Wolverine Week-15-in-Review: Manga, Ultimate, Worst Day Ever
Wolverine appeared in five titles this past week (April 8, 2009), the review of his newest series, ‘Wolverine: Weapon X’ #1 was posted earlier in the week.
As for the rest of the titles…
Wolverine: Prodigal Son
(preview | threads)
Writer: Antony Johnston
Art: Wilson Tortosa
With apologies to Lloyd Bentsen, I know manga.
I’ve been reading manga for years.
Naruto, Dragon Ball Z, Death Note.
My friends, this no manga.
Sure it looks like manga, but therein lies the problem.
It looks like manga, but it’s not actually manga.
It’s a simple (and understandable) attempt to cash in on the manga craze with, I kid you not, a British writer and a Filipino artist.
Don’t get me wrong. There’s a lot of crappy manga out there. But without Wolverine’s name on the cover, this series would be D.O.A.
Frankly, even with Wolverine’s name on the cover, this series might be D.O.A.
And to be honest, that might not be such a bad thing.
Ultimate Wolverine vs. Ultimate Hulk #4
(preview | thread)
Writer: Damon Lindelof
Artist: Leinil Francis Yu
Perhaps this issue should have been called Ultimate She-Hulk vs. Nobody.
Traveling back in time to witness the birth of She-Hulk is an interesting concept that should make for an interesting next issue, but after waiting three years, it’s frustrating that the plot still hasn’t been advanced.
And the dialogue is more cutesy and self aware than clever and funny like the first two issues.
Perhaps after all this time waiting, the bloom is finally off the rose…
Timestorm 2009/2099
(preview | thread)
Writer: Brian Reed
Penciler: Eric Battle
Inker: Andrew Hennessy & Vicente Cifuentes
Wolverine only appears for the final few pages, but next issue promises some entertaining fireworks…
Wolverine: Worst Day Ever
Writer: Barry Lyga
Written as a series of blog posts by a young mutant teen whose mutant ability is not to be noticed, this story by Barry Lyga is surprisingly sweet and quite well done. Intended for a younger audience (it reprints three issues of the Wolverine/Power Pack miniseries), this is a wonderful change of pace if you can manage the $14.99 cover price.
Even this curmudgeon laughed at some of the Wolverine revelations within…
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…
Nah… you can just correct me in the comments and I will do my mea culpas (culpae?) the following week.
Unfortunately I pick up my books on Friday or Saturday so I wouldn’t be able to do a weekly post of Wolverine appearances on Wednesdays. Unless you want me to do one for any that you may have missed.
I read Wolverine: Worst Day Ever and it was extremely painful to pull though. Even though they marked it for all ages, I felt like I was reading a book for six year olds. In fact everyone I know compared it to Diary of a Wimpy Kid. And they made that comparison for a good reason it seems. Was it worth the 15 dollars? To each their own I guess. As for the manga, I have to admit that it’s not from Japan and there are no Japanese writers or artists working on it. However you act as if this… Read more »
As you say, to each their own.
I certainly am not trying to get into a pissing match about manga or anime. Many folks are more knowledgeable than I am. I was merely trying for a play on the famous Lloyd Bentson line, “Senator, you are no Jack Kennedy.”
To answer your question, I’ve dabbled in manga and anime for awhile and have been hitting the Otakon/Katsucon convention circuit since 1998.
All that said, did you like ‘Wolverine: Prodigal Son’?
We’ve got ourselves two more books this past week with Wolverine appearances. Exiles #1 has more than just the Wolverine appreciation month cover to it but an appearance on the very last panel. And while it is pretty crappy to once again see a single panel appearance of him, it’s actually a nice twist of an appearance. The book itself however is pretty much a repeat of the very first Exiles #1 but with different characters and takes place in a meadow instead of a desert. The other one, unfortunately, is Marvel Apes: The Amazing Spider-Monkey. Why Marvel continues to… Read more »
NOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!
When do you pick up your comics?
Any interest in doing a Wednesday weekly post to list what issues Wolverine actually appeared in since I keep missing so many?
DiG…
The manga was easily forgettable I admit. It’s too early to tell if it has failed at what it is trying to achieve.
I didn’t hate it and I didn’t love it. I don’t know if it’s because I’ve read so much manga that I’ve become num to it’s downfalls. But It’s not like I am dying to find out what happens next either. Let’s just say that I am more curious what happens next in Naruto Shippuden
With all the Wolverine titles that are out now, I guess you are correct about this being pointless.