red. And an especially memorable ending to their fight makes me wonder why they didn’t use this tactic in the past.

Unfortunately, the ending is a little hokey, setting the stage for ‘Uncanny X-Men’ #500 and the X-Men’s relocation to San Francisco?!

From Marvel (preview): “‘X-Men: Divided We Stand’ comes to its shocking conclusion! Cyclops and Emma come face to face against former allies. Colossus, Wolverine and Nightcrawler scramble to get out of Russia alive. Witness the new status quo for the X-Men that will define their future!” On sale June 25, 2008.

Wolverine: Origins #26
“Son of X”
Writer: Daniel Way
Artist: Stephen Segovia

Appalling.

After such a strong issue last month, it kills me to see ‘Wolverine: Origins’ slip back to its old ways.

Logan is again shown at his absolute moral worst, descending this time to legitimate war criminal status.

If I didn’t like the character so much, I would drop this series.

By any standard, Logan should be brought up on crimes against humanity and executed.

Wolverine is no longer a failed samurai. He is no longer a man who kills. He is a mass murderer.

Is there no one at Marvel who will stand up and say enough is enough?

From Marvel (preview): “The origin of Daken, the son of Wolverine! Decades ago, during his time in Jasmine Falls, Wolverine fathered a child…a child whom he thought died with its mother. But Wolverine was mistaken—the child grew into a man. And that man just may be the deadliest being on the face of the Earth. How did that happen? Find out here!” On sale June 25, 2008.

Readers seem to be enjoying these charts, so let’s take a look at the current ‘Wolverine’ series through issue 65 (not including Mark Millar’s ‘Old Man Logan’ from issue 66). As with all these charts, the actual data comes from the monthly top 300 charts generated by ICv2.com.

The relaunch of ‘Wolverine’ (Vol. 2) by Greg Rucka and Darick Robertson — also referred to as Vol. 3 over confusion whether ‘Wolverine’ from 1982 was Vol. 1 or just a limited series — kicked off with impressive sales of 158,787 in May 2003 before dropping to the 60,000 range over the next 18 months.

The letters on the chart above correspond to spikes in sales (some significant, some not so) and are as follows:

– A: Issue 20 with sales of 116,831 started Mark Millar and John Romita, Jr.’s ‘Enemy of the State’ run.
– B: Issue 26 with sales of 105,984 began Millar and Romita’s sequel, ‘Agent of SHIELD.”
– C: Issue 32 with sales of 89,026 was Mark Millar’s ‘Prisoner Number Zero.’
– D: Issue 36 with sales of 85,969 launched Daniel Way’s ‘Origins and Endings’ the beginning of the ‘Wolverine: Origins’ storyline.
– E: Issue 45 with sales of 108,680 opened the Civil War crossover ‘Vendetta’ by Marc Guggenheim and Humberto Ramos.
– F: Issue 50 with sales of 115,621 commenced the final Wolverine-Sabretooth tale by Jeph Loeb and Simone Bianchi.
– G: Issue 55 with sales of 130,707 finished the Wolverine-Sabretooth storyline in emphatic fashion.
– H: Issue 58 with sales of 83,810 initiated the first chapter of Marc Guggenheim and Howard Chaykin’s ‘Logan Dies’ arc.

Unfortunately, the last six months, covering the end of ‘Logan Dies’ and all of the ‘Get Mystique’ arc, features the lowest sales of the past five years. One suspects, however, that ‘Old Man Logan’ will result in a huge spike.

But if history is any guide, those sales won’t last.

I think the above chart really says it all, but I’m going to blather on about it anyway.

On a lark, I decided to review sales for the various series that Wolverine stars in or appears in (data coming from the monthly top 300 charts generated by ICv2.com).

As you can see, ‘Wolverine: Origins’ kicked off with an impressive 150,283 orders in April 2006 but has steadily plummeted over the course of the last two plus years (covering the first 25 issues of the run). In fact, the drop is so precipitous that the book, written by Daniel Way and illustrated by Steve Dillon, has lost a staggering two-thirds of its audience in that time.

As an aside, please let me know if you enjoyed this feature. I have sales data going back all the way to 2000 so I can do similar analysis to any number of Wolverine-related titles.

Marvel Adventures The Avengers #25
“Who Wants to Be a (Different) Super Hero?”
Writer: Jeff Parker
Penciler: Ig Guara; Inker: Sandro Ribeiro

Maybe it was the ‘Brady Bunch’ cover that finally made me realize that ‘Marvel Adventures’ is Marvel’s version of the situation comedy.

Unfortunately, the level of writing is that of a bad Saturday morning cartoon, making the plots of ‘Three’s Company’ look sophisticated by comparison.

And perhaps that is not by accident as ‘Marvel Adventures’ are specifically created to be sold through Wal-Mart, Target and other mass market outlets for the kid market (see CBR’s Touring the Marvel Adventures Universe for more details).

Now I have kids. And they wouldn’t touch this stuff if I paid them. They are obsessed with manga like Naruto and Death Note and the only Marvel title they genuinely enjoy is ‘Runaways,’ a well-written series about a group of kids who discover their parents are actually super-villains (created by Brian K. Vaughan and currently written by Joss Whedon).

So if you want to emulate sitcoms, why not trying something that deftly balances stupid humor with clever writing like my kids’ favorite show, ‘My Name Is Earl.’

And Marvel already has the perfect character for the series.

Ladies and gentlemen, let me suggest My Name Is Deadpool.

From Marvel (preview): “You’re smart. DARN smart. You’re so ahead of the curve, you’ve had your head removed and let your face be broadcast by a tv screen in your chest. That’s not just smart, that’s Arnim Zola Smart. And if the Avengers try to go up against that, well you can just switch their minds around so they don’t know what to do with themselves. Oh Zola, you make M.O.D.O.C. look like a common street thug! ” On sale June 18, 2008.

Ultimate X-Men #95
‘Absolute Power, Part 2’
Writer: Aron E. Coleite
Penciler: Mark Brooks; Inker: Jaime Mendoza
Artist (opening/closing): Brandon Peterson

I’m still having a little trouble with the outrage exhibited in this issue (and last issue) over the Banshee drug. I know it’s supposed to be a cross between steroids and heroin, but it just doesn’t work for me on an emotional level.

To be honest, the indignation feels a little force-fed. Perhaps if this had been building over the past year, it would flow more naturally. And if the continued use of the Banshee drug genuinely creates rage issues, then why haven’t we witnessed that effect with Colossus earlier in the series?

All in all, not a bad issue. But I’m just not buying the indignation. Especially Wolverine’s rant in the middle of the issue.

From Marvel (preview): “HEROES writer Aron Eli Coleite continues his run – and introduces a team of X-Men like you’ve never seen before! Who are Ultimate Alpha Flight? What do they want with Northstar? What is Colossus willing to do to get him back? And just wait until you see that last-page shocker!” On sale June 18, 2008.