Wolverine “appeared” in four titles this week (January 28, 2009), but the bigger news was the release of ‘Hulk vs. Wolverine on DVD’ (see news and my review) as well as the ‘Wolverine and the X-Men’ animated series (news/open thread and my review) on NickToons (new episode tonight at 8pm!).

Oh, and the beta launch of the Wolverine Files Forums…

But on with the reviews of a rather weak week for Wolverine…

Wolverine: First Class #11 (preview)
“The Pack, Part II”
Writer: Fred Van Lente
Artist: Hugo Petrus

I’m usually a big fan of Fred Van Lente and ‘Wolverine: First Class’ in general.

But this Werewolf-Wolverine storyline is genuinely dreadful.

Neat concept. Poor execution.

Hopefully Van Lente’s final issue will go out on a better note…

X-Force#11 (preview)
“Who the Hell Is Eli Bard?”
Writers: Craig Kyle & Christopher Yost
Art: Alina Urusov & Clayton Crain

Oh my God is this one boring.

Even the characters in the story get bored with the story of Eli Bard.

New Avengers #49 (preview)
Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Pencils: Billy Tan; Inks: Matt Banning

Excellent story. I don’t like the twist, but excellent story nonetheless.

And Wolverine does appear, albeit briefly, setting the stage for a big showdown with the Dark Avengers…

Marvels: Eye of the Camera #3 (preview)
“Shadows Within”
Writers: Kurt Busiek & Roger Stern
Artist: Jay Anacleto

Wolverine cameos only as an artist’s sketch which can be seen in the preview…

So… feel free to share your opinion in the comments below OR join in on the fun in the Wolverine Files Forums…

From 2008 to 2009, Wolverine Files highlighted, in chronological order, iconic Wolverine covers and their homages. Want to start at the beginning? Click here…

Where is the cover to Wolverine #3 (Limited Series), you ask?

Well, the short answer is it’s you’re going to have to scroll down for that. The longer answer is that the cover just didn’t work for me in the same way the first two did.

And for that matter, it didn’t match up to the tremendous cover for Wolverine #4 (Limited Series) by Frank Miller and Josef Rubinstein…

And while we are wrapping up the Wolverine Limited Series, let me remind folks out that continuity was so important in comics back in 1982 and 1983, that Wolverine didn’t appear in Uncanny X-Men for three months to make the chronology work just right. And for two of those months, Wolverine didn’t appear in a single comic.

Can you imagine?

Two whole months without a single Wolverine appearance.

Next up is the promised cover to issue #3 by Frank Miller and Josef Rubinstein. Not a bad cover. Just not iconic enough to make my list of truly classic Wolverine covers…

However, the final panel of Wolverine #4 (Limited Series), also by Frank Miller, Josef Rubinstein and someone by the name of Chris Claremont, is as shocking a moment as I have ever had reading comics…

Wolverine getting married?

That may have been the single most unexpected panel I’ve ever read.

Previous  Cover: Wolverine #2 (limited series) | Next: Uncanny X-Men #172

Want to see the Classic Wolverine Covers from the beginning? Start here…

Lots of updates this time starting with a new header for the website at the top of this page.

In addition, I’ve made some minor changes to the existing chronology, adding…
–Wolverine: Origins #31 to 006: The Lost Years
–Wolverine (vol. 2) #58 to 010: Landau, Luckman and Lake (and Jasmine Falls)
–Wolverine: Agent of Atlas #1, 2 and 3 to 013: Secret Agent Man, eh?

And finally, I’ve updated and launched new versions of…
–017: The Ultimate Warrior
–018: Escape from Weapon X
–019: The Hudsons

Oh, right.

There is one other thing I almost forgot to mention.

With the generous help of Gabriel Zero, we are launching the beta test for…

The Wolverine Files Forums

Yup… message boards all about Wolverine.

So check them out, play around with them and let us know what you think!

‘Hulk vs. Wolverine’ was released today on DVD.

And while the myriad previews are almost as long as the animated feature itself  — about 33 minutes without the credits — it really can be broken down into three equal parts.

The first 11 minutes are perhaps the best 11 minutes I have ever seen in a superhero cartoon. Wolverine is awesome, the battle with the Hulk is even better and the bloody violence is a sight to behold. And mixed in is a wonderful homage to an iconic Wolverine/Hulk cover.

Unfortunately, the next 11 minutes quickly shift into an overly confusing Weapon X/Team X mishmash with Sabretooth, Lady Deathstrike and Omega Red! The only saving grace is Deadpool. And what a saving grace he is, for Deadpool absolutely steals the show with his shockingly funny one liners and non sequiturs.

Thankfully, the final 11 minutes pick the action back up, blending  jaw-dropping fight sequences, dark humor and, of course, classic Wolverine to pull off a rousing finale.

And make sure to sit through the end credits — there is a great closing clip well worth your time.

More Hulk vs. stories from around the Web…
—Newsarama ‘Hulk vs.’ DVD Review…
—Frank Paur on Directing ‘Hulk vs.’ (CBR)…
—More from Frank Paul on ‘Hulk vs.’ (Newsarama)…

The ‘Hulk vs.‘ DVD arrives in stores this Tuesday, January 27…
—Marvel.com has Exclusive Concept Art and Exclusive Images…

In Wolverine Comic Book news…
—Marvel’s April 2009 solicitations goes a little Wolverine crazy with Rampaging Wolverine #1, Wolverine #72, Wolverine: The Anniversary, Wolverine: First Class #14, Wolverine Magazine #1, Wolverine Noir #1, Wolverine: Origins #35, Wolverine: Weapon X #1, Wolverine: Weapon X Files, X-Men Origins: Wolverine #1, Ultimate Wolverine vs. Hulk #4 and 5, and that doesn’t even touch the titles he appears in that don’t bear his name!
–From ComicBookResources, the X-Men prepare for the Messiah War…
–From Marvel.com, previews of Ultimate X-Men #100 and X-Men Origins: Sabretooth #1…
–From IGN.com, preview of Ultimate Wolverine vs. Hulk #3 …

In ‘X-Men Origins: Wolverine’ Movie News…
–-Ain’t It Cool News: Hugh Jackman email on Wolverine reshoots…
–-ComicBookResources: Hugh Jackman video interview on ‘X-Men Origins: Wolverine’…

Comics Previews of probable Wolverine appearances this week…
–Marvels: Eye of the Camera #3 (preview): Wolverine cameo confirmed…
–New Avengers #49 (preview): Luke Cage stars, not sure about Wolverine…
–Wolverine: First Class#11 (preview): Werewolf Wolverine continues…
–X-Force #11 (preview): Who the Hell is Eli Bard?

As everyone undoubtedly knows, ‘Wolverine and the X-Men’ premiered on Friday with the first two parts of the three-part pilot, Hindsight. And if you haven’t had a chance to see the episodes, you can watch both episodes here.

Here are my initial thoughts…

• Animation: Very ‘Batman: The Animated Series’. Really works for me…
• Music: Nice mixture of Batman music with a dash of James Bond…
• Story: Great blend of the X-Men movie universe and the X-Men comic book universe. I also liked very much that this takes place in the middle of the story and that there is lot still to be told. Hopefully, each episode will add to the total picture as we try to piece together the back story.
• Wolverine: I really like that Wolverine is portrayed as the failed samurai here. And much to my surprise, his friendship with Beast works quite well. Oh, and his voice rocks…

Make sure not to miss the review from Newsarama.com, ‘Wolverine and the X-Men’ review…

Now that it’s been a few days, what do you think?

‘Wolverine and the X-Men’ premieres tonight on Nicktoons at 8pm.

And remember, two episodes, Hindsight, Part 1 and Part 2, will be airing.

UPDATE: Watch the first two episodes here!

In more news on the ‘Wolverine and the X-Men’ animated series…
-The official site has gone through a major upgrade…
-Marvel has posted more video spotlights for Iceman, Nightcrawler, Emma Frost and Wolverine, in addition to Cyclops, Rogue, Beast and Storm…
-Marvel has also posted a special ‘One Word’ Video…
–Exclusive ‘Wolverine and the X-Men’ images…

Wolverine “appeared” in eight titles from this week (January 21, 2009), two reviewed yesterday (Wolverine: Origins #32 and Dark Avengers #1) and six more here…

Weapon X: First Class #3 (preview)
“The Devil Inside”
Writer: Marc Sumerak
Artist: Mark Robinson

“The Job”
Writer: Marc Sumerak
Artist: Tim Seeley

As much as I’ve enjoyed this series, this issue is a bit of a letdown.

Probably would have worked perfectly as a ‘Wolverine: First Class’ Annual or ‘Weapon X: First Class’ special one-shot…

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Astonishing X-Men #28 (preview)
Writer: Warren Ellis
Penciler: Simone Bianchi; Inkers: Simone Bianchi and Andrea Silvestri

This story is getting a lot better and there are some genuinely awesome Wolverine moments…

Manifest Destiny #5 (preview)
“Nick’s”
Writer: Frank Tieri
Artist: Ben Oliver

Wolverine gets to play the tough guy in the second story of the issue.

And for Frank Tieri, it’s pretty good!

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X-Men Legacy #220 (preview)
Writer: Mike Carey
Penciler: Scot Eaton
Inker: Andrew Hennessy

Though Wolverine graces the cover, he only appears on one page via an Australian Outback flashback…

Mighty Avengers #21 (preview)
“The Smartest Man in the Room”
Writer: Dan Slott
Penciler: Khoi Pham
Inker: Allen Martinez & Danny Miki

Utterly baffling story by Dan Slott includes the death of Wolverine.

Really.

Is that a spoiler?

Marvel Adventures the Avengers #32 (preview)
“The Big Payoff”
Writer: Paul Tobin
Penciler: Matteo Lolli
Inker: Christian Vecchia

Wolverine’s on the cover, but AWOL inside (thankfully) because he doesn’t pay his taxes.

Wolverine: Origins #32
“Family Business, Conclusion”
Writer: Daniel Way
Penciler: Yanick Paquette
Inks: Michel Lacombe

I know everyone keeps telling me I’m crazy when I say that ‘Wolverine: Origins’ is really more about Daken than it is about Wolverine, but it certainly feels that way right now.

And as I’ve said before… I really don’t really Daken.

Just look at the title of this website. It’s Wolverine Files, not Daken Files.

And the artwork is genuinely dreadful, especially in comparison to the refreshing work from Mike Deodato…

From Marvel (preview): “Wolverine and Daken go toe-to-toe with one of the most sadistic villains in the Marvel Universe: CYBER! Looking to settle scores on many fronts, Cyber has returned to wreak havoc! How will Wolverine defeat the one man he’s ever feared…and how can he trust his son not to betray him?” On sale January 21, 2009.

Dark Avengers #1
Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Art: Mike Deodato

A direct tie-in to ‘Wolverine: Origins’ with a few pleasant surprises and twists.

And you get Mike Deodato…

I am intrigued to see where Brian Michael Henry Bendis is going to take this.

It’s certainly a lot better than the travesty that was ‘Secret Invasion’…

From Marvel (preview): “The start of an explosive new era in the Avengers mythos! Who are the Dark Avengers? Who is the Iron Patriot? The answers will shock you” On sale January 21, 2009.

From 2008 to 2009, Wolverine Files highlighted, in chronological order, iconic Wolverine covers and their homages. Want to start at the beginning? Click here…

You don’t get much more iconic than the cover from Wolverine #2 (Limited Series) by Frank Miller and Josef Rubinstein…

And for those of us who read this series as it came out in 1982, the following by Chris Claremont from the trade paperback collection sums up our feelings about Wolverine pretty well…

I told him (Frank Miller) the idea that had been swirling around in my skull for some time — that the essence of Wolvie’s character was a ‘failed samurai.’ To samurai, duty is all, selfless service the path to their ultimate ambition, death with grace. Every facet, every moment of their lives, is absolutely under control. Wolverine, however, is almost a primal life force totally beyond control, as graceless as can be. The one might be considered the ultimate expression of humanity — wherein the will, the intellect, totally overmaster all other aspects of existence — while the other is total animal.

First up is my favorite Frank Miller rendering of Wolverine and one of my top five favorite Wolverine panel of all time, at least until someone by the name of John Cassaday started working on Astonishing X-Men. If I could only find it without the horrible color blotches!

As for the trade paperback, such collections were quite rare in the 1980s due to the strength and profitability of the back issue market. So when this limited series was finally collected as a trade paperback some five years later in 1987, Frank Miller provided the following cover to match his new Dark Knight Returns art style…

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Want to see the Classic Wolverine Covers from the beginning? Start here…