Wolverine News: Wolverine Alphabet?

The San Diego Comic-Con (officially Comic-Con International: San Diego), wrapped last week, but there is still some post-con Wolverine news dribbling out…

  • Newsarama: Marvel X-Dead Shall Rise in Necrosha (details)
  • Newsarama: Van Lente & Calero Return for ‘X-Men Noir: Mark of Cain’ (details)
  • Newsarama: The Dark X-Men Go to War (details)

In other Wolverine News from around the Web…

  • Bleeding Cool: The Wolverine Alphabet? (details and Sean Gordon Murphy portfolio)
  • CBR: ‘Dark Avengers/Uncanny X-Men: Exodus’ #1 Sneak Preview (details)
  • Houston Chronicle: Wolverine vs. Dr. Octopus in ‘Amazing Spider-Man’ Strip (details)

And last but not least, ‘Wolverine and the X-Men’ episode 14, “Stolen Lives”, aired on Friday, a particularly strong episode dealing with Wolverine’s time with Team X…

Probable (and Possible) Wolverine Appearances in stores on 8/05/09
Ultimatum: X-Men Requiem #1 (preview): Ultimate X-Men Epilogue by Aron Coleite…

Wolverine Week-31-in-Review: Ultimatum Ultimately Ends

Wolverine appeared in FOUR TITLES this past week (July 29, 2009), as well as one significant Dark Wolverine appearance and a posthumous presence in X-Men Forever #4 (reviewed by our very own jrpbsp).

As usual, I will share my curmudgeonly impressions for the rest of the Wolverine docket…

Ultimatum #5 coverUltimatum #5 (preview | thread)
Writer: Jeph Loeb
Artist: David Finch
Inker: Danny Miki

This much delayed finale has many of the same problems that the previous issues have had. Whole-scale slaughter without an ounce of grief, horrifically bad dialogue and plot resolutions reduced to single-page pinups.

That said, Wolverine does get to go out in style — perhaps the best single moment of the entire miniseries…

Wolverine Noir #4 (details)
Writer: Stuart Moore
Pencils: C.P. Smith

Another mediocre series mercifully comes to an end.

While ‘X-Men Noir’ had its moments, I must say that I never warmed to this series. And one hopes that sooner or later, Marvel will finally put this Noir concept out of its misery..

New Avengers #55 (preview)
Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Pencils: Stuart Immonen
Inks: Wade von Grawbadger

Wolverine has cameos in two panels before returning to San Francisco…

Fantastic Four #569 (preview)
Story: Mark Millar
Script: Joe Ahearne
Pencils: Stuart Immonen
Inks: Wade von Grawbadger & Scott Hanna

Gratuitous Wolverine cameo sans dialogue…

Dark X-Men: The Beginning #2 (preview)
Writer: Rob Williams
Pencils: Paco Diaz
Inks: Guillermo Ortega

After the wonderfully subtle handling of Daken in ‘Dark Wolverine’ by Marjorie Liu, I found this tale of Daken joining the Dark X-Men to be rather heavy handed and blatantly contradictory…

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Wolverine News: San Diego Comic-Con

Sorry for the late posting of Wolverine News this week, and yes, I know the con is officially named Comic-Con International: San Diego, but it’s still the San Diego Comic-Con to me…

So without further ado, let’s get to the Wolverine-related news announced over the weekend…

  • CBR: Daniel Way Talks Wolverine(s) (details)
  • Newsarama: An X-Forced Confession from Chris Yost (details)
  • CBR: Kyle, Yost, Carey and Wells Talk X-Crossover ‘Necrosha’ (details)
  • CBR: Mondo Marvel Panel (details)
  • CBR: X-Men Panel (details)
  • CBR: Marvel Animation Panel (details)

And lest we forget, Wolverine continues his guest-starring role in the Amazing Spider-Man comic strip (details)

Probable (and Possible) Wolverine Appearances in stores on 7/29/09
Dark X-Men: Beginnings #2 (preview): How Daken joined the Dark X-Men…
The New Avengers #55 (details): Wolverine makes a mess of Cap’s apartment…
Ultimatum #5 (details): Finally, the finale…
Wolverine Noir #4 (preview): Another merciful finale…
X-Men Forever #4 (details): Guest-starring Wolverine’s claw!

Wolverine Week-30-in-Review: Thumbs Up to ‘Dark Wolverine’

Wolverine appeared in FIVE TITLES last week (July 22, 2009), as well as one significant Dark Wolverine appearance.

So without further ado, our very own jrpbsp provides write-ups for…

As usual, I will share my curmudgeonly impressions for the rest of the Wolverine docket…

Dark Wolverine #76 coverDark Wolverine #76 (preview)
Writers: Daniel Way & Marjorie Liu
Pencils: Giuseppe Camunculi
Inks: Onofrio Catacchio

As longtime readers will attest, I am no fan of Daken. But Marjorie Liu continues to impress on this ‘Dark Wolverine’ run.

Sure Daniel Way’s name is first on the credits, but his stories have never been about finesse, nor has his dialogue ever been so crisp.

So forgive me if I credit this wonderfully Machiavellian escapade to the New York Times bestselling author.

And if the upcoming ‘Dark Wolverine’ story teasers are to be believed, this fun ride promises to continue for a while more…

Amazing Spider-Man #600 (details)
Writer: Dan Slott
Pencils: John Romita, Jr.
Inks: Klaus Janson

A dying Dr. Octopus takes over Manhattan with his mind, and the New Avengers kick Spider-Man out until they can (unsuccessfully) fix the problem.

Best Wolverine line? Comes in response to Ronin’s comment that Spider-Man listens to Wolverine. “‘Cause he knows I’ll pop a claw in his ass.”

Profanity translation courtesy of DiG…

Ms. Marvel #42 (preview)
Writer: Brian Reed
Artist: Sana Takeda

Wolverine: Carol? Hey… you okay?

And this concludes Wolverine cameo theater…

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Wolverine News: October Solicitations

Marvel released their October solicitations today and Wolverine Files has the top Wolverine appearances for the month…

WOLVERINE WEAPON X #6
Written by JASON AARON
Penciled by YANICK PAQUETTE
“INSANE IN THE BRAIN” PART 1 (of 4)
Welcome to Dunwich Sanatorium, where the only people weirder than the patients are the doctors in charge. The newest resident is a man known only as Patient X, a poor confused soul who doesn’t remember who he is or how he came to be here. He only has vague memories of living with wolverines and traveling to the moon and killing lots and lots of people. Lucky for him, he came to the right place. The good Dr. Rot knows everything there is to know about the human brain. Including how to remove it… This issue begins an all-new arc unlike any Wolverine story you’ve ever read.

DARK REIGN: THE LIST – WOLVERINE
Written by JASON AARON
Pencils & Cover by ESAD RIBIC
The power mad Norman Osborn wants control of the Weapon Plus program. The eternally-surly Wolverine wants to stop him. The artificially-evolved super-sentinel Fantomex wants to shoot everyone in the face and zip away in his kick-ass flying saucer. The Kree warrior Marvel Boy just wants the hell out. And the all-new Weapon XVI wants to bring the world to its knees. And you should want to read it. PLUS: Jason Aaron’s never-before-reprinted first Wolverine story, from WOLVERINE (first series) 175–and more!

WOLVERINE ORIGINS #41
Written by DANIEL WAY
Pencils & Cover by DOUG BRAITHWAITE
“SEVEN THE HARD WAY” PART 1 (of 5)
The events of the previous issues have made it clear–in excruciatingly painful detail–to Wolverine that it’s time for a change in tactics. Romulus knows Wolverine too well; any plan that Wolverine could come up with, Romulus would anticipate. The solution? Use someone else’s plan–a plan that requires the participation of several different and very unlikely characters plucked from all corners of the Marvel Universe. But some of these characters won’t exactly be willing to participate. Take Hulk, for example…

WOLVERINE FIRST CLASS #20
Written by PETER DAVID
Penciled by DENNIS CALERO
In space no one can hear you scream. But can they hear you Snikt? The explosive battle aboard the Skrull battleship between the pesky Super-Skrull and the *ahem* marvelous guest star CAPTAIN MARVEL is getting a little hairy –and Wolverine’s not even in the thick of it, yet! Tied up with adamatium shackles by his Skrully captors, will he be able to escape in time to get in a few good punches before the whole dust-up goes sour?

X-MEN FOREVER #9 & 10
Written by CHRIS CLAREMONT
Penciled by STEVE SCOTT (#9) & PAUL SMITH (#10)
“The Secret History of The Sentinels”
The thrilling conclusion to the X-Men’s South American adventure!!! The X-Men take on this newest threat while still reeling from the revelations of the last issue — and the reappearance of the Trask family! PLUS! The funeral of WOLVERINE. The X-Men put to rest their team member and friend. Penciled by Paul Smith and inked by Terry Austin!

WOLVERINE ART APPRECIATION
Written by JOHN RHETT THOMAS
Assembling all the variant covers from April’s Wolverine Art Appreciation Month, this special collection will take a trip through art history with Logan as your guide! Meet the artists who made this such an innovative and cool event – luminaries such as Ed McGuinness, Paolo Rivera, Russ Heath, Skottie Young, Laura Martin and more – as they adapt the artistry of Van Gogh, Magritte, Warhol, Dali and other towering titans of the art world, all in celebration of that lovable little furball’s 35th anniversary in comics! This is Art History 101 with claws, so handle carefully!

DARK WOLVERINE #79
Written by MARJORIE LIU & DANIEL WAY
Penciled by STEPHEN SEGOVIA
The unimaginable has happened–both Daken and Norman’s plans have backfired! Now the victim of his own manipulations–beat almost to death by a gang of second-rate villains–Daken is forced to make an almost impossible admission: this “hero” thing is harder than it looks! But will digging himself out of the hole he’s put himself in restore his pride–or ruin him forever? Part 2 (of 3).

For the rest of Wolverine and Dark Wolverine’s appearances, see the full list of October solicitations at ComicBookResources.com (details | thread)…

As for more regularly scheduled Wolverine News…

  • New Avengers #55 Sneak Preview (details)
  • Wolverine continues his guest appearance with this week’s ‘Amazing Spider-Man‘ strips (details)

Probable (and Possible) Wolverine Appearances in stores on 7/22/09
Dark Wolverine #76 (preview): Daken vs. the Fantastic Four…
Ms. Marvel #42 (preview): Wolverine guest-stars…
Wolverine: First Class #17 (preview): Wolverine goes undercover as Patch…
Wolverine: Origins #38 (preview): Wolverine vs. Omega Red…
X-Force #17 (preview): Messiah War Aftermath…

Wolverine Week-29-in-Review: Wolverine Slowdown…


Wolverine appeared in TWO TITLES this past week (July 15, 2009), plus one cover cameo and one Dark Wolverine sighting.

So without further ado, our very own jrpbsp provides write-ups for…

As usual, I will share my curmudgeonly impressions for the rest of the rather limited Wolverine docket…

Timestorm 2009/2099 #3 (preview)
Writer: Brian Reed
Penciler: Eric Battle
Inker: Drew Hennessey

More Spider-Man than Wolverine this go-around, but a big battle looms with an army of Hulk 2099s…

Amazing Spider-Man #599 (details)
“American Son, Conclusion”
Art: Stephen Segovia, Marco Checchetto, Paolo Siquiera, Amilton Santos

Wolverine cameos in a brief flashback with Spider-Man…

And finally, Wolverine cameos on the cover only of Marvel Adventures the Avengers #38 (details)

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in a brief flashback

Wolverine News: Summer Doldrums Continue

The summer doldrums for Wolverine continues….

So let’s have a big round of applause for the Houston Chronicle, where Wolverine continues his guest starring role in the Spider-Man Strip

  • Start with Wolverine fighting Dr. Octopus from 6/22 (details)
  • Continue with this week’s strips from 7/13 (details)

Probable (and Possible) Wolverine Appearances in stores on 7/15/09
Dark Avengers #7 (preview): Utopia Chapter 3, Beast gets declawed…
Timestorm 2009/2099 #3 (details): Wolverine makes the cover…
Marvel Adventures The Avengers #38 (preview): More juvenile hijinx…

Wolverine Week-28-in-Review: Finally, Wolverine Noir #3 (and ‘Wednesday Comics’)

Wolverine appeared in FIVE TITLES this past week (July 8, 2009) and once again, our very own jrpbsp provides an impressive series of write-ups for…

As usual, I will share my curmudgeonly impressions for the rest of the Wolverine (and Dark Wolverine) docket…

Ms. Marvel #41 (preview)
Writer: Brian Reed
Art: Sergio Arino

Wolverine gets some good one-liners, but his appearance is strictly that of supporting actor…

Skrull Kill Krew #3 (details)
Writer: Adam Felber
Pencils: Mark Robinson, Rob DiSalvo
Inks: Mike Getty, Rob DiSalvo

Two Wolverines appear, but both seem to be Skrulls, so the trauma of seeing Wolverine wearing a cow harness last issue can be allowed to slowly fade away…

Dark X-Men: The Beginning #1 (preview)
“Mimic”
Writer: James Asmus
Penciler: Jesse Delperdang
Inkers: Andy Lanning with Jesse Delperdang

Wolverine cameos in a brief flashback of the Mimic short story,  a single panel recap of their confrontation in ‘Marvel Comics Presents’…

Wolverine Noir #3 (preview)
“Original Sin”
Writer: Stuart Moore
Art: C.P. Smith

I missed this issue when it came out a few weeks ago.

Can’t say I missed much.

But it does illustrate why I am slowly warming to the concept of dropping these masturbatory, non-canonical stories. They have no bearing on the character and will disappear from our consciousness mere months after the last issue hits the stands.

And it’s a shame because long ago, I decided I had to collect every appearance of Wolverine. And when you start to lose me, well you know the comic book industry is in trouble.

Now I know I come across, many times, as someone who doesn’t like or enjoy comics.

Well, let me disprove that with a hearty recommendation of DC Comics’ ‘Wednesday Comics’. It is a wonderful throwback to the oversized Sunday comics of old and will be coming out weekly for 12 weeks.

So do yourself a big favor and pick up the first issue.  It is a terrific change of pace, and DC Comics deserves praise for coming up with something so innovatively retro.

Share your opinion in the comments below OR join in on the fun in the Wolverine Files Forums

in a brief flashback

Wolverine News: Wolverine 100 Project Continues to Grow

Not much in the way of Wolverine news this week.

‘X-Men Origins: Wolverine’ has petered out at the box office, and the glut of Wolverine titles in support of the movie are no longer making news. So we return to the Wolverine 100 Project from the Hero Initiative and take another peek at Wolverine’s appearance in the Spider-Man comic strip…

  • The Hero Initiative: Wolverine 100 Project expands with Mike Deodato (details)
  • Houston Chronicle: Wolverine guest stars in the Spider-Man Strip (6/29 on)

Probable (and Possible) Wolverine Appearances in stores on 7/08/09
Ms. Marvel #41 (preview): Wolverine and Spider-Man guest star…
Skull Kill Krew #3 (details): Two Wolverines? Oh the agony…
Uncanny X-Men: First Class #1 (preview): Wolverine vs. Gorgon…

Wolverine Week-27-in-Review: Astonishing Tales #6

Wolverine appeared in only ONE TITLE (two if you count Daken as Dark Wolverine) this week (July 01, 2009), with our very own jrpbsp providing a write-up for the Daken appearance and the second chapter of ‘Utopia’ in Uncanny X-Men #513

For my part, I will share my curmudgeonly impression of…

Astonishing Tales #6 (preview | thread)
“Bloodletting”
Writers: C.B. Cebulski and Jim McCann
Art: Kenneth Rocafort

This being the finale, I reread the first five chapters to see if I was missing some overarching theme that would change my opinion on this run.

Alas, I seem to have missed nothing.

This really is nothing more than a melodramatic pose-fest. And the dialogue is so corny and cliched as to defy belief.

That said, anyone out there enjoy this six-parter?

NOTE: I still have not been able to track down a copy of Wolverine Noir #3 from last week, so my review will have to wait until I can locate a copy.

Share your opinion in the comments below OR join in on the fun in the Wolverine Files Forums