Hey, everyone, jrpbsp here…this week and next I will be covering the continuing story from ‘Wolverine: Origins’. This week it’s ‘Dark Wolverine’.  Hope you enjoy it.

Dark Wolverine #85 (preview)
Writer: Daniel Way & Marjorie Liu
Penciler: Stephen Segovia
Inks: Cam Smith

SPOILERS BELOW…

RECAP: The issue opens with Daken and Wolverine meeting in San Francisco. Logan is asking his son for help and explains his plan. Logan says he will find Romulus and Daken agrees to go along with it, but that they will settle things between them once Romulus is out of the way.

Later in Ankara, Daken is surprised by his father again. Daken asks if Logan knows where Romulus is, and when Wolverine admits he does not, his son says that Romulus now knows where Logan is because Daken told him.

A week earlier, Daken was in Paris with a woman in a hotel room. He is less than charming and the woman storms out only to be killed by Romulus. The old villain then has a seat and asks for a glass of wine. Romulus wants to know where Wolverine was and what his plans are. Romulus says that he knows that Daken and Logan have made amends in an effort to kill him. Romulus knows that Logan wants revenge but Daken instead wants to be Romulus. Daken believes it to be his destiny but he will not kill Romulus even thought he is right there.

In the present, Wolverine says that he knows why Daken can not kill Romulus. Not because he hates Logan but because he loves Romulus as a father. Wolverine was counting on his son telling Romulus his plans. The villain needed to have Logan’s plans confirmed before he believed them. Wolverine then says he did not tell Daken everything and that the rest will be a surprise.

MY TAKE: It is very hard to do a decent review of this issue because basically nothing happens. Daken and Wolverine meet. Daken meets Romulus and betrays his father. Daken and Wolverine meet again and Logan says he was counting on Daken’s betrayal. That is all there is. This feels like an attempt to stretch out the story to cover both Dark Wolverine and Origins when in truth the story would not have even filled Origins completely.The last couple issues of that story have felt artificially extended already.

What plot that is here is not bad, although there were no real surprises. Anyone that has read anything about these two characters over the last couple of years would suspect that Logan is not going to trust Daken or give him the whole plan. It is pretty much the same plot he used when they teamed up with Cyber. The fact that Romulus trusts Daken is a bit of a surprise but their father and son relationship is well documented.

I know both series are ending soon and I can understand wanting to cross them over, but there needs to be a story behind it. This could have been a couple of panels in Origins and had the exact same effect. Instead we get a comic with huge panels and extraneous splash pages just to fill out the 22 pages. I read the whole issue in just a few minutes and felt cheated of my money afterward. I hope that Origins has some actual story because right now the plot feels stretched so thin it is about to break.

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.

X-Men Legacy #235 (preview)
Writers: Mike Carey
Pencils: Greg Land
Inks: Jay Leisten

From Marvel: “SECOND COMING, CHAPTER FOUR The X-Men chasing Cable and Hope have lost a teammate. They aren’t giving up, but the trail has gone cold. That’s where Rogue comes in. But how could she know where Hope and Cable are? And the battle between the New Mutants and Hodge’s forces ends here!”

Another strong issue, though the lost teammate is given short shrift.

Next chapter looks most promising…

In stores April 21, 2010.

Doomwar #3 (preview)
Writers: Jonathan Maberry
Pencils: Scot Eaton
Inks: Andy Lanning & Robert Campanella

From Marvel: “The Fantastic Four join in as the fires of DoomWar escalate into a full-blown inferno! Sometimes you can win every battle and still lose the war. That’s the hard truth facing the Black Panther and the X-Men as they reel from Doctor Doom’s most crippling blow yet. Doom now has everything he requires to become the most powerful force on Earth. All he needs is the time to bring his newly invincible armies into the field. The clock is ticking and Doomsday is coming.”

More of a recap of last issue than anything else…

In stores April 21, 2010.

X-Men Forever Annual #1 (preview)
Writer: Chris Claremont
Penciler: Sana Takeda
Inker: Bob Dvorak

From Marvel: “JOIN COMICS LEGEND CHRIS CLAREMONT AS HE CONTINUES TO REDEFINE THE X-MEN UNIVERSE IN HIS OWN VISION. One of the most explosive revelations of X-Men Forever #1 was the unconsummated and clandestine affair between Logan and Jean Grey. Now, Claremont takes you deep into the intimate history of this unsung love between two of the most popular X-Men—and gives insight to the betrayed heart of Cyclops! DON’T MISS THIS X-MEN FOREVER EVENT!”

Sold out at all the local and New York City stores.

Anyone out there read this? Any good?

In stores April 21, 2010.

Incredible Hulk #607 (preview)
Writers: Greg Pak
Pencils: Paul Pelletier
Inks: Danny Miki

From Marvel: “FALL OF THE HULKS Tie-In The mysterious Red She-Hulk takes on the Earth’s Mightiest Heroes — and only Banner and Son can save the day! But will they? The life of an Avenger hangs in the balance as Bruce Banner finally reveals his true alliances and objectives! Be there as the gamma-sized FALL OF THE HULKS continues with fan favorite Hulk-writer Greg Pak (PLANET HULK, WORLD WAR HULK) and spectacular penciler Paul Pelletier (WAR OF KINGS)! Plus, a backup feature continuing the first mission of Red She-Hulk!”

I couldn’t track down this issue until this week, two months after the fact…

In stores February 17, 2010.

Finally, don’t forget (Comusiv!) to add any other Wolverine appearances from the week that I may have missed…

Dark Wolverine #85 (preview)
Writer: Daniel Way & Marjorie Liu
Pencils: Stephen Segovia
Inks: Cam Smith

From Marvel: “RECKONING PART 1 OF 4: It’s time. After years of waiting in the wings, Daken now moves toward his destiny of becoming the new Romulus. But to do so, he must combine forces with his father, Wolverine… who has a much different goal in mind. Will Daken finally get what he’s wanted his entire life? Or will he finally get what he deserves?”

On sale April 21, 2010.

Share your thoughts on Part One of the final ‘Wolverine Origins’ storyline in the comments below.

And if you haven’t picked up the issue, make sure to read the preview, linked next the series title above.

C2E2?

An obscure droid from ‘Star Wars’?

Nope, it’s the inaugural Chicago Comic and Entertainment Expo.

Double C, Double E. Get it?

In any event, Marvel released a bunch of news as they always do at these cons…

-The X-Men panel and talk of the final issue of ‘Wolverine Weapon X’ (details)…
-The announcement that Rick Remender is taking over ‘X-Force’ (details)…
-Background on the Hulked Out Wolverine from World War Hulks (details)…

And if that’s not enough, Marvel unveiled their July Solicitations, and as usual, we bring you the Wolverine Highlights…

WOLVERINE WEAPON X #15
Written by JASON AARON
Pencils by RON GARNEY
It’s the action-packed conclusion to “Tomorrow Dies Today”…and at the end of it only one Deathlok shall remain. As Logan and the greatest heroes of the Marvel U unite to confront him, the question is raised: is he friend or foe?  Or maybe even both?

WOLVERINE ORIGINS #50
Written by DANIEL WAY
Penciled by WILL CONRAD
THE SERIES CONCLUSION! It’s the end of an era, a story years in the making, and as one journey ends, another begins. With his quest for revenge now concluded, Wolverine embarks on a new journey…towards salvation.

X-FORCE: SEX AND VIOLENCE #1 (of 3)
Written by CRAIG KYLE & CHRISTOPHER YOST
Art by GABRIELE DEL’OTTO
Just when you thought it was over, we pull you back in—it’s the X-Force story everyone’s been talking about, finally delivered!  Wolverine and Domino have always had a special relationship, but everything goes upside down when the Assassins Guild puts out a hit on our gun wielding bombshell.  Why do they want her dead?  And more importantly, how many people have to die before Wolverine and Domino can spend some quality time together?  Get ready for the sexiest blood-soaked ride Craig Kyle and Chris Yost have ever delivered as they join forces with international superstar Gabriele Dell’otto to offer up their final X-Force story!

ASTONISHING SPIDER-MAN/WOLVERINE #2
Written by JASON AARON
Pencils by ADAM KUBERT
The biggest adventure that Spider-Man and Wolverine have ever been on continues! A major Marvel mystery villain is putting our dynamic duo through hell, pushing them to their absolute limits and ripping their lives apart. But how does this villain have the power to summon enemies like Doom the Living Planet to challenge our heroes?

ASTONISHING X-MEN: XENOGENESIS #3 (of 5)
Written by WARREN ELLIS
Pencils by KAARE ANDREWS
Hoping to witness the rebirth of the mutant species, the X-Men race to the small African village of Karere, where a sudden spate of super-powered infants have been born. However, they quickly learn that these newborns are not their brand of mutant. And no sooner have the X-Men discovered the shocking truth of these infants’ origin than they are ambushed by a local dictator who has plans of his own for these baby-shaped timebombs. Could this trip get any worse?

WORLD WAR HULKS: WOLVERINE VS. CAPTAIN AMERICA #1 & 2 (of 2)
Written by PAUL TOBIN & BRIAN CLEVINGER
Penciled by JACOPO CAMAGNI & GURIHIRU
CLASSIFIED UNTIL THE EVENTS OF HULK #22 AND INCREDIBLE HULK #608

X-MEN #1
Written by VICTOR GISCHLER
Penciled by PACO MEDINA
“MUTANTS VERSUS VAMPIRES,” PART 1
When a suicide bomber strikes in downtown San Francisco, it gets the immediate attention of the X-Men. But this is not your garden variety terrorist – and he’s not acting alone. Vampires from around the globe are descending en masse on the City by the Bay, staking a brutal claim for the patch of land the X-Men call their home. What is their agenda? Who is their mysterious leader? The X-Men are about to find out, as they brace themselves for a war of the species that will wrack the Marvel Universe.

X-CAMPUS #2 (of 4)
Written by FRANCESCO ARTIBANI & MICHELE MEDDA
Pencils by ALESSANDRO VITTI & GIANLUCA GUGLIOTTA
It’s an all-new, all-different version of the X-Men as told by some of Europe’s greatest comics storytellers! In this vivid re-imagining of the X-Men mythos, everything is not as it seems and teenaged versions of Cyclops, Beast, Wolverine, Iceman, Storm and Rogue face a threat even worse than super villains or race-destroying viruses… HIGH SCHOOL! Opposing factions within the Worthington Foundation begin to reveal themselves when a powerful new student, Kurt Wanger, arrives on campus. Meanwhile, more than one member of the school must deal with their family legacy as Warren Worthington struggles to accept his gifted life and Professor Xavier’s power-hungry brother comes to town for a dysfunctional family reunion.

For the full list of Marvel’s July Solicitations, please visit Comic Book Resources (details)…

As for probable/possible Wolverine appearances this week (4/21/10), we have previews of…

–Dark Wolverine #85 (preview): Reckoning, Part One…
–Doomwar #3 (preview): Dr. Doom’s gambit continues…
–X-Men Forever Annual #1 (preview): The clandestine affair of Wolverine and Jean Grey…
–X-Men Legacy #235 (preview): Second Coming, Chapter 4..

A few months back, I dubbed the gathering of non-major Wolverine appearances as ‘Week-in-Review’, but it wasn’t really a week in review. I then changed the name to the ‘Rest of the Rest’, and while more accurate, it was rather uninspired. Well, inspiration has struck from that timeless classic, ‘Gilligan’s Island’, and I now rename thee, ‘And the Rest’…

New Mutants #12 (preview)
Writers: Zeb Wells
Artist: Ibraim Roberson

From Marvel: “SECOND COMING, CHAPTER THREE: Fall of a New Mutant?! The X-Men are hot on the trail of Cable and Hope and meet Bastion’s forces head-on, in the form of Bastion’s capo William Stryker and his Purifier army. Stryker’s forces score one casualty early, but who wins the battle? At the same time the New Mutants are hitting Bastion’s second-in-command, Cameron Hodge. But going up against Hodge and 100 of his soldiers is way out of their league and one of them won’t walk away from it.”

All the local stores sold out of this one, but the preview does confirm that Wolverine appears. Anyone care to share additional details?

In stores April 14, 2010.

Black Widow #1 (preview)
Writers: Marjorie Liu
Artist: Daniel Arcuna

From Marvel: “The deadly super-spy from IRON MAN 2, INVINCIBLE IRON MAN and CAPTAIN AMERICA in her own ongoing series! Natasha Romanoff is not a super hero. She’s not psychic. She doesn’t fly. And yet as the Black Widow, she manages to hold her own against a world of incredibly powerful enemies…and allies. But now someone has tried to kill Natasha…and almost succeeded. Injured gravely, almost beyond her ability to recover, Black Widow sets out to find her attacker…with no suspects and no leads. Who could be deadly enough to get the drop on Natasha? And what connections do they have to some of her closest super hero friends…? Plus, a backup detailing the deadly history of the Black Widow!”

Intriguing start to the series with Wolverine in a supporting role. Will be interesting to see how this one plays out…

In stores April 14, 2010.

Hulked Out Heroes #1 (Preview)
Writer: Jeff Parker
Penciler: Humberto Ramos
Inker: Carlos Cuevas

From Marvel: “Spinning from the shocking twist ending of FALL OF THE HULKS, Jeff Parker (WORLD WAR HULKS: ALPHA, AVENGERS VS. ATLAS, THUNDERBOLTS) and Humberto Ramos (SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN, X-MEN) bring you the most incredible new character from the House of Ideas: HULKPOOL! What sacrifices will he make for the greater good? What horrible decisions will change the world as we know it? And what do Devil Dinosaur, Rawhide Kid, Rama Tut, and Bluebeard the Pirate have to do with this? Find out this April in HULKED-OUT HEROES!”

Wolverine only appears on the cover and as a character design sketch inside….

In stores April 14, 2010.

Wolverine also appeared in the kids comic Super Hero Squad #4 (preview), but that’s all I have to say about that…

Finally, don’t forget (Comusiv!) to add any other Wolverine appearances from the week that I may have missed…

From ComicBookResources, Jason Aaron talks about his current run on ‘Wolverine Weapon X’ (details)…

As for probable/possible Wolverine appearances this week (4/14/10), we have previews of…

–Black Widow #1 (preview): Wolverine graces the cover at the very least…
–New Mutants #12 (preview): Second Coming, Part 3…
–Hulked Out Heroes #1 (preview): Another cover appearance at the very least…
–Super Hero Squad #4 (preview): Kiddie Wolverine strikes again…

Hey, everyone, jrpbsp here…This week we have the next chapter of the Deathloks in ‘Wolverine: Weapon X’.  Hope you enjoy it.

Wolverine Weapon X #12 (preview)
Writer: Jason Aaron
Penciler: Ron Garney

SPOILERS BELOW…

RECAP: The issue opens with resistance members entering their base in the future. They are led by Commander Miranda Bayer. The squad reports that they were too late and another hero has fallen, this time the Punisher. There is no time to rest, however, as there is an indication that the corporation is making a time jump and the team needs to be there. Their general will not go but the future version of Logan is going to go along despite being without hands.

Back in the present, Wolverine is confronting the young Miranda who reveals she is having visions of the future and knows the Deathloks’ next target. It is Captain America, but not Steve Rogers. Meanwhile, Bucky is enjoying a quiet drink when he is attacked by the cyborgs. They blast the entire area but the new Cap manages to escape through the floor and into the subway tunnels.

Back in the future, Logan and Miranda breech the perimeter of the base. In the present, Logan finds where Bucky is and joins the fight just in time to keep Cap from being shot. The cyborg Logan cuts, heals and blasts through Wolverine’s torso. Another one confronts Miranda but is not able to kill her with its current programming. In fact it acts very strangely until she is pulled away by a young boy who is one of her soldiers in the future. Bucky shoots one of the Deathloks in the head and it stays down giving the group a moment to recover.

In the future, the squad makes it to the portal but it is well guarded. Logan attacks it alone and is taken out, his flesh burned from his bones with acid. His sacrifice buys time though and Miranda readies the explosives and they charge the Deathloks to take out the machine.

MY TAKE: I mostly enjoyed this issue, it is nice to have at least one comic every month where Wolverine is showed some respect  and that actually feels like an accurate portrayal. I have never really been a fan of Deathlok and there is not too much here to change my mind, but it is still an interesting take. If nothing else, I like the fact that Logan and Bucky have a strong and legitimate threat to face that is not the same old villains we have seen a hundred times before.

The plot, however, is not very original. The assassin from the future is a very overdone story as is the girl that knows everything. Still that does not mean it is not entertaining. The plot is well written and there are enough interesting twists to keep things from being too cliche. Having Bucky be the Captain America that is at risk was very surprising after last issue. Everything pointed to Steve Rogers but I think that Bucky actually works better for this type of story.

The characters are well done, as usual, but there is not a lot of development with the exception of the new character, Miranda. I would have preferred to see some different established characters in the future rather then another new creation but I am willing to give it the benefit of the doubt. I am very tired of seeing alternate versions of Wolverine, however, and the death of Logan has been done so many times that it is starting to annoy me. Especially in this case, as no explanation is given as to how or why Wolverine lost his hands and he is killed very quickly. There are very few things that can destroy adamantium, certainly not lasers or the acid that the Deathloks wield. Also, not having hands  seems basically as if it is pandering to the Age of Apocalypse.

Overall the issue was very good though. I generally enjoy alternate universes and and bleak futures are normally fun to explore. The idea of a corporation running everything is not too far fetched and it is nice to see ordinary people standing up to those in power and trying to help the heroes. I am still not quite sure where the plot is going, but if nothing else it has enough action to be a fast paced and exciting read. I would just prefer to see a more established supporting cast. There are so many great characters languishing in limbo that I find it hard to care about new ones. Yet I am enjoying the arc and looking forward to seeing how it all plays out in the remaining issues.

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.

Ultimate X #2 (preview)
Writer: Jeph Loeb
Pencils: Arthur Adams

From Marvel: “Who-or what-is Ultimate X? As the world comes back from the brink of destruction, those left behind struggle to find some semblance of hope. One young woman in particular–the alluring and mysterious Karen–tries to build her life back together, but seems to be hiding something…or rather running away from it. Why so serious, Karen? Maybe her dirty little secret isn’t so little, and might be the key to the mystery of the ULTIMATE X! Brought to you by Eisner award-winning writer JEPH LOEB and legendary illustrator ARTHUR ADAMS!”

On sale April 7, 2010.

Share your thoughts on the return of Ultimate X-Men in the comments below.

And if you haven’t picked up the issue, make sure to read the preview, linked next the series title above.

Uncanny X-Men #523 (preview)
Writer: Matt Fraction
Pencils: Terry Dodson
Inks: Rachel Dodson

From Marvel: “SECOND COMING, CHAPTER TWO The race to find Cable and Hope is on, but who will get to them first? Will it be Cyclops and the X-Men or Bastion and his mutant-hating cabal? Cyclops isn’t waiting for the answer to that as takes the fight directly to Bastion with the New Mutants!”

On sale April 7, 2010.

Share your thoughts on the second chapter of the biggest X-Men crossover of them all in the comments below.

And if you haven’t picked up the issue, make sure to read the preview, linked next the series title above.

Wolverine Weapon X #12 (preview)
Writer: Jason Aaron
Penciler: Ron Garney

From Marvel: “The time-twisting saga of the all-new Deathlok continues as Wolverine battles an army of cyborg assassins on two fronts: in the present, Logan must keep Captain America from becoming the latest casualty on the Deathlok hit list, while in the future an aging, battle-ravaged Logan leads a last-ditch effort to shut down the Deathloks once and for all.”

On sale April 7, 2010.

Share your thoughts on this time-traveling core Wolverine title in the comments below.

And if you haven’t picked up the issue, make sure to read the preview, linked next the series title above.