Wolverine: Origins #26
“Son of X”
Writer: Daniel Way
Artist: Stephen Segovia

Appalling.

After such a strong issue last month, it kills me to see ‘Wolverine: Origins’ slip back to its old ways.

Logan is again shown at his absolute moral worst, descending this time to legitimate war criminal status.

If I didn’t like the character so much, I would drop this series.

By any standard, Logan should be brought up on crimes against humanity and executed.

Wolverine is no longer a failed samurai. He is no longer a man who kills. He is a mass murderer.

Is there no one at Marvel who will stand up and say enough is enough?

From Marvel (preview): “The origin of Daken, the son of Wolverine! Decades ago, during his time in Jasmine Falls, Wolverine fathered a child…a child whom he thought died with its mother. But Wolverine was mistaken—the child grew into a man. And that man just may be the deadliest being on the face of the Earth. How did that happen? Find out here!” On sale June 25, 2008.

Readers seem to be enjoying these charts, so let’s take a look at the current ‘Wolverine’ series through issue 65 (not including Mark Millar’s ‘Old Man Logan’ from issue 66). As with all these charts, the actual data comes from the monthly top 300 charts generated by ICv2.com.

The relaunch of ‘Wolverine’ (Vol. 2) by Greg Rucka and Darick Robertson — also referred to as Vol. 3 over confusion whether ‘Wolverine’ from 1982 was Vol. 1 or just a limited series — kicked off with impressive sales of 158,787 in May 2003 before dropping to the 60,000 range over the next 18 months.

The letters on the chart above correspond to spikes in sales (some significant, some not so) and are as follows:

– A: Issue 20 with sales of 116,831 started Mark Millar and John Romita, Jr.’s ‘Enemy of the State’ run.
– B: Issue 26 with sales of 105,984 began Millar and Romita’s sequel, ‘Agent of SHIELD.”
– C: Issue 32 with sales of 89,026 was Mark Millar’s ‘Prisoner Number Zero.’
– D: Issue 36 with sales of 85,969 launched Daniel Way’s ‘Origins and Endings’ the beginning of the ‘Wolverine: Origins’ storyline.
– E: Issue 45 with sales of 108,680 opened the Civil War crossover ‘Vendetta’ by Marc Guggenheim and Humberto Ramos.
– F: Issue 50 with sales of 115,621 commenced the final Wolverine-Sabretooth tale by Jeph Loeb and Simone Bianchi.
– G: Issue 55 with sales of 130,707 finished the Wolverine-Sabretooth storyline in emphatic fashion.
– H: Issue 58 with sales of 83,810 initiated the first chapter of Marc Guggenheim and Howard Chaykin’s ‘Logan Dies’ arc.

Unfortunately, the last six months, covering the end of ‘Logan Dies’ and all of the ‘Get Mystique’ arc, features the lowest sales of the past five years. One suspects, however, that ‘Old Man Logan’ will result in a huge spike.

But if history is any guide, those sales won’t last.

I think the above chart really says it all, but I’m going to blather on about it anyway.

On a lark, I decided to review sales for the various series that Wolverine stars in or appears in (data coming from the monthly top 300 charts generated by ICv2.com).

As you can see, ‘Wolverine: Origins’ kicked off with an impressive 150,283 orders in April 2006 but has steadily plummeted over the course of the last two plus years (covering the first 25 issues of the run). In fact, the drop is so precipitous that the book, written by Daniel Way and illustrated by Steve Dillon, has lost a staggering two-thirds of its audience in that time.

As an aside, please let me know if you enjoyed this feature. I have sales data going back all the way to 2000 so I can do similar analysis to any number of Wolverine-related titles.

Marvel Adventures The Avengers #25
“Who Wants to Be a (Different) Super Hero?”
Writer: Jeff Parker
Penciler: Ig Guara; Inker: Sandro Ribeiro

Maybe it was the ‘Brady Bunch’ cover that finally made me realize that ‘Marvel Adventures’ is Marvel’s version of the situation comedy.

Unfortunately, the level of writing is that of a bad Saturday morning cartoon, making the plots of ‘Three’s Company’ look sophisticated by comparison.

And perhaps that is not by accident as ‘Marvel Adventures’ are specifically created to be sold through Wal-Mart, Target and other mass market outlets for the kid market (see CBR’s Touring the Marvel Adventures Universe for more details).

Now I have kids. And they wouldn’t touch this stuff if I paid them. They are obsessed with manga like Naruto and Death Note and the only Marvel title they genuinely enjoy is ‘Runaways,’ a well-written series about a group of kids who discover their parents are actually super-villains (created by Brian K. Vaughan and currently written by Joss Whedon).

So if you want to emulate sitcoms, why not trying something that deftly balances stupid humor with clever writing like my kids’ favorite show, ‘My Name Is Earl.’

And Marvel already has the perfect character for the series.

Ladies and gentlemen, let me suggest My Name Is Deadpool.

From Marvel (preview): “You’re smart. DARN smart. You’re so ahead of the curve, you’ve had your head removed and let your face be broadcast by a tv screen in your chest. That’s not just smart, that’s Arnim Zola Smart. And if the Avengers try to go up against that, well you can just switch their minds around so they don’t know what to do with themselves. Oh Zola, you make M.O.D.O.C. look like a common street thug! ” On sale June 18, 2008.

Ultimate X-Men #95
‘Absolute Power, Part 2’
Writer: Aron E. Coleite
Penciler: Mark Brooks; Inker: Jaime Mendoza
Artist (opening/closing): Brandon Peterson

I’m still having a little trouble with the outrage exhibited in this issue (and last issue) over the Banshee drug. I know it’s supposed to be a cross between steroids and heroin, but it just doesn’t work for me on an emotional level.

To be honest, the indignation feels a little force-fed. Perhaps if this had been building over the past year, it would flow more naturally. And if the continued use of the Banshee drug genuinely creates rage issues, then why haven’t we witnessed that effect with Colossus earlier in the series?

All in all, not a bad issue. But I’m just not buying the indignation. Especially Wolverine’s rant in the middle of the issue.

From Marvel (preview): “HEROES writer Aron Eli Coleite continues his run – and introduces a team of X-Men like you’ve never seen before! Who are Ultimate Alpha Flight? What do they want with Northstar? What is Colossus willing to do to get him back? And just wait until you see that last-page shocker!” On sale June 18, 2008.

Wolverine #66
‘Old Man Logan, Part 1’
Writer: Mark Millar
Penciler: Steve McNiven: Inker: Dexter Vines

Trust me.

That’s what Mark Millar seems to be telling us.

When the cover shouts, “WOLVERINE’S ALL-TIME GREATEST ADVENTURE BEGINS HERE!”, one doesn’t expect to find a very quiet, very pacifistic tale. In fact, this story seems the polar opposite of the last great future Wolverine storyline, ‘Days of Future Past.’

That’s not to say that this story might not be great. But it’s not a very auspicious start.

That said, Steve McNiven’s art is stellar (as usual) and his rendition of Old Man Logan has the potential to reach iconic status.

One just hopes that Mark Millar will dazzle us in the ensuing seven issues.

From Marvel (preview): “‘MARK MILLAR and STEVE MCNIVEN—who last teamed for the monumental CIVIL WAR—bring us the most important WOLVERINE story of the 21st Century. Nobody knows what happened on the night the heroes fell. All we know is that they disappeared and evil triumphed and the bad guys have been calling the shots ever since. What happened to Wolverine is the biggest mystery of all. For 50 years, no one has heard hide nor hair from him…and in his place stands an old man called Logan. A man concerned only about his family. A man pushed to the brink by the HULK GANG. A man forced to help an old friend—the blind archer, HAWKEYE—to drive three thousand miles to secure his family’s safety. Get ready for the ride of your life, Logan.” On sale June 18, 2008.

GeNext #2
“Datenight”
Writer: Chris Claremont
Penciler: Patrick Scherberger; Inker: Norman Lee

Wolverine cameos in this issue… as a pencil sketch.

Yeah… I know.

I’m that bad. I even collect lame appearances like these.

But before you mock, realize you are reading a post about said lame appearance. Glass houses and all that.

Oh, who I am kidding. I totally suck.

Which probably begs the question, why am I wasting my time on such absurd appearance?

Because appearances like these tend to get listed in those long lists of “Every Wolverine Appearance EVER” that Wizard Magazine publishes periodically, so it’s helpful to have them on hand instead on thinking I missed some important appearance.

O.C.D. much?

From Marvel: “Continuing the adventures of the newest generation of Xavier’s School of students in a world where the X-Men premiered in 1963 and aged in real time. This issue, we focus on a member who is the grandson of a familiar mutant hero. He might not like school, but he does enjoy his burgeoning romance with the team’s most mysterious member. Unfortunately for them both, her secret past is about rear its cybernetic head.” On sale June 11, 2008.

X-Force Special: Ain’t No Dog
‘Ain’t No Dog’
Writer: Charlie Huston
Artist: Jefte Palo

‘Hunters & Killers’
Writer: Jason Aaron
Penciler: Werther Dell’Edera; Inker: Antonio Fuso

Wow. This is a terrific issue.

Charlie Huston delivers a tour de force of Wolverine at his best, doing what he does best.

And Jefte Palo delivers a Frank Miller-style art style that is perhaps better than anything Frank Miller has ever drawn. In fact, his artwork is so strong that the purple costume (sans red eyes) actually looks pretty good.

If there is any complaint, it’s Huston’s use of ##### to depict profanity. Either get approval to use the word “asshole” or tone down your language. But this odd compromise only serves to detract from an otherwise ###### issue.

As for Jason Aaron’s backup story — it focuses more on James Proudstar than Logan and by comparison to the rest of the issue isn’t especially memorable.

From Marvel (preview): “There will be blood. Gallons of it. Because Cyclops needs only one scalpel for a surgical strike mission and Logan’s the ideal man for the job. Tonight, Wolverine flies solo—dressed in black and operating off the grid. And when the night is through, there will be mountains of corpses, and no one to answer to. What could be better? PLUS, this one-shot features a solo Warpath story, as he learns what it really means to go home again.” On sale June 11, 2008.

Astonishing X-Men Sketchbook
Artwork of Simone Bianchi & Salvador Larroca

Some tremendous sketchwork by Simone Bianchi for Warren Ellis’ much anticipated run on ‘Astonishing X-Men.’

To quote Ellis’ thoughts on Wolverine from ‘Wizard’ #201…

“You can always spot the real alpha male in any room because they’re the most relaxed and least arrogant. That’s Logan. He knows he’s ‘the best there is at what he does.’ What becomes interesting is he also knows what he cannot do. He needles Cyclops, laughs at Cyclops, but would never in hell presume to take over from or ignore Cyclops. Also, I needed comic relief. Poor Logan.”

From Marvel: “‘Messiah Complex’ pulled the X-Men team together; ‘Divided We Stand’ tore them apart. This July, the X-Men get back to business – with a new base of operations and a new look! See it here first – with this exclusive preview! See the gorgeous costume redesigns for Wolverine, Cyclops, Emma Frost and more by emerging superstar Simone Bianchi (WOLVERINE: EVOLUTION)! This one-shot gives you a first up-close look at the blue-prints for the new ‘X-Men Mansion,’ courtesy of superstar Salvador Larocca. You won’t believe your eyes!” On sale June 4, 2008.

Avengers/Invaders #2
“Book Two: Battlefield Brooklyn!”
Plot: Alex Ross & Jim Krueger; Script: Jim Krueger
Pencils: Steve Sadowski

Wolverine barely makes it into this issue, eking out five words in the final two panels.

“Okay, Axis… here we come”

A marked improvement over the cover only cameo in the previous issue. Let’s hope Wolverine keeps up the momentum and actually makes a legitimate appearance in issue 3.

From Marvel (preview): “With World War II’s greatest heroes mysteriously transported to 2008, it takes the Mighty Avengers to bring them in before the world realizes that the Invaders are back…including the original Captain America. But will Iron Man and S.H.I.E.L.D. have enough firepower to hold them…or do the Invaders have everyone just where they want them?” On sale June 4, 2008.