Hey, everyone, jrpbsp here… Here’s my second review for the week. Up next is is ‘Uncanny X-Men: First Class’. Hope you enjoy it.

Uncanny X-Men: First Class #6 (preview)
Writer: Scott Gray
Artist: Scott Koblish & Nelson DeCastro

SPOILERS BELOW…

RECAP: The issue opens with the helicarrier falling towards Jean Grey. She makes a telekinetic slide and is able to redirect the massive ship back into the air where it limps away. The Knight who was confronting Jean and Storm, Sleeping Mist, flies away to find the Knight who threw the ship. Back at the mansion the large Knight, Drowning Shadow, attacks the female Knight, Sky Song, who easily defeated the X-Men. Without the sword that was taken by Nightcrawler, the girl is at a disadvantage and is forced to flee.

Nightcrawler survives his painful teleport and ends up at the Knights’ home. He enters and finds the place is a trophy room and one of the heads on the wall is Xavier’s. Storm returns to the mansion alone and the X-Men are briefed on the Knights by Lilandra. She tells them that the Knights are split into two teams of three and they are unbeatable. They will fight and destroy everything, the world has only a few hours to live.

Nightcrawler finds out that Xavier’s Astral Form is not dead as he wakes up at Kurt’s touch. The pair head out to explore and find a single human looking being at the center of the lair watching all the Knights from afar. The X-Men regroup and head for New York to confront the Knights who are fighting each other. Jean shows up as Phoenix to where Cloud Runner and Sleeping Mist are fighting. She impresses them enough that they join together to fight her. Although they are shielded against telepathy, Jean’s telekinetics work fine.

The X-Men manage to get in touch with Dr. Corbeau who tells them that the recent solar flares were all caused by the Knights fighting on the sun. While they talk, all six Knights come together to fight the Phoenix. As she falls before the onslaught, Corbeau tells the others that the flare which turned Jean into the Phoenix was generated by the Knights.

MY TAKE: While this issue is not bad, it is definitely missing something in terms of story and characterizations. The Knights are simply too powerful to be a believable foe and too much time is given to their internal battles. The plot is very simple and yet there is still no room for broader characterization. About the only ones that get any development are the Knights. I do like having well-fleshed villains but the Knights are still pretty one dimensional even with the extra focus.

I do give the story points for being creative and trying to invent a new and powerful foe for the team. Most of the time these flashback titles only give us familiar faces and situations which, while nice for the retroactive feel, does tend to feel a bit stale. Still the tale is a victim of its own ambition and it is hard to overlook the major ramifications of such an massive event in Marvel having never been referred to again.

That is actually the biggest flaw of the issue, it seems like it is trying to rewrite history. Something as formidable as the Knights should have appeared again or at least been referenced. There could be some sort of trick of erasing the memory of everyone on the planet but that would be a major cop out. Also, the Phoenix’s history is very well and clearly documented and is already confusing enough. Trying to tie it into to this new foe is a bad idea esepcially since it occurs before the issues we know, so it can not even be considered a ret-con.

In the end this would be a much better story if is was set in the present or was a bit smaller in scope. As it is, the tale is trying to outdo what was in the original series and involve the X-Men in global events where they were never really present before. It is almost like trying to they are trying recreate the Dark Phoenix story but you can not do such a monumental tale in a series that takes place in between issues of continuity. Taken as a stand alone story in an alternate world it is a pretty decent read, but as a First Class tale it just does not work.

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 time.

Hey, everyone, jrpbsp here… Got a number of reviews to try and get through this week so without further “adieu”, here’s ‘Wolverine: Under the Boardwalk’. Hope you enjoy it.

Wolverine: Under the Boardwalk (preview)
Writer: Stuart Moore
Artist: Tomm Coker

SPOILERS BELOW…

RECAP: The issue opens with Wolverine waiting at the airport for a flight to Alaska. He gets a text message from an unknown person calling him to Atlantic City. The message shakes loose a memory of an old murder and beating by a mobster named Phil DeBlasio. After a moments thought, Logan changes his plans and goes to the indicated casino. He is on a big winning streak when he meets a strange girl and takes her upstairs.

The next morning, Logan sneaks out and goes to find breakfast. His waitress is an old flame, Katrina McCann, the girl from the night of the murder. They talk for a while but she says she is not the one that sent the message. Katrina does tell some of the details about what happened afterward and reminisces about the night they spent together. The conversation is interrupted by the girl from the night before.

The ladies know each other and Katrina refers to the younger woman as Amber. Amber is not supposed to be at the restaurant but she uses Logan as an excuse to stay. Wolverine manages to ditch her shortly after and goes hunting through town looking for clues. He does not turn up anything until he spots a familiar lamp post. Logan tears down through the Boardwalk but can not find the body. He is stopped by the police and surrenders peacefully.

Wolverine spends some time in jail until Amber bails him out. He promises to pay her back and then goes to visit Katrina. He talks to her and then tries to threaten the woman. She grabs a knife to fight back and in the struggle she tells Logan that the murder happened on Coney Island not Atlantic City. Wolverine flees the room and travels to New York.

He finds the lamp post quickly and digs down to the body. He is shot during the retrieval, his attacker is Amber whose last name is DeBlasio. She is the daughter of the gangster that committed the murder and she is looking for her missing father. Since she did not learn anything about her dad by stirring up the past, and now that Logan had uncovered the body, she decides he has to die. Logan takes her down quickly as well as the thugs she brought along. He leaves before the cops show up and tells the girl to look him up when she gets out of jail.

He goes back to the scene later and runs into a familiar seeming old man. It is Phil DeBlasio who has chosen to disappear to keep his family safe. Logan chooses to walk away rather then pursue revenge and the next morning he takes a flight out of JFK to Alaska.

MY TAKE: This is a pretty decent story, for a one shot. It actually reads more like a detective novel than a super hero adventure. That is not a bad thing in this case. I am not usually a big fan of mysteries but this was an interesting tale with some unexpected twists along the way. One shots are usually a mixed bag but this is well written with a strong plot and some good character moments as well.

While the overall plot is the strongest part, there are some very good characterizations as well.  Logan is done very well but I think the best good moments are given to Katrina. The role could easily be a simple damsel in distress type but she has an actual personality and quite a bit of spunk. Amber was a lot more cliche though and really did not have much time to develop. It was obvious from the beginning that she was involved somehow so the final reveal did not have much of an impact.

My favorite part of the issue was Logan having the entirely wrong boardwalk. But it does raise a problem of the issue. Logan was supposed to have all of his memories back so why does he not remember any of this? He also could not figure out who Amber was although her smell should have been similar enough to her father to give a hint. He recognized Phil immediately so it did not make much sense.

While this is a pretty simple story and not exactly my favorite genre, it is still a good read. I like plots that delve into Wolverine’s past at least when it is done properly. This would have made a good tale in the ongoing Wolverine: Origins title. As it is, it is better than most of the recent stories I have read about Logan. Although that is not saying much, the quality was still a pleasant surprise. I just wish all of Logan’s history stories were this good.

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 time.

Wolverine is featured in another digital comics exclusive, ‘Wolverine: One Night Only’, available only at Marvel Digital Comics…

As for probable (and possible) Wolverine appearances this week (12/09/09), we have previews of…

–Deadpool #18 (preview): Deadpool and the X-Men Finale..
–Nation X #1 (preview): Title says it all…
–Spider-Man & the Secret Wars #1 (preview): A look back at the original ‘Secret Wars’…
–Uncanny X-Men First Class #6 (preview): Knights of Hykon continues…
–Wolverine: Under the Boardwalk (preview): Wolverine one shot…
–X-Men Noir: Mark of Cain #1 (preview): Beautiful art by Dennis Calero…

We have two major and one minor Wolverine appearance from last week, as well as a fun Wolverine sighting that I missed from the previous week..

Let’s start with the jrpbsp reviews…

• ‘‘Wolverine: First Class’ #21 (review): Disarmed…
• ‘Uncanny X-Men’ #518 (review): Mental Games (sans Wolverine)…

As for the other Wolverine appearances of the week…

Psylocke #17 (preview)
Writer: Chris Yost
Pencils: Harvey Tolibao
Inks: Paul Neary and Sandu Florea

I am thoroughly enjoying this miniseries, much to my surprise, as I have never really been a fan of Psylocke. But Chris Yost deftly retells the history of the character in a way that actually makes sense while moving the character forward.

Wolverine does cameo, and his visit to Mariko’s grave makes me appreciate this series all the more…

What If Secret Invasion (preview)
Writer: Kevin Grevioux & Karl Bollers
Pencils: Pow Rodrix
Paints: Frank Martin

Wolverine briefly appears in this disappointing What If.

By the way, I have a What If idea of my own.

What If Marvel wrote What Ifs as if the altered circumstance actually transpired in the Marvel Universe, instead of creating these horrible Twilight Zone episodes all the time?

Incredible Hercules #138 (preview)
Writer: Greg Pak & Fred Van Lente
Art: Rodney Buchemi

Took me a week to track down this fun-filled epic assault on New Olympus.

And let me tell you, it was certainly worth it.

The New Avengers (and Wolverine) are a hoot as they follow the lunatic lead of Hercules.

If you are looking for a zany change of pace story, I strongly recommend you check this one out…

Hey, everyone, jrpbsp here… Second review for the week is ‘Uncanny X-Men’. Hope you enjoy it.

Uncanny X-Men #518 (preview)
Writer: Matt Fraction
Artist: Terry Dodson

NOTE: Wolverine does NOT appear in this issue

SPOILERS BELOW…

RECAP: The issue opens with an unknown mutant panhandling in New York City. She is not getting any money and calls it quits  for the day, heading into the subway. She goes home and is greeted by a Predator X.

Back on Utopia, Scott, Xavier and Betsy are preparing to perform psionic surgery on Emma to remove the piece of Void trapped in her head. With the Cuckoos still unconscious and Cyclops not willing to let the Professor take the field, Frost is needed to keep them linked. Scott is going into Emma’s head with Xavier providing the link. Betsy is the fail safe to take out either of the telepaths should they become contaminated. Scott and Emma take their chairs and get ready to begin.

On another part of the island, the Science Team and Warren are visiting Magneto. They are in his room to see what sort of man he is now and hopefully solicit his help. The island is sinking due to the weight and they need another source of electromagnetic power. Although he is still weak, Magneto agrees to help and offers to get started immediately.

Scott and Emma meet inside her mind. They only  have a moment before a hoard of alternate Frosts attacks. Emma is dragged away while Cyclops is buried under the attackers. He is afraid to fight back and is soon being pulled under the surface of Frost’s mind while Xavier and Psylocke try to anchor him from the real world.

On the surface Hank seeks out Bobby to talk about what he is feeling. Beast is not happy with the current situation and it has only been exasperated by having to ask Magneto for help. Iceman tries to convince Hank to stay and be there to support Scott but Hank is only thinking of the torture that he endured that Scott allowed to happen.

Inside Emma’s mind, Scott is convinced that the duplicates are not really part of Frost and so he fights back  and destroys them. Emma is being attacked by the Void sliver and Cyclops blasts through her mind to reach her and pull her to safety. They share a moment before Emma is forced to wake up shifting to her flesh form in the process. She tells the others that the Void wanted Cyclops all along and is now in his head.

MY TAKE: This is a okay issue although honestly it is a little bit boring.  While I definitely approve of moving the plot forward and introducing important new elements to the story, everything here seems overly extended. Hank and Bobby’s conversation, for example, takes three pages including one whole page of Iceman standing there watching Predator Xs burn. That does not seem like a good use of space at all.

Most of the issue takes place inside a white room in Emma’s head which is also not particularly exciting either. I am definitely glad that the whole Void sliver is finally getting addressed, however this is white room is something we have seen before. There is no reason to make the mind be so plain, in fact it seems better to use that setting for something imaginative.

The plot itself is certainly not bad. Scott being infected is not surprising but has a lot of potential as does Magneto’s involvement.  Hank’s sudden change of mind even makes sense although the timing is a bit odd.  I do understand needing to write Hank out of the comic though since he is in another series now. I just wish it had been done in a more condensed form. As it is written it felt like they were overdoing the emotion for what is essentially a real world decision driving the story. Of course I might just be a bit overly sensitive since I have always hated moving characters off a title due to editorial mandates.

In the end this was a decent if uninspired issue that did help advance the various plots but just did not move them as fast as I would have liked. In truth I believe the Predator subplot is the best one and it was barely mentioned here, although it did have most of last issue.  Still this one just did not really grab my attention and found myself flipping ahead to see just how much was left in a couple of scenes. Hopefully next issue will pick up the pace a little and add some more excitement.

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 time.

Hey, everyone, jrpbsp here… Only have a couple of reviews this week so starting with ‘X-Force’. Hope you enjoy it.

X-Force Annual #1 (preview | thread)
Writer: Robert Kirkman
Artist: Jason Pearson

SPOILERS BELOW…

RECAP: The issue opens with Wolverine doing a solo jump from a plane to a Hydra base while the rest of X-Force looks on. He crashes through the roof and surprises a pair of Hydra troopers and takes them out quickly.  He questions one about the location of his target and is told Section Seventeen. Logan sneaks off and disables another guard while trying to keep quiet and avoid killing.

A few more surprises show up and he is forced to pop his claws and then in the next room is kills a trooper. Luckily not his target but the man he is looking for shows up a moment later and Logan knocks him cold. He starts hauling the Hydra man to the elevators but they are blocked by a hoard of goons. They refuse to shoot, due to the prisoner, so Logan charges and uses the unconscious man as a weapon to knock his foes from the catwalk.

Wolverine starts to head up but the elevator opens and he is blasted by gunfire. Logan follows the Hyrda troopers down and massacres the whole group and goes back to retrieve his prisoner. He makes it to the roof where the rest of X-Force extracts him and they fly to a San Francisco hospital. There we find out that the Hydra man is named Tod Kaufman and he was kidnapped at the request of his ex-wife because their daughter is dying and needs a bone marrow transplant. He is a compatible match. The X-Men as involved because the child is a mutant.

Tod did not even know he had a child but he hesitates to offer his marrow. Hydra soon catches up and the X-Men find out that Kaufman is a Hydra general. Wolverine is not going to let him go but Kaufman offers an arm to use to get the marrow for his daughter. Logan slices it off cleanly. The rest of Tod leaves with his Hydra buddies as his ex-wife kisses their daughter and tells her everything will be okay now.

“Undeadpool”
Writer: Craig Kyle & Christopher Yost
Penciler: Carlo Barberi
Inker: Sandu Florea

The second tale starts with a flashback to Magneto’s days with the Hellfire Club and how he helped Emma consolidate of power of queen from Selene. In the present Deadpool is in a room on Utopia playing with Fantastic Four action figures. He hears a scream and goes out to the hall and finds Loa injured and being pursued by three resurrected Acolytes, Delgado, Cortez and Mellencamp. They are trying to find Magneto for their queen.

Deadpool is confused and calls Cyclops for an explanation. He is told to help out but not to kill anyone since some of them are friends. He cuts off Delgado’s arm and the Acolyte reattaches it so Deadpool stabs him through the head and even that fails to slay the attacker. Instead of despairing, Deadpool goes to the room and grabs his arsenal to use against them.

But after twenty minutes he still has not managed to stop the three dead mutants and Wade is pretty much out of steam. Alani steps and and jumps through Mellencamp and her power destroys his body. She is shocked but Deadpool sees the potential and uses her as a weapon to finish the others while telling Cyclops that he did not kill anyone but that Loa is out of control.

MY TAKE: This is a decent if unremarkable annual with a pair of entertaining stories that are ultimately irrelevant. I had hoped that the issue would be used to give some more background and expansion for the Necrosha event but instead we have only one story that even touches on it and that only slightly. It is doubtful that either tale will be referenced again in the future.

The Hydra story is the better of the two with some good action and Wolverine moments and a villain that for once is not a cold-blooded fiend. I did enjoy reading it and it was better then most of the one-off stories I have seen recently. It would have been nice to see a bit more participation from the rest of the group but giving Logan a chance to shine is never a bad thing. Plus it is a plot we do not see very often, the X-Men actually doing a mission of mercy. That is a big change from their usual goals and it was nice to see X-Force having something to do besides wet work.

The best part was the Hydra trooper who was actually a feeling human being willing to sacrifice for his child. It was a pleasant surprise to have some real human emotion and feelings in the story. But in the end it was still just a meaningless, if well told, little plot that really has no bearing on the main part of the title.I doubt the mutant girl will ever surface again much less her parents.

The Deadpool tale was even worse. It is a vaguely amusing little snippet that really just serves to take him and Loa out of play for the core crossover. There is nothing new here and although Wade is fun to read I would have liked it better to see something a little more meaningful. Still it was not bad for a backup and at least we get to an acknowledgment of Deadpool as part of Utopia in general. His trials against the Techno-zombies were well done but still futile in the end. Using Loa was a clever way to actually kill the zombies and it would be nice to see that in the main title and some point.

Overall this was a pretty good read but I do think they missed out on an opportunity to do something bigger and better with the annual. These annuals really only have meaning and a purpose when they tie directly into the main title and with a crossover going on it was a perfect time to do so. What is more there is an actual one shot being sent out this month, the Gathering, which could have been integrated here and tied everything together. The comic we have is a pretty good read but it missed the chance to be something more important to the series and that is a shame. Annuals are already a hard enough sale to the comic buying public, they should be given every chance to be meaningful.

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 time.

Due to the Thanksgiving holiday, new comics are hitting stores on Thursday this week.

As for probable (and possible) Wolverine appearances this week (12/03/09), we have previews of…

–Uncanny X-Men #518 (preview): Utopia is starting to sink…
–What If? Secret Invasion #1 (preview): Name says it all…
–X-Babies #3 (preview): Amusing cover at the very least…
–X-Force Annual #1 (preview): Wolverine vs. Hydra…

We have three major Wolverine appearances from last week, as well as a Dark Wolverine sighting.

Let’s start with the jrpbsp reviews…

• ‘‘Wolverine: First Class’ #21 (review): Kitty’s Final Lesson…
• ‘Uncanny X-Men’ #517 (review): Swimming with Predators…
• ‘New Mutants’ #7 (review): Lost in Translation (sans Wolverine)…
• ‘X-Men Forever’ #12 (review): Dark Magik…

As for the other Wolverine appearances of the week…

Hulk #17 (preview)
Writer: Jeph Loeb
Pencils: Ian Churchill
Inks: Mark Farmer

More of the same from Jeph Loeb and Ian Churchill, though Wolverine only cameos for three pages.

While I can’t recommend this book, I would be interested to hear from folks who have been reading it on a regular basis to see what merits this book does have…

Dark Wolverine #80 (preview)
Writer: Daniel Way & Marjorie Liu
Pencils: Stephen Segovia & Paco Diaz Luque
Inks: Sandu Florea, Guillermo Ortego & Jay Leisten

This series started with such promise, but has become so overly complex, manipulative and maddeningly ambiguous that I am really looking forward to it moving into its final stages. Though I should note that Wolverine does cameo in passing.

Again, I would love to hear from fans of this book to see what it is that I am missing…

Finally, I should note the ‘Wolverine and the X-Men’ completed its first season with a rousing three-part finale, Foresight. Some truly terrific storytelling with a cliffhanger that promises a fun second season.

Hey, everyone, jrpbsp here… For my last review this week I am doing a partial review. Time is just not on my side right now. Anyway here’s ‘X-Men Forever’. Hope you enjoy it.

X-Men Forever #12 (preview)
Writer: Chris Claremont
Penciler: Tom Grummett
Inker: Cory Hamscher

NOTE: Wolverine does not appear in this issue

SPOILERS BELOW…

MY TAKE: X-Men Forever has been a mixed bag for a while and it partially depends on your ability to let go of the canon and look at the series with a fresh perspective. While I still do not agree with the setup, taken for itself this is a pretty good comic. The adventure in Russia is interesting and a good setup, plus I am excited for the new take on DarkChylde.

The characterizations are universally good, if a bit odd. The X-Men are certainly recognizable although it is a bit hard to relate to some of the decisions they make. Still Claremont knows how to write them and the dialogue is always entertaining. He is a little overly introspective here but he is very good at getting into the toon’s head and show exactly what makes them tick. I miss seeing the thought bubbles in the current comics and this is a nice little piece of nostalgia.

The plot is still pretty basic, several X-Men are looking for Illyana while the rest of the mansion deals with the revelations of the prior storylines. It is good to see Rogue getting some of the spotlight and having Jean step into the leader role has a lot of potential. The best moments are still being given to Sabretooth. He is taking Wolverine’s role but doing it with a great deal of style and personality. He is pretty much the same character from the Exiles and it is nice to see him return.

I am still not quite sure that I am completely sold on the title or the changes to the team but this storyline has been very good so far. I admit to being a bit prejudiced, in general, as I am usually a fan of anything with Illyana in it. But it this is definitely something different and interesting and I have enjoyed the take on Piotr so far as well. Next issue looks to really heat things up as we see the evil teenage Magik show just how strong she can be. I cannot wait.

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 time.