Lots of Wolverine news to get caught up on, followed by the highlights from Marvel’s December Solicitations…

Wolverine
-‘Wolverine’ #2 Advance Preview (details)
-Jason Aaron talks ‘Astonishing’ and ‘Wolverine’ (details)

Daken & X-23
-‘Daken: Dark Wolverine’ #2 Advance Preview (details)
-Marjorie Liu & Daniel Way Talk Daken & X-23 (details)
-Marjorie Liu Talks X-23 & Daken Solo (details)

X-Men
-‘X-Men’ #4 Advance Preview (details)
-Victor Gischler on ‘X-Men’ and Vampire Wolverine (details)

Uncanny X-Force
-‘Uncanny X-Force’ Trailer (details)
-Rick Remender Talks ‘Uncanny X-Force’ (details)

Other Wolverine News
-‘Wolverine: Development Hell’ #1 as Exclusive Digital Comic (details)

And finally, Wolverine highlights from Marvel’s December Solicitations…

WOLVERINE #4
Written by JASON AARON
Penciled by RENATO GUEDES
Demonically-possessed Wolverine vs. Colossus. What more do you need? How about Mystique and the Ghost Riders and Sabretooth and the devil wielding a really big sword, not to mention a shocking appearance by a figure from Logan’s past that no one’s expecting, least of all Logan himself. All of this as Wolverine’s epic descent into hell rolls on.

WOLVERINE: THE BEST THERE IS #1
Written by CHARLIE HUSTON
Penciled by JUAN JOSE RYP
“Contagion, Part One: Impulsion & Whim,” PART 1 OF 6
When Wolverine faces a problem of the villainous kind there’s a good chance that he’ll use his Adamantium claws to whip up a lethal solution to it. What happens, though, when he faces an opponent who becomes a much bigger problem if he’s killed? Enter: Contagion, a bold new addition to Wolverine’s rogue’s gallery. But first, Logan must contend with Contagion’s defenders, the aptly named crew known as the Unkillables.

X-MEN #6
Written by VICTOR GISCHLER
Penciled by PACO MEDINA
“CURSE OF THE MUTANTS,” conclusion!
Somehow, the X-Men have weathered the vampire raid on Utopia, but mutants can’t claim total victory yet. Jubilee still needs the X-Men’s help, and Xarus still commands an overwhelming force of bloodsuckers. Will Dracula’s intervention be the final nail in Xarus’s coffin…or will he make even more trouble for the X-Men than his upstart son ever could?

UNCANNY X-FORCE #3
Written by RICK REMENDER
Pencils by JEROME OPEÑA
“THE APOCAYLPSE SOLUTION,” PART 3
Uncanny X-Force versus Apocalypse’s Last Horsemen to the death! With their target within striking distance the team separate in hopes that one of them might infiltrate the Akkaba stronghold and assassinate Apocalypse. However, breaking apart has left them vulnerable, and one member pays a heavy toll for the strategy. Will a member of the team die to stop Apocalypse? Or will the price be heavier still?

UNCANNY X-MEN #531
Written by MATT FRACTION & KIERON GILLEN
Pencils & Cover by GREG Land “Quarantine”
The X-Men on Utopia are getting sicker and sicker and their powers are shutting down one-by-one. Wolverine’s healing factor is down and he’s suffering adamantium poisoning, but he’s much better off than the mutants whose mutation defines their bodies, like Rockslide and Mercury. And if that weren’t bad enough, The Collective Man has Chinatown in the palms of his many hands and the Sublime Corporation is kicking the plan they’ve been hatching since #515 into high gear!

NEW AVENGERS #7
Written by BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS
Pencils & Cover by STUART IMMONEN
After the devastating fallout of last issue’s fatal battle for this dimension, the New Avengers have to figure out who really belongs on the team. Plus, Luke Cage and Jessica Jones need a nanny, and not just any nanny, they need to find a superpowered nanny. Who. Will. It. Be?! Plus: another illustrated chapter of the oral history of the Avengers!

DAKEN: DARK WOLVERINE #4
Written by MARJORIE LIU & DANIEL WAY
Pencils & Cover by GIUSEPPE CAMUNCOLI
Dead men are hardly ever in good company, and Daken’s no exception. With everyone thinking he’s a goner, Daken now goes to work establishing his new costumed identity. You thought Dark Wolverine was killer, you ain’t seen nothing yet.

X-23 #4
Written by MARJORIE LIU
Penciled by WILL CONRAD
The open road can be a dangerous place for a teenage girl…unless you’re X-23.  Leaving the X-Men is no heartbreak, not when the answers X-23 seeks about herself are out in the world.  But her questions will lead her down a path more dangerous than any she’s ever encountered, one that ties directly into the past of another orphan: Remy Le Beau, aka GAMBIT.

WHAT IF? WOLVERINE: FATHER
Written by ROB WILLIAMS
Penciled by GREG TOCCHINI
If there’s one person who shouldn’t raise a child, it’s a berserker killing machine. In the regular Marvel Universe, Logan wasn’t there for Daken, and his son grew up to become the murderous Dark Wolverine. But what would have happened if Logan had known of Daken’s existence as a child, and had taken him under his wing from his first moments? Can a child with Logan’s blood running through his veins ever turn his back on murder? Can Logan find redemption and be a good father? Raising Daken will be Wolverine’s greatest battle.

See the complete list of Marvel’s December Solicitations at ComicBookResources.com (details)…

X-Men: Xenogenesis #3 (preview)
Writer: Warren Ellis
Art: Kaare Andrews

From Marvel: “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?”

In stores September 22, 2010.

More X-Men fun from Warren Ellis.

Best line?

“We have a gunshot victim, and I may feed these two idiot soldiers to Logan.”

Avengers #5 (preview)
Pencils: John Romita, Jr.
Inks: Klaus Janson

From Marvel: “The Blockbuster Marvel series continues! The Avengers travel to the far-flung future to stop the timestream from ripping itself apart. But with time unraveling more and more with every second it may be too late to put the world back the way it was. All this plus a brand new chapter in the oral history of the Avengers!”

In stores September 22, 2010.

More Avengers than Wolverine.

Not a bad thing. Just a thing.

Though I must admit I wonder what this book would look like if someone other than Klaus Janson were inking it…

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Comusiv’s Completist Corner
–Heroic Age: One Month to Live #4: This feels very non-continuity, hence the listing here…
–X-Campus #4: Finale of the European-created comic…

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Probable Wolverine appearances for the week of 9/29/10…
–Curse of the Mutants: X-Men vs. Vampires #1 (preview): Title says it all…

Time to announce a few changes to the Wolverine Files.

After much contemplation, I have decided to stop covering non-616 Wolverine appearances. In other words, I am dropping comics featuring Wolverine appearances from alternate realities, kids comics and all-ages comics, cover only appearances and all the other non-continuity Wolverine stories.

Why?

Because for me, and I only speak for myself, these appearances are sucking the fun out of comics. I need to try to strip back to Wolverine’s core appearances and get back to enjoying what matters to me.

Again, I speak only for myself.

Marvel has continuously stated that if fans don’t like these non-essential comics, then don’t buy’em.

Well, I’m not buying as of this week.

But fear not, completists! Our friendly neighborhood Comusiv will chronicle those appearances for me in a section we are dubbing ‘Comusiv’s Completist Corner‘. And to make that change to this weekly wrap up more evident, I am changing the name of “And the Rest’ to ‘Wolverine WrapUp‘.

So without further ado, on with the rest of Wolverine’s appearances from last week…

Spider-Man and the Fantastic Four #3 (preview)
Writer: Christos Gage
Art: Mario Alberti

From Marvel: “Years ago, when the Fantastic Four were captured by a
mysterious Skrull temptress, the ‘New FF’ stepped in to take their place…Spider-Man, Wolverine, the Hulk and Ghost Rider! Now, for the first time, see what happened immediately
following their classic first adventure…as the two teams get shaken up and pitted against each other! Christos Gage & Mario Alberti bring you the ultimate super hero showdown!”

In stores September 15, 2010.

Wolverine appears as part of the New Fantastic Four.

Best line? “I got another team up. With a case of beer.”

X-23 #1 (preview)
Script: Marjorie Liu
Art: Will Conrad

From Marvel: “After the events of Second Coming and the stunning conclusion to X-Force, X-23 strikes out on her own in this all-new ongoing series, written by best-selling author MARJORIE LIU, spinning out of the events of Wolverine #1! X-23 has never had an easy relationship with the rest of the X-Men, but when she learns someone has taken down Wolverine, she must step up to fill his shoes.”

In stores September 15, 2010.

Wolverine appears only in dream. A dream from Hell!

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Comusiv’s Completist Corner

–Heroic Age: One Month to Live #3: Wolverine’s silhouette on final page…
–Avengers & the Infinity Gauntlet #2: All-Ages retelling of original ‘Infinity Gauntlet’…
–Super Hero Squad #9: Kids comic based on the cartoon…

And from the previous week, Thanos Imperative #4 featured an Evil Space Wolverine…

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Major probable/possible Wolverine appearances for this week (9/22/10)…

–Astonishing X-Men: Xenogenesis #3 (preview): Oft-delayed story returns…
–Avengers #5 (preview): The future of Marvel revealed…
–Heroic Age: One Month to Live #4 (preview): Aren’t there healers in the Marvel Universe?
–Uncanny X-Men #528 (preview): Wolverine should appear…

Astonishing Spider-Man & Wolverine #3 (preview)
Writer: Jason Aaron
Pencils: Adam Kubert
Digital Inks: Mike Roslan

From Marvel: “Wolverine and Spider-Man have gone from the dawn of time to the end of time. Now they’re stuck in the future, which would be so bright were the sun not eclipsed by DOOM: THE LIVING PLANET! Not only did Dr. Doom conquer our planet, but he also conquered Ego: The Living Planet and is back to finish the job on Earth. Only Wolverine and the Phoenix Gun stand in his way. All this, plus a shocking end that will change the way you look at the two biggest Marvel characters, thanks to Jason Aaron (WOLVERINE, PUNISHERMAX) and Adam Kubert (ULTIMATE X-MEN, HULK). ”

On sale September 15, 2010.

Daken: Dark Wolverine #1 (preview)
Writer: Dan Way & Marjorie Liu
Pencils: Guiseppe Camuncoli
Inks: Onofrio Catacchio

From Marvel: “For decades, Daken, the son of Wolverine, remained hidden in the shadows of the Marvel Universe, methodically plotting how he would one day dominate the world around him. And now, with his father’s soul hanging in the balance, that day has come. This is the beginning.”

In stores September 9, 2010.

Another disparaging view of Wolverine, this time from 50 years ago. One wishes the newly minted ‘Daken’ series would take a fresh path, focusing solely on Daken, and not return to such a dim expression of his father…

New Avengers #4 (preview)
Writer: Jan Michael Bendis
Pencils: Stuart Immonen
Inks: Wade Von Grawbadger

From Marvel: “With reality under furious attack by arcane power far beyond anything anyone on Earth has ever dealt with before, the Avengers have to start getting creative or forfeit all that we know. The rules of magic and mysticism in the Marvel Universe are about to change in a gigantic way and it’s all going to happen here! All this plus a brand new chapter in the oral history of the Avengers.”

In stores September 9, 2010.

You gotta love Stuart Immonen’s rendition of Wolverine. Too bad he only appears in a handful of panels…

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In other appearances, Wolverine has a single-panel flashback X-Men Forever #2 (preview)…

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Probable/possible Wolverine appearances for this week (9/15/10)…

–Astonishing Spider-Man & Wolverine #3 (preview): Doom, the Living Planet…
–Avengers & the Infinity Gauntlet #2 (preview): Juvenile retelling of the Infinity Gauntlet…
–Spider-Man/Fantastic Four #3 (preview): The New Fantastic Four…
–Super Hero Squad #9 (preview): Just like it sounds…
–X-23 #1 (preview): Third time’s the charm?

X-Men #3 (preview)
Writers: Victor Gischer
Pencils: Paco Medina
Inks: Juan Vlasco

From Marvel: “MUTANTS VERSUS VAMPIRES, PART 3: In a desperate bid to fend off an endless horde of vampires, the X-Men do the unthinkable: They resurrect Dracula. Will the former Lord of the Vampires go along with Cyclops’ scheme to take down Dracula’s upstart son, Xarus? Meanwhile, Wolverine sets off to rescue Jubilee, unaware of the chilling transformation she has undergone. To attempt to free his former teammate, Wolverine must embark down his darkest path yet.”

On sale September 9, 2010.

X-Force: Sex and Violence #3 (preview)
Writer: Craig Kyle & Christopher Yost
Art: Gabriele Dell’Otto

From Marvel: “The blood soaked conclusion!! Wolverine is the best he is at what he does. Domino is the luckiest there is at what she does. But this time, it’s not going to be enough. The full force of the Assassins Guild is coming down on our heroes, and it’s not going to be pretty. Except for the art.”

On sale September 9, 2010.

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

Apologies for the late posts the past few weeks. I am still getting used to a new work schedule that puts me in New York City on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, not to mention recovering from a horrible stomach virus.

Oh, and don’t forget that new comics come out Thursday (today) this week…

All-New Wolverine Saga
Writer: Jeph York

Wolverine narrates the events of ‘Wolverine: Origins’ in advance of his descent to Hell. All things considered, Jeph York’s version might make more sense than the series itself.

Wolverine then goes on to give similarly interesting voice to the histories of X-23, X-Force and Daken.

All in all, a very engaging and useful history lesson for the new wave of Wolverine “universe’ titles coming out this month…

In stores now.

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Franken-Castle #20 (preview)
Writer: Rick Remender
Art: Tony Moore, Paco Diaz & John Lucas

From Marvel: “The Punisher and Wolverine must kill Daken! In hunting Dark Wolverine, Frank Castle has unwittingly given him the thing he needed most to complete his mission of retribution. On the rooftops of Tokyo, The Punisher, in a broken body, and his unwitting partner Wolverine, his healing factor negated, fight against a vengeful son reborn in the Exo-Mind! Dear lord is it going to get bloody.”

In stores September 1, 2010.

An amusing story with lots of fun, bloody violence, but Wolverine’s paternal loyalty to Daken sure is getting tiresome…

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Avengers: The Children’s Crusade #2 (preview)
Writer: Allan Heinberg
Pencils: Jim Cheung
Inks: Mark Morales with Jim Cheung

From Marvel: “THE RACE IS ON as the Avengers, the Young Avengers, and the X-Men compete to be the first to find the Scarlet Witch. When the Young Avengers discover the secret of Wanda Maximoff’s disappearance, the Avengers attempt to neutralize the Scarlet Witch before the Young Avengers can find her. But their efforts soon lead to an all-out war between the Avengers and the X-Men that only the Young Avengers can stop.”

In stores September 1, 2010.

Maybe I’ve seen Wolverine and Magneto do this dance way too many time before, because I think the Avengers/Magneto encounter would have worked much better without Wolverine.

That said, it’s a pretty cool cover.

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In other appearances, Wolverine…
…briefly joins the vampire-hunting fun in Curse of the Mutants: Storm & Gambit #1 (preview)…
…has a humorous one-page cameo in ‘X-Men: Smoke and Blood’ #1 (preview)…
…has a superfluous one-panel cameo in the first story of ‘I Am an Avenger’ (preview)…
…is featured in several of the one-page origins in ‘Origins of Marvel Comics: X-Men’…
…AND has a disputed one-panel appearance in ‘Marvel Universe vs. the Punisher’ #3 (see page 4 of the preview for possible appearance)…

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Probable/possible Wolverine appearances for the upcoming week (9/9/10)…

–Daken: Dark Wolverine #1 (preview): Wolverine definitely appears…
–New Avengers #4 (preview): “THIS ISN”T WORKING!”
–X-Force: Sex and Violence #3 (preview): The blood-soaked conclusion…
–X-Men #3 (preview): Dracula gets reassembled…

Wolverine: Road to Hell #1 (preview)
“Falling”
Writer: Jason Aaron
Pencils: Renato Guedes
Inks: Jose Wilson Magalhaes

From Marvel: “This September, Wolverine starts down the road to hell and we want to take you along for the ride…it all starts here! With all new material by the creative teams bringing you WOLVERINE, X-23, DAKEN: DARK WOLVERINE and X-FORCE, The Road to Hell is packed with clues and signposts to help you find your way through the brand-new launch of Wolverine’s own family of books!”

On sale September 1, 2010.

A tremendously powerful prologue for “Wolverine Goes to Hell”…

Wolverine #1 (preview)
Writer: Jason Aaron
Pencils: Renato Guedes
Inks: Jose Wilson Magalhaes

From Marvel: “Acclaimed author JASON AARON and superstar artist RENATO GUEDES (Action Comics, Adventures of Superman) launch an all-new ongoing Wolverine series as Wolverine goes to hell…literally! Someone’s out to destroy Wolverine-permanently-and they may have succeeded. But if Wolverine’s soul is in hell, how is his body terrorizing those closest to him?”

On sale September 1, 2010.

The first ten pages are outstanding, and the final two are close to brilliant.

I’m not sold yet on the new rogues gallery, though I do like that Wolverine prepared Melita for such an eventuality.

I may be most impressed with the comments from ‘Cutting Edge’ (last page of the issue) that Jason Aaron was the one to pitch and lay out this story.

I know it’s only the first issue, but I am very much looking forward to the ride.

What about the rest of you? As always, leave your comments below.

Avengers #4 (preview)
Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Pencils: John Romita, Jr.
Inks: Klaus Janson

From Marvel: “The blockbuster Marvel comic of the year continues!! The timestream is broken and with that the Marvel Universe has fallen into utter chaos. Can the Avengers defeat Kang and even if they do, is it too late? Guest-starring EVERYONE!! Plus! Another startling chapter in the untold oral history of the Avengers by Brian Michael Bendis…!”

In stores August 25, 2010.

Wolverine again plays a minor role in this time-traveling odyssey.

Not a bad minor, mind you, but a minor role nonetheless…

Dark Wolverine #90 (preview)
Writer: Daniel Way & Marjorie Liu
Art: Mirco Pierfederici

From Marvel: “PUNISHMENT, part 3: Daken barely survived his encounter with Frank Castle, but that only makes him more dangerous than ever — especially when Wolverine shows up to save the day. Killing two birds with one stone has never been more appealing…”

In stores August 25, 2010.

A rather lightweight series finale that features a cameo by Wolverine near the end.

And curiously, Wolverine fails to notice Daken’s scent..

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Black Widow #5 (preview)
Writer: Marjorie Liu
Art: Daniel Acuna

From Marvel: “Black Widow gets answers! The villain revealed! The mystery plot on Natasha’s life comes to deadly light as the Black Widow uncovers who’s conspiring to destroy her…and gets some payback for the attempt on her life!”

In stores August 25, 2010.

Another Wolverine cameo, “Old man. Weak bladder.” Heh.

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In other appearances, Wolverine shows up in ‘X-Campus’ #3 (preview), a reprint of the European comic evocative of the X-Men cartoon and Hogwarts…

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Probable/possible Wolverine appearances for the upcoming week (9/1/10)…

–The Avengers: Children’s Crusade #2 (preview): Magneto clashes with the Avengers…
–Franken-Castle #20 (preview): ‘Punishment’ finale…
–Wolverine #1 (preview): Wolverine goes to Hell…
–Wolverine: Road to Hell #1 (preview): Title says it all…