Hey, everyone… Welcome once again to the weekly (or more) review of your friendly Wolverine issues. This week we have one of the by far weirdest comics I have had the pleasure to read in a long time. Without further “adieu”:

Ultimate Wolverine vs Hulk #5
(preview | thread)
Writer: Damon Lindelof
Penciler: Leinil Francis Yu

SPOILERS BELOW…

Part One: In Which Logan Pisses Off a Panda – Logan gets to spend some quality time with his spirit guide while in between life and death. Unfortunately for both of them it is a Panda that does not like to be called cute. During the inevitable brawl, the Panda gives Logan some good advice. Do not mention anything about She-Hulk from last issue or anything Logan might have heard during the fight.

Part Two: In Which Logan Loses his Head – We find out why Logan was hallucinating. He is a prisoner of Nick Fury in Triskelion and he is only a severed head. He is managing to breathe through his skin and even survived a total vacuum. How he manages to talk is anyone’s guess. But he does get interrogated by Nick Fury about what happened during the Hulk/She-Hulk fight. This apparently ended when Fury nuked the whole area. Logan sticks to his Panda’s advice and does not reveal any details right up until Fury shoots him in the head.

Part Three: In Which We Once Again Flash Back in Time to Explain Things – We see the fight from Logan’s perspective as he’s putting his body back together. Hulk and She-Hulk either fight or have sex or both. He reveals some details including She-Hulks profession of Love just before the Hulk smashes the nuclear missile.

Part Four: In Which Logan Makes a Valuable Ally in His Toilet Bowl – Logan, once again a whole person, is shackled in the prison of the Triskelion which is a room with no doors. He’s not in there long before the mutant inventor Forge shows up in his toliet trying to escape. Forge has invented a tuning fork which allowed him to phase and was using the plumbing to flee. With a little motivation he takes Wolverine along for the ride. Returning to Forge’s base, he makes Wolverine two unbreakable collars, one for a male and the other for a female. Then Wolverine reveals the final piece of information, where the Hulk was going.

Part Five: In Which Logan Ignores the Panda’s Advice and Thusly Screws Himself Good at the End of the Issue – We see, from Fury’s point of view, Wolverine telling Forge that he is going to Casablanca. Which sets up the conflict for next issue with Wolverine, Fury, Hulk and She-Hulk all descending on the unsuspecting town.

MY TAKE:  This issue was quite simply insane, but entertainingly so. It did not make a whole lot of sense but I certainly found myself smiling quite a bit while reading it. To say that it strained credibility even for comic book would be an understatement of gigantic proportions. In the issue we saw Wolverine survive a nuclear blast at ground zero, become a literal talking head and be saved by a mutant from the commode. But of course all of this pales to comparison of Wolverine having a Panda for a Spirit Animal.

On a more practical note, I am glad that this series has finally moved forward. While all of the back story and set up has been entertaining, I have been waiting for Wolverine to be put back together since issue 1. The series is called Ultimate Wolverine vs Hulk and so far we have seen very little fighting between the two. There has been plenty of discussions, the introduction of a new character or two and a lot of reasons to want to beat up Nick Fury, but not much slashing and bashing.

To that end I could have done without a lot of the weirder aspects of this story in favor of getting to the actual conflict. But it was hard not to be amused by the story that was put together. While I do hope next issue is a bit more action oriented, I almost do not care any more about the fighting. After this issue I have no clue how it is going to end next month but I will certainly be there to read it.

Thanks for reading my review for Wolverine Files. I will be keeping to this format for the most part but please keep the comments coming and I will see everyone again next week if not before.

We are only days away from ‘X-Men Origins: Wolverine’ debuting in theaters nationwide and the movie reviews are starting to pour in.

And it doesn’t look good for ‘Wolverine’…

–Reuters: Film Critics Take Sharp Claws to ‘Wolverine’ (details)
–RottenTomatoes: Is Wolverine Marvelous? (details | 20 Reviews – Tomatometer at 41%)
–CBR: Flawed, but Fun (details)

That said, I am still reserving my judgement until I see it on Friday. But I will go in with lessened expectations, and trying to find the positive instead of the negative.

A fairly tough task for a curmudgeon like me…

In More Wolverine Movie News…
–Marvel: On the Red Carpet with Hugh Jackman (details)
–Marvel: ‘X-Men Origins: Wolverine’ Profiles (Gambit | Sabretooth & Emma Frost | Wade Wilson & William Stryker)
–E! Online: First the Bootleg, Now Swine Flu — ‘Wolverine’ Unlucky Streak Continues (details)
–SplashPage: Jackman Talking to Writers About Sequel in Japan (details | thread)
–SplashPage: Five Villains We Want to See in Wolverine Sequel (details)
–Marvel: Hugh Jackman Talks Wolverine (details | thread)
–Newsarama: Jackman, Schreiber, Reynolds Talks ‘Wolverine’ (details | thread)
–Dark Horizon: Hugh Jackmen Never Tires of Talking About ‘Wolverine’ (details | thread)

In Other Wolverine News…
–Marvel: ‘Wolverine’ Video Game (Q&A | Q&A II | Q&A III)
–Marvel: Marvel vs. Capcom 2 Returns (details | thread)
–DWS Tech: Toonz and Marvel Work on Wolverine Season Two (details | thread)
–Project Rooftop: Wolverine Look Sharp Contest (details | thread)
–Marvel: Wearing Wolverine (details)
–Newsarama: Wolverine’s Top Five Weirdest and Wackiest Adventures (details)

In Wolverine Comic Book News…
–Marvel: Wolverine: Weapon X #2 Preview (details | thread)
–Marvel: Wolverine Free Comic Book Day (details | thread)
–Marvel: Wolverine Costume Guide (details)
–IGN: Wolverine’s Greatest Fights (details)
–IGN: Ultimate Wolverine Bookshelf (details | thread)
–Times Online: Len Wein, Chris Claremont: The Men Who Created Wolverine (details | thread)
–Marvel: The Wolverine Inevitability (details)
–Comicon: Edwards Takes Wolverine on a Wild Ride (details | thread)

The X-Men cartoon, better known as X-Men: The Animated Series, has finally been released on DVD.

Debuting in 1992, X-Men brought a new generation of viewers to the X-Men universe, and deservedly so, as this is a pretty good show.

The series is deeply steeped in actual X-Men lore, from Days of Future Past (in this collection) to the Phoenix Saga (in the next), and does a terrific job touching even the remotest of storylines.

And Cal Dodd is tremendous as Wolverine, getting several classic lines per episode.

While you won’t find any DVD extras, you will find 16 episodes in the first box set for only $17.99 (at Amazon.com) which is a pretty good deal.

• Night of the Sentinels (Part 1)
• Night of the Sentinels (Part 2)
• Enter Magneto
• Deadly Reunions
• Captive Hearts
• Cold Vengeance
• Slave Island
• The Unstoppable Juggernaut
• The Cure
• Come The Apocalypse
• Days Of Future Past (Part 1)
• Days Of Future Past (Part 2)
• The Final Decision
• Till Death Do Us Part (Part 1)
• Till Death Do Us Part (Part 2)
• Whatever It Takes

The second collection is an even better deal with 17 episodes, again sans extras, for $17.99 (again at Amazon.com) including the stunning five-part Phoenix Saga.

• Red Dawn
• Repo Man
• X-Ternally Yours
• Time Fugitives (Part 1)
• Time Fugitives (Part 2)
• A Rogue’s Tale
• Beauty & The Beast
• Mojo Vision
• Reunion (Part 1)
• Reunion (Part 2)
• Out of the Past (Part 1)
• Out of the Past (Part 2)
• The Phoenix Saga (Part 1): Sacrifice
• The Phoenix Saga (Part 2): The Dark Shroud
• The Phoenix Saga (Part 3): Cry of the Banshee
• The Phoenix Saga (Part 4): The Starjammers
• The Phoenix Saga (Part 5): Child of Light

So if you’ve never seen this series, there is no better time to start watching, and if like most of us you loved it the first time, this is a great way to get reacquainted.

We are mere days away from the premiere of the first Wolverine movie and all the assorted hoopla surrounding the kickoff of the summer movie season.

That said, we kick off this week, as we did the past three weeks, with another awesome behind-the-scenes look at the ‘X-Men Origins: X-Men’ video game (see details | threads)…

For those of you planning on getting the game, Gamestop is offering the ‘Uncaged’ version of the game for XBox360 and PS3 with four extra rooms (Custom Combat Arena, Environmental Kill Room, Ladder Challenge Room and Dismemberment Room), available for preorder until May 1.

In Wolverine Movie News…
Lots of movie clips are cropping up across the Internet and we’re doing our best to keep up…
–X-Men Origins: Wolverine Clips/Trailers: SuperHeroHype | Facebook | Yahoo! (threads)
–WolverineFiles Forum: Charles Barkley, Wolverine Fan (details/thread)
–CharityBuzz: Two Prime Tickets for Wolverine Premiere (details)

In Wolverine Comic Book News…
–Marvel: Marvel Juggles Wolverine Schedule (details | thread)
–CBR: Putting Wolverine in Harms’ Way (details | thread)
–Mania: Chris Claremont Interview (details | thread)
–Marvel: ‘Wolverine: Hunger’ #1 As Exclusive Digicomic (details | thread)
–Marvel: Wolverine’s Best Costumes (details | thread)
–Marvel: Marvel Launches Wolverine Hub (details | thread)

Probable (and Possible) Wolverine Appearances in stores on 4/29/09…
–Avengers/Invaders #10 (preview): Will Wolverine get any lines this time?
–Dark Avengers #4 (preview): Daken vs. demons…
–Marvel Adventures the Avengers #35 (details): Wolverine appearance not yet confirmed…
–Marvel Assistant-Sized Spectacular #2 (details): Wolverine appears on the cover…
–Ultimate Wolverine vs. Hulk #5 (preview): The penultimate chapter…
–Uncanny X-Men #509 (preview): No Wolverine in the preview..
–X-Men Origins: Wolverine #1 (preview): The X-Men Origins series continues…
–Wolverine Appreciation Month Covers (thread): Ms. Marvel #38 | Runaways #9
War Machine #5

Wolverine (and Dark Wolverine) appeared in ELEVEN FREAKIN’ TITLES this past week (April 22, 2009).

So to help with the workload, Brian Knippenberg and the man known only as jrpbsp (even to his family) have written up in-depth reviews for:

• Wolverine: Origins #35
• Astonishing X-Men #29
• X-Force #14
• Fantastic Force #1

As for the rest of the titles that they were too lazy to review, here are my non-in-depth thoughts…

Wolverine: First Class #14
(details | thread)
Writer: Peter David
Artist: Ronan Cliquet

Much like the previous issue, we are treated to a story more in line with ‘Marvel Team-Up’ starring Wolverine, Daredevil, Elektra and Kitty Pryde.

And the absurd demonic mask plot would feel more at home in ‘Jackie Chan Adventures’ than in First Class.

The art, too, is surprisingly pedestrian.

Just look at the first two panels of page two. Quick, which one is Wolverine and which one is Elektra? I honestly had to stare and compare the two to figure out who was who. Obviously, Elektra is in desperate need of a brow trimming.

Even Kitty Pryde, her friend Sarah, and Keli Saga look nearly identical.

Oh and the really cool cover? Has absolutely nothing to do with the issue.

Sigh…

Wolverine: The Anniversary #1
(preview | thread)
“The Anniversary”
Writer: William Harms
Artist: Jefte Palo

Wonderful art by Jefte Palo, but the story by William Harms is rather run-of-the-mill. Wolverine travels to Japan by commercial airliner only to discover hijackers preparing for a 9/11-style terrorist attack.  What follows is fairly predictable on the one hand and over-the-top on the other. I mean, does Wolverine really need to claw his way from the belly of the plane to the cockpit — on the OUTSIDE OF THE PLANE?!?

“Ghosts”
Writer: Jonathan Maberry
Artist: Tomm Coker

Very sweet story, very beautiful artwork.

And Logan kills a ton of ninjas.

It doesn’t get much better than this…

New Avengers #52
(preview | thread)
Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Art: Billy Tan, Matt Banning and Justin Ponsor & Chris Bachalo, Tim Townsend and Antonia Fabela

Not much of a Wolverine issue, but entertaining regardless.

And the pages by Chris Bachalo simply rock…

Incredible Hercules #128
(details | thread)
Writers: Greg Pak & Fred Van Lente
Pencils: Dietrich Smith
Inks: Terry Pallot

Having enjoyed the old Hercules miniseries from back in the 1980s and the writings of Fred Van Lente in the present, I was looking forward to this issue and the Daken appearance herein.

Suffice it to say that the humor really didn’t work for me and I’ll be happy if there are no more Wolverine appearance (Dark or not)  in this series any time soon…

Wolverine: Weapon X Files
(details | thread)
Head Writer/Coordinator: Jeff Christiansen

Another Wolverine handbook, but this time dedicated to many of the secondary characters to run through Wolverine’s past: Azrael; Daken; Deadpool; Kimora; Landau, Luckman & Lake; Maverick; Muramasa; Sabretooth; Seraph; Silver Fox; John Wraith; and Unceglia to name just a few.

There is no attempt to reveal anything new in the profiles or even to connect the dots but it is a useful guide if you are interested in Wolverine’s past and aren’t familiar with all of the names listed above.

That said, there is an interesting listing for John Howlett, Jr. (James Howlett’s older brother) that places the events of ‘Wolverine: The End’ firmly in the alternate universe of Earth 4011…

Marvels: Eye of the Camera #5 (preview) features a brief Wolverine cameo from Uncanny X-Men #200, while in X-Men: The Times and Life of Lucas Bishop #2 (preview), Wolverine’s image appears twice in generic flashbacks…

What do you think? Feel free to share your opinion in the comments below OR join in on the fun in the Wolverine Files Forums…

Hi, folks…your friendly neighborhood Brian Knippenberg here! We’re rollin’ on ahead with the reviews! Without further ado…

Wolverine: Origins #35
(preview | thread)
Writers: Daniel Way
Art: Doug Braithwaite

We’ll be breaking this review down into a recap and then sum up with my thoughts. If you wish to avoid spoilers, then proceed to ‘Thoughts From A Human’s Point of View’.

THE SET-UP: Recently, Daken had donned the guise of Wolverine and joined Norman Osborn’s Avengers team in an effort to discredit his father. He launches a plan to steal the Muramasa blade to have it’s metal (the one thing that can kill his father) bonded to him. He lures the X-Men into an open trap at Prospect Park, Brooklyn only to have Wolverine intervene.

SPOILERS BELOW…

THERE CAN BE ONLY ONE: We open the issue with a flashback as Wolverine remembers the tragic loss of Itsu and how the legendary swordsmith, Muramasa channels Logan’s rage and forges it into the powerful and unique Muramasa blade.

STANDOFF AT PROSPECT PARK: The battle between the X-Men and Daken continues from last issue until both Cyclops and Daken make a run for the blade. Cyclops closes in only to have the weapon snatched away by Daken! Daken maneuvers quickly enough in an attempt to lop off the X-Leader’s head, only to have the young mutant, Armor, jump between them at the last second. As powerful as the Muramasa blade is, it is no match for Armor’s psionic shield. However, the impact from the blow causes an explosive feedback, scattering the opponents every which way. Wolverine and Daken, both groggy and disoriented, both go for the blade with Wolverine the victor…until they both pass out. When Wolverine awakens, he discovers that Daken has broken off a piece of the blade, which is all he needs for his plans.

BEYOND SALVATION: Wolverine helps up an injured and angry Cyclops and tells him what Daken has done. He also tells him that he cannot give him back the Muramasa Blade, which Cyclops also refuses. Instead, he orders Wolverine to track Daken down with it and deal with him, permanently. Wolverine refuses to kill his own son only to have Cyclops admonish him, saying that Daken is beyond saving and that Wolverine’s quest to do so  is nothing more than selfishness. Wolverine ignores him and walks off.

TINKERER TOYS: Nine hours later…an impatient Tinkerer, whom Daken recruited to help with the bonding process, awaits to meet him somewhere at Grand Central Station, New York. Nick Fury successfully tracks him down and dispatches Wolverine to the scene.

OCCUPIED!: Wolverine, who was nearby,  follows the Tinkerer, making his way through the station as he sees him wheelchair into a men’s bathroom. He waits for the old man to exit, which he never does, and goes in after him. The bathroom seems deserted, no sign of the Tinkerer, and then Wolverine catches a scent. He looks down at one of the men’s room stalls and sees a pair of boots. Suddenly, Wolverine recognizes the scent and is surprised. He quickly launches into action, pulling on his mask and popping his claws as he approaches the stall with lightning speed. As his claws make contact with the stall door, a hulking fist smashes out. Wolverine is pummeled and thrown across the room. As he struggles to get up, he remembers what Nick Fury had told him about the blind and mute baby who was Victor Hudson and how his mother had killed herself before a church congregation, claiming that the baby was taken back by the devil himself into his bosom. Above Wolverine, we see the silent and powerful Victor, fists clenched.

THIS IS NOT THE TRAIN TO THE LAND OF MAKE-BELIEVE: An impatient Tinkerer meets an amused Daken underneath the station, in an abandoned tunnel. An old, derelict train pulls up ready to take them to the next phase of Daken’s plan.

THOUGHTS FROM A HUMAN’S POINT OF VIEW: The struggle to stop Daken’s plan from coming to fruition continues. The X-Men get a chance to redeem themselves a bit, as opposed to last issue’s debacle. Daniel Way does a better job in this issue of portaying their strengths  in battle.

What I still have trouble getting used though (and it’s not Way’s fault) is the relentless Cyclops with his exteme views of dealing with mutantkind’s enemies. It’s a bit jarring.

This book is gelling better with me as it progresses. All-in-all this was a good issue. I admit I wasn’t sure how I felt about the Wolverine/Daken relationship at the beginning, but I grow more invested with every issue. As much as Logan tries to make himself a loner, he’s always drawn to a stable family environment or at least struggles to build his own, until it falls apart. Generally, the X-men “family” has been the most stable one he’s ever had, despite their ups and downs. He’s also played the mentor or father figure role to more than one young, impressionable girl, which I believe makes him feel more grounded. But, he now knows that he has a son, a son who was born from the same type of tragedy and loss that has haunted and plagued his entire existence. And now, as a grown man, he preys upon others in a twisted game of manipulation and death, all to benefit him. It’s easy to see why Logan feels the need to at least try saving him, even if it looks bleak and even if it puts him at odds with those who believe otherwise. In saving him, he’s saving a part of himself. However, the cost in doing so may become too much.

Either way, I am curious to see what blood-stained road that Logan and Daken will travel on next, especially once Romulous enters on-stage.

Feel free to let me know how this review strikes you…Do you like the recap? Is it unnecessary? Share your opinion (or your own review), but please be kind, otherwise you might find me watching the movie Ishtar in an endless loop, until I pass out.

Hey, everyone…Two reviews in two days. I feel all popular or something. I’m guessing this is going to be a semi-regular gig so I hope everyone is enjoying the extra reviews.

Fantastic Force #1
(preview | thread)
Writer: Joe Ahearne
Penciler: Steve Kurth
Inker: Serge Lapointe

SPOILERS BELOW…

QUICK BACKGROUND: 500 years in the future the world is ending. The last seven heroes travel back in time in attempt to save the last 8 billion survivors. Their leader, Sue Storm, infiltrates the Baxter Building as a nanny to steal parts for their time machine while team member Psionics gets really close to Johnny Storm. In the end, with the help of one of the scientists, Alyssa Moy, the team manage to save the surviving humans and transport them to an artificial world called Nu-World. But their leader, Sue Storm, dies during the mission.

TEAM MEMBERS: Hooded Man (Logan) – I assume everyone knows him. Robert Banner Jr. (descendant of the Hulk and Logan’s stepson) – super strong but prefers to use his brain. Lightwave – alien with light powers and father of…  Psionics –  alien and telekinetic. Natalie X – Most powerful telepath in the world. Alex Ultron – Robot descended from Ultron.

RECAP: The story opens with the team arriving on Nu-World and saying goodbye to the Fantastic Four. As soon as they leave, the portal back to Earth is destroyed by Ted Castle. He is the the owner of the planet and attempting to evict the survivors. He is also Alyssa’s ex-husband but he is not willing to listen to reason. He attacks the group with a variety of robots. While the team is fighting the robots, Natalie X reads the plan from Ted’s mind although doing so causes a backlash that knocks her out.  He apparently has help from a very powerful telepath. The true plan is to disconnect the planets heating at the core and freeze out the refugees. But Banner with Alyssa’s help self-destruct the backup portal and trap Ted on the planet causing him to abort his plan.

The group then gathers to rename themselves and pick a new leader. After a message from Sue Storm, they decide on Fantastic Force as their name and pick Lightwave as the leader. The meeting is interrupted by Banner’s mother in Harpy form.

MY TAKE:  I enjoyed this issue more then I had expected to. There was definitely confusion on what was going on to start with but the story quickly sucked me in. It started with a big fight which I felt showcased each characters’ personality although I confess to some initial confusion on the which character were really which when they started using real names. The tactics showcased went from Logan’s violence to Banner’s planning. And it was nice to see intelligence work over brute force in the end. It is rare in comics where thinking trumps smashing things.

Even though these are all pretty much new characters, their personalities and relationships seemed to come through despite or perhaps because of the quick conflict they are exposed to. The plot is simplistic but is moves fast and it becomes a page turner. It’s not great fiction but considering it is a a short limited series it works for quick plot development.

I think it would have been a better read if I had been able to read the initial run in FF but I was entertained anyway. They struck a good balance between recapping the issue and moving the plot forward. If the hints that they dropped in this issue pan out I believe we will be in for a good run of the series. It seems like Marvel reduced the number of issues for this series from five to four. I think this was a bad move because this could be the start of a new and exciting super team for Marvel.

This is my second review for Wolverine Files this week, so  please feel free to give me any feedback. I expect I will be doing one or more reveiws each week so I would like to know if this format and style is working for the readers.

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

Following on the heels of a slew of guest artists, Marc Silvestri finally came on board as the new artist of Uncanny X-Men with issue #220.

And with Uncanny X-Men #221, he delivered a stunning cover with Dan Green that literally blew Wolverine away…

Unfortunately, many Wolverine covers from the same year didn’t hold up quite as well…

Brett Blevins filled in as guest artist for Uncanny X-Men #219 and created a truly evil vision of X-Men, but the cover is more about Havok and the X-Men than Wolverine. Uncanny X-Men #222, on the other hand, is all Wolverine (and Sabretooth), but this cover by Marc Silvestri and Dan Green just doesn’t have the same pop as the classic cover of the previous issue…

Alan Davis and Paul Neary provided the cover for Uncanny X-Men Annual #11, but the issue is known more for Wolverine regenerating from a single drop of blood (really!) than for the cover. And while Spider-Man Versus Wolverine #1 is a great read, the cover by Mark Bright and Al Williamson really doesn’t do the story justice…

Jon Bogdanove and Terry Austin did a terrific job on the Fantastic Four vs. the X-Men miniseries (yup, Marvel liked the versus books back in 1987), but the covers never effectively captured the tension of the series itself. And finally, Wolverine failed to receive that truly classic cover from the X-Men vs. the Avengers miniseries (I told you Marvel liked versus books) by Marc Silvestri and Josef Rubinstein…

Previous Classic Wolverine Cover: Uncanny X-Men #213 | Next: Alpha Flight #52

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

Hey, everyone…Welcome to my second review. The first one went over pretty well so I hope everyone enjoys this one too.

Astonishing X-Men #29
(preview | thread)
Writer: Warren Ellis
Artist: Simone Bianchi

SPOILERS BELOW…

OVERALL GHOST BOX RECAP: Emma, Scott, Logan, Ororo, Hank and Hisako (Armor) get called in on a murder by the SFPD. The victim happens to be an obvious powered individual and after a brief investigation, Hank discovers he is an artificial mutant. The team tracks his killer to a space ship graveyard on Chaparanga Beach. The X-Men, minus Hank, manage to find the killer and and stop him before he activates a device and escapes. He kills himself rather then be caught. Hanks analyzes his blood and discovers he is a different type of artificial mutant. They call in agent Brand of S.W.O.R.D and she identifies the item as a Ghost Box capable of traveling to alternate universes. The trail leads the team to a hidden area in China called Tian. Arrviving there, they discover a hidden mutant stronghold wiped out by M-Day. The team splits up and finds three living mutants who are defeated. They all identify one enemy: Forge.

RECAP: The three mutants are further questioned seperately and reveal that Forge was creating one of the artificial mutant types to defend against an invasion from an alternate world. In this world the mutant population recovered after the first mutant birth happened. Two of the mutants die in the questioning and the third is taken to Forge’s base which is on Wundagore Mountain. The X-Men are allowed to dock and go in to meet with Forge directly.

MOMENT OF NOTE: Wolverine informs Cyclops that his prisoner died during interrogation. Scott’s response “…Right but he talked?” This is definitely not your momma’s Scott Summers.

MY TAKE:  This issue suffers from the same problems I have had with the series since Ellis took over. The ideas are creative and original but the execution has been a little off. The characters all feel like stereotypes or two dimensional versions of themselves. Emma is a rich snob. Scott is a good man doing a bad job. Hank is a scientist. Storm is regal and proud. Wolverine is a savage killer. Hisako is a kid. But those are just parts of who they are and I do not feel that Ellis has a firm grasp of the nuances yet. That said much of his dialogue is good if a bit too realistic for the comic hero world. We do not need to know the details of Hank and Brand’s personal life for example.

The plot is interesting but so far has been very slow. It feels like we are getting only half an issue each time. There are not many panels and a lot of splash pages in the book. What’s worse is there is a fair amount of minutia that doesn’t really further the story. Some items are covered multiple times from different angles and others should simply be skipped.

Now this might sound negative but that is not the case. I do like the story and I am enjoying the journey Ellis is crafting. His characters interact in a realistic way and I feel he is slowly getting a better handle on them. The idea of artificial mutants is one that have been done before but never quite like this and invasion stories are almost always fun. I just wish the pace of the story would speed up since we are only getting issues every two months. It becomes harder to stay invested in the overall arc. Perhaps this is something that will work better in the trade.

Bringing in Forge promises some interesting new dynamics especially with the now married Storm in the group and Wundagore is almost a character in and of itself. With the quality of the  ideas and story that is being told I expect this series will only get better with time.

This is my second review for Wolverine Files, so,  please feel free to give me any feedback. I expect I will be keeping this same format for the reviews since it works well. Once again thanks for reading and hopefully I will talk to everyone again next week.

Hi, folks…your friendly neighborhood Brian Knippenberg back again! I had so much fun reviewing the recent Uncanny X-Men, that they were crazy enough to let me do it again with X-Force! Without further ado…

X-Force #14
(preview | threads)
“Messiah War, Chapter 3”
Writers: Craig Kyle & Christopher Yost
Art: Clayton Crain

We’ll be breaking this review down into a recap and then sum up with my thoughts. If you wish to avoid spoilers, then proceed to ‘Thoughts From A Human’s Point of View’.

SPOILERS BELOW…

FINDING NE…EN SABAH NUR: The issue begins with Bishop landing at a certain point in future time. Bishop thinks to himself how everything that he was “forced” to do, by creating a dead-end future, was having the desired effect of eliminating all of the places that Cable could hide. He hadn’t considered finding other troublesome characters in this future, but follows a lead which brings him to a cave and a technologically-entombed Apocalypse. If it were any other time, he’d put a bullet in his head, but rather thinks that bringing about the end of the world could be  used to his benefit.

…AND IT TURNED INTO A BALLROOM BLITZ: At a later point in time, the members of X-Force, Cable, Hope, and a really-old Deadpool are under attack by a legion of  Stryfe’s armored warriors! Wolverine orders the Vanisher to take off with Elixer and Hope to safety, much to the anger and dismay of Cable who believes that the team’s presence is making things worse by turning them into a bigger target.

AND NOW, A WORD FROM OUR FUTURE RULER: At the Celestial City, Stryfe receives word from an underling that “The Forsaken One” (Cable) is with the others. An impatient Bishop nearly blows it by demanding to know who else is with him, to a curious Stryfe. Bishop is relieved to know that his Psi-Shields did not give away the existence of Hope. Stryfe senses that some of the X-Men are with Cable.

DIE, ZOMBIE, DIE: With Vanisher, Elixer, and Hope on the run, X-Force barely holding their own, and Wolverine getting seriously injured, Archangel receives a familiar call that only he can hear and flies off when they need them most. Cable saves Wolverine, only to demand that Hope be brought back. Domino screams at Deadpool to stop shooting the same corpse over and over (well, in case he’s a zombie) and help. An annoyed Deadpool pulls out his guns and shoots every warrior dead within moments, only to go back to killing his “zombie”. Cable is reunited with Hope and is angry with the team. He tells them that they need to keep moving.

APOCALYPSE…NOW?: We flashback to when Bishop meets Stryfe in a bar and asks for his help in eliminating Cable. He sweetens the deal by offering to bring him to a point in future-time where he had found Apocalypse and is at his weakest. In one page, we bear witness to Bishop and Stryfe destroying the evil one.

YOU’RE THE WORST LEADER EVER: Wolverine expresses to an incredulous Warpath about how screwed they are and puts him in charge of protecting Hope, even over Cable, no matter the cost. Hope inquires with X-23 as to their purpose and is relieved to hear that they are there to stop the bad man who is after them. Vanisher pleads with Elixer to take the tumor out of his head that he put in and a suspicious Domino forces Deadpool to reveal what he had been hiding from them…the fact that Stryfe was on his way to kill them all.

A LITTLE BIT OF STRYFE: Stryfe lands with a telekinetic boom, scattering our heroes. He is appalled by how much Cable is but  a pale shadow of his former self. Wolverine warns him that violence can be avoided, that he had heard that the villain last went out like a hero, but Stryfe has no idea what he is talking about. A brief battle ensues as the team is quickly taken down and Cable launches his own attack. He gets in close enough to plant an explosive but it fails.

HOPE…TOO LITTLE, TOO LATE: Warpath tries to escape with Hope, but both are seized by Stryfe’s power.

WIPE YOUR BOOTS AT THE FOOT OF THE CAVE: Death finds the source of the call in the Adirondacks. Apocalypse, barely clinging to life, welcomes his last and greatest Horseman.

THOUGHTS FROM A HUMAN’S POINT OF VIEW: Craig Kyle, Christopher Yost, and Clayton Crain do their very best to give us an issue where all hell breaks loose, never giving our heroes the breathing room they need. X-Force is sent to the future to rescue Cable & Hope from one threat, only to have it quickly become nearly a triple threat in a matter of one issue.

What I think I find most interesting about this book is that the starring team is, essentially, a mess. Yes, they are all very good at what they do but they are led by a reluctant leader who fought so long and hard to prevent teammates past from going down the same road of carnage and mayhem as he’s travelled. Then you have members that are part of this team because they feel they have no other purpose in life (threatening to eliminate their humanity) or were brought into this bloody world by circumstance, unsure of how to escape it. They are thrown into situations with overwhelming odds and it seems as if they can barely keep it together, that they fight on instinct just to stay ahead. You almost feel that everything will spiral out of control at any moment.

They are chaos personified. And Cable knows it as he feels that they are destroying what little control he had left in keeping Hope alive. I also find Bishop fascinating because he honestly believes that what he is doing is so right, that he is willing to unleash hell to prevent hell. What this will mean for everyone involved should be very interesting to see.

Oh, and old and even-crazier Deadpool’s a hoot!

Feel free to let me know how this review strikes you…Do you like the recap? Is it unnecessary? Share your opinion (or your own review), but please be kind, otherwise you might find me spending my remaining days in a broken down hotel room with an alcoholic mule in clown make-up…