Hey, everyone, jrpbsp here… Unfortunately my store did not have ‘Dark Avengers/ Uncanny X-Men: Exodus’ so I can only do one review this week, ‘X-Men Forever’.  Hope you enjoy.

X-Men Forever #7 (preview)
Writer: Chris Claremont
Penciler: Steve Scott
Inker: Al Vey

SPOILERS BELOW…

RECAP (see X-Men Forever #6 Review for last issue recap): The issue opens with S.H.I.E.L.D. agents deep in the Andes Mountains investigating the destruction of several tanks. They find a giant footprint but that is the only evidence, as none of their equipment works in the area.

Jean and Xavier try to use their telepathic powers to look around but as they make contact something big hits the agents taking down their helicopter and killing the ground troops. Something that cannot be seen by the naked eye.

Hank immediately suspects Sentinels but no one else seems to believe him. Fury wants to handle the problem but Xavier insists on sending the X-Men and calls in the troops. Scott, Rogue, Nightcrawler, Gambit and Kitty respond to the call.

Scott taps Rogue, Jean, Kitty and Nightcrawler to go and investigate, making Kurt the field leader. Fury invites himself along and Hank adds himself to the group so there will be someone on the ground to do analysis. Gambit stays behind to watch Ororo, and Scott remains at the mansion to keep an eye on Sabretooth.

On the flight to the Andes, Fury reflects on a mission from WWII when he served with one of the dead agents’ father’s uncle. The mission included the first meeting with a Canadian Captain by the name of Logan leading a group of soldiers. Fury’s Howling Commandos and Logan’s troops parachute out and attack a massive Nazi fortress housing a secret project.

Logan is the first one through and kills all the men inside ending with the scientist in charge. As Fury’s men prepare to blow the place up we see the scientist’s name is Dietrich Trask.

When the X-Men land at the site in the mountains they find no evidence except for the bodies. There are no footprints or technology of any kind. Kurt goes out to scout but comes back quickly screaming a warning. That comes only a few seconds before the group is hit by a huge energy blast. As they pick themselves up they are confronted by Master Mold who is preparing to terminate the mutants.

MY TAKE: This issue was a noticeable step up from the last one. I am not sure that it was as good as the first few but it was definitely a solid start to the new story arc. I have always been a fan of the Sentinels as villains and I am excited to see what Claremont is going to do with them this time.

My favorite part was the flashback to the war. I am partial to seeing some of the old conflicts especially when they involve Logan. I wish it had been a bit longer and more detailed but it was an entertaining and fun read. I am not completely sure how it pertains to the current story but I assume that will get explained in the next few issues.

The characters were done well enough although things still seem a bit off. I believe it has to do with the attempt at making the comic retro, but some of the dialogue reads very stilted. Still the little we see feels pretty accurate and it is nice to get even a glimpse of the old times.

Very little else happens in the comic, it is just a setup issue. Still the scenes with S.H.I.E.L.D. were pretty well done and you actually feel for them a bit when they are killed. I appreciated making them a bit more then just nameless and faceless victims. Their deaths were just to establish the threat but it is still nice to get to know the agents a little first.

That does not mean there are no problems with the comic. The focus is all over the place so a lot happens but the story does not progress much. While I can appreciate some of the aspects of the story it does make the whole comic feel kind of rushed. Not to mention that Fury has way too big of a role for a X-Men comic. I do not mind Nick but he really does not belong in this title, especially with such a large focus on him.

The art was still a problem for me as well. I did not even recognize Gambit or Kitty when they appeared. I honestly believed that Shadowcat was Betsy Braddock by the artwork. Most of the rest was fine but I do not understand suddenly redesigning character’s looks for no real reason.

In the end this was a good issue but it felt a bit rushed and scattered. Still it was a good beginning for the story and I am eager to see where it is going from here. I have not seen a decent Sentinel story in years and this one looks to have great potential. Hopefully, the next issue with get to the meat of the action.

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.

New comics hit store on Thursday this week due to Labor Day, but first a few pieces of Wolverine News…

• CBR: ‘Wolverine vs. Thor’ Digital Comic Preview (details)
• Houston Chronicle: Wolverine Wrapping Up in ‘Amazing Spider-Man’ Strip (details)

Probable (and Possible) Wolverine Appearances in stores on 9/10/09…
–Dark Avengers/Uncanny X-Men: Exodus #1 (preview): Utopia wraps up…
–Dark Reign: The List – Avengers (details): Dark Reign ratchets up the trouble…
–Marvel Super Hero Squad #1 (preview): Oh the agony…
–Marvel Zombies Return #2 (details): Zombie-Wolverine may cameo…
–X-Men Forever #7 (preview): Nick Fury flashes back to WWII and Logan…

Hey, everyone, jrpbsp here…Continuing from last week here is the second and final review, ‘New Mutants’.  Hope you enjoy it.

New Mutants #4 (preview)
Writer: Zeb Wells
Penciler: Diogenes Neves
Inker: Cam Smith, Ed Tadeo & Craig Yeung

NOTE: Wolverine does not appear in this issue.

SPOILERS BELOW…

RECAP: The issue opens with Sam sending Dani away in a car, much to her disgust and anger. But Sam will not be swayed, he is convinced it is the only way to save her.

Meanwhile Legion is gearing up for another assault.  Inside his head, Illyana takes down yet another aggressive personality, scaring the others into cooperation.

Legion sends in a speedster persona that knocks the team around and severely injured Sunspot with a piece of sharp metal. Amara steps up turning the ground to lava and attacks Legion directly.

Meanwhile, Magik has found the mental prison and frees Shan and Marci, the little girl from the first issue. The child points the way to the real David Haller.

Legion switches to an alien persona and drains all the heat and fire from Magma and knocks her through a wall. Sam intercedes and blasts into the multi-minded mutant.

Magik, Karma and Shan break into the prison Haller has created from himself. Marci is able to get him to pull himself together. Illyana finds out about the doll, ‘Moira’, that represents control of the body and demands it be handed over.

Legion changes to a power drainer and he and Sam crash into a car. He then switches to a wolf form to heal. The wolf is just about to bite Sam’s throat when Dani hits him with the car then plows them both into a wall.

Unfortunately, that does little to affect Legion’s new form and he tears off the car door to get to Dani. She stabs him through the arm but that only buys her a second. She is just about to he eaten when Illyana gains control of the body ending the fight.

Cyclops arrives a bit later and the injured are tended to. Emma uses her telepathy to convince the residents that they have been sick with the stomach flu for the past few days. The Science Team puts a helmet on Legion to control his brainwaves for the trip. Sam tries to talk to Dani afterward but she refuses to even acknowledge him.

He finds Scott to apologize for the mess but Cyclops is proud of the team. They took down an Omega level threat without preparation. Sam expresses doubt about his ability to lead the team but Scott has confidence in him.

MY TAKE: This was another great issue that manages to balance both action and character moments with ease. While the plot is pretty simple, it is told so well that it does not need to be complicated. This was a story that had to define the team and their roles while still telling a good tale and it was amazingly successful at that. The dynamics are now in place so all the future arcs will be able to build on that.

There are so many great moments in here that I could not possibly mention them all, but I want to talk about my favorite part. The conversation at the end between Sam and Scott was amazing. Sam has never been a sole leader before and it was nice to see him reacting to how things went. I am not much of a fan of Cyclops but in just a few panels I liked and respected him more then years of appearances in other titles.

I was also impressed by the darker and more realistic tone in the issue and the series in general. We see actual injuries that require medical treatment when people get knocked into cars or sliced by metal. What’s more,  the bad guys are actually evil. We have had mention of rape, mutilation, murder and even cannibalism. It is nice that the comic does not shy away from that and sugar coat everything.

It was also fitting that Illyana was the one that saves the day. She has always been the toughest and most bad ass member of the team and I am glad she is finally getting the recognition for it. I just hope they do not try to turn her into a Wolverine clone.

I only have a couple of complaints about the comic, mostly about the pacing. The issue feels a bit rushed especially with the scenes of Illyana in his head. I do not know if there would have been enough to make a fifth issue without making it drag but I did want to see more of her journey on page. I also found Sam to be a bit unlikeable at the beginning. While he does redeem himself nicely by the end, I never like having a comic start on a bad note.

In the end this was another great issue in the series. It did a spectacular job of setting up the team and the dynamics while delivering an entertaining story and incredible character moments. It is just too bad I have to wait to the end of the month to read the next issue.

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…Continuing from last week here are a couple more reviews starting with ‘X-Men: Forever’.  Hope you enjoy it.

X-Men Forever #6 (preview)
Writer: Chris Claremont
Penciler: Paul Smith
Inker: Terry Austin

NOTE: Wolverine does not appear in this issue.

SPOILERS BELOW…

RECAP: The issue opens with young Ororo and Lockheed in the Danger Room control center watching Kitty, Gambit and Kurt playing baseball with the trash from the wreckage of the training center. Cyclops arrives and is not happy. While he is lecturing the others, ‘Ro tries to fly and ends up summoning a mini tornado. Nightcrawler and Kitty try to save her but she ends up flying into Scott which serves to end the wind.

Meanwhile Sabretooth and Xavier have a talk about Kitty and his presence in the mansion. Creed confronts the Professor about his lies and obviously makes an impact. Beast and Jean also have a little heart to heart about Wolverine and Beast’s discovery of mutants dying young.

Scott pitches in to help clean up the wreckage but the room activates on its own. Kurt teleports young Storm out and Kitty phases with Lockheed but none of them can get back in. Scott and Remy manage to fight the room and get the main door to open before they are hurt.

Remy and Ororo are thinking about leaving the mansion but Cyclops convinces them to stay. Kurt and Kitty have a talk about Logan’s death and the changes in Kitty’s body and she tries to accept them. The issue ends with Fury coming to Xavier to show him a new threat, something that has smashed tanks flat in South America

MY TAKE: While not a bad issue, this was the weakest of the series so far. It is pretty much a completely forgettable transition issue where the characters attempt to make sense of the new status quo. In fact even though I had read it only a week ago I had to reread it from scratch to fresh my memory on what had occurred in the issue.

A little bit of action in the Danger Room is put in to try and keep it interesting but it is sandwiched among constant two-party discussions that do very little to keep your interest. Most of these conversations offer little real insight into the characters and are put in to bridge the gap between the 616 universe and the new team Claremont is forming.

My biggest issue is with the personalities. Although none of them is blatantly off, most of the characters seem to be skewed enough to be noticeable. In fact several times, most noticeably with Scott and Gambit, they seem to be bipolar changing their minds and personalities from one moment to the next. In the worst instance in a few panels Gambit goes from wanting to leave the mansion to convincing Ororo to stay.

Beyond that very little happens. Dialogue is one of Claremont’s strong points but it was rushed and overdone here. I am all for having the characters reflect and absorb massive changes and in fact it was greatly needed. But it seemed very rushed with characters accepting, on the surface at least, body alternations and death in just a few panels. I think it would have been best to leave out the bits of action and make this purely a reflection issue so the characters could interact on a deeper level.

Normally I do not mention the art but I was really not a fan of the way the characters were drawn here. The faces looked like a nightmare sequence in a cheesy cartoon, way over done with huge eyes and noses. Storm, Xavier and the Beast were the worst. In one panel Xavier looks like Caliban the Morlock crossed with an evil lawn gnome. It is strange since pretty much everything else is drawn well which only makes these characters stand out in a really bad way.

In the end this is a mediocre issue. But I am still enjoying the series and I think we have a very strong foundation and I am looking forward to the next issue and story arc. This story was pretty much a necessity to bridge the series but was rushed and borderline schizophrenic. Yet it is still not a bad comic, just pretty forgettable. Still if it leads to a strong and united team with the type of stories highlighted in the first five issues then I am all for it.

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…Here is my fourth and final review for the week, ‘Wolverine: Origins’.  Hope you enjoy it.

Wolverine: Origins #39 (details | thread)
Writer: Daniel Way
Penciler: Scot Eaton
Inker: Andrew Hennessy

SPOILERS BELOW…

RECAP: The issue opens with Wolverine hanging over a vat of molten steel, a prisoner of Wild Child. Kyle is planning to kill Logan by lowering him into the vat feet first.

Wild Child reveals that Romulus’ plan was to give his position to the last one standing amongst the contenders and everyone that Wolverine had killed played into that role. Wolverine is not happy to learn he has been a pawn all this time.

Before Kyle can give Logan his metal bath Omega Red interrupts and attacks. The fight between Red and Wild Child buys a little time and allows Wolverine to escape by swinging himself into the molten metal wrists first.

Kyle sees Logan flee and takes his attention away from Omega Red, which proves to be a fatal mistake. Red drives his tentacles through Wild Child’s body and then tosses him into the vat.

Two weeks later Wolverine is in a warehouse in St. Petersburg where the Black Widow has left the Muramasa Blade. Wolverine calls her to tell Natasha to hide it even from him when Arkady interrupts again. Logan tells Red he is not going to fight for Romulus’ position but after Omega Red mentions Daken, Wolverine is ready to do battle.

He throws the blade into Omega Red’s chest where it immediately begins to kill the Russian. As he is dying, Red asks if the Muramasa can even kill Romulus and Wolverine says it can. Only to find out that the man is standing right behind Logan looking to put the statement to the test.

MY TAKE: This issue was pretty mediocre as per the norm for the series. Very little happened plot-wise except for the revelation that all of these different characters were competing for Romulus’ empire even if they did not know it. Yet it still contained two deaths of long established characters with very little fanfare or noticeable impact.

All that happens in the issue is that Wolverine escapes and gets hold of his blade. But somehow in that little bit of time, Romulus decides to go from being the hunted to confronting Logan, after he gets his sword. That makes no sense to me. I could understand a confrontation if Red was the last one that needed to die, but Daken is still out there.  Alternately if Romulus just wanted to confront Wolverine finally, it would have made more sense to do it when he was not holding a sword that could kill anything.

Of course my biggest problem with the issue was killing off Wild Child and Omega Red. Both have long histories in Marvel and deserved a better send off then they got. I can understand Kyle fitting into the plan more or less, but I still do not know why Red would have even been involved. He is not from North America nor does he have any feral mutations. It seems like he was brought in just to be killed off and that is a bad thing for any story.

The big reveal of Romulus’ face was not really a surprise either. Assuming he is indeed Logan’s brother, that has been predicted pretty much since his name started showing up. While it is nice to see the plot getting tied up, the ending had a certain anti-climatic feel. Especially since he looks like a more buffed version of the villain from ‘Wolverine: The End’ except for yet another configuration of claws.

Which brings me to a minor nitpick, how does a foot long claw manage to sprout from someone’s thumb? There is no way to house it in the wrist and the thing is longer then his entire hand. Of course that goes along with having Wolverine’s hands being bandaged two weeks after he burned them. Even in the old days he would have long been healed.

Even with all of those complaints, this was not too bad of an issue. I can actually see some good ideas and some nice plots in here that should have made for a decent read. But the execution of those concepts leaves a lot to be desired. There are simply too many plot holes and miscues to ignore. Which is a shame because I like the idea of someone controlling Wolverine’s life and making bad things happen to him. It just was not done well in my opinion.

In the end we have an issue that has been built up to for a long time but which ends with a shrug rather then a gasp. I was more surprised at the callous way that Omega Red and Wild Child were killed then the reveal about Romulus. Hopefully we will get some answers next issue and it will help make sense of this whole story arc.

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…Here is my third review for the week. Since there are no titles that I need to do next week I will be breaking this up a bit. But for now here is ‘Dark Avengers’.  Hope you enjoy it.

Dark Avengers #8 (preview | thread)
Writer: Matt Fraction
Penciler: Luke Goss
Inker: Rick Magyar, Mark Pennington & Luke Goss

SPOILERS BELOW…

RECAP (for previous chapter of ‘Utopia’, see ‘Uncanny X-Men’ #514): The issue opens with Dani in Las Vegas making a deal with Hela to become a Valkyrie. Back in San Francisco, Emma’s X-Men have taken down Trask and spend the next week endearing themselves to the city while Cyclops sits and waits.

The Dark X-Men get a look at the Omega Machine and Cloak and Dagger are really upset with the pain it causes its subjects. Meanwhile, Osborn is very happy with the new team and is ready to pull the Avengers out of the city as a show of good faith.

The X-Men Science team finally finishes their work underwater and fire up the engines starting the process of powering up the machines.

We flash to Alcatraz island where Dark Beast is putting Hank McCoy through the Omega Machine to power up Omega. He goes to get another subject only to find that they are all gone. X-force has arrived and used Illyana to teleport out all the prisoners. Dark Beast screams for backup and Omega comes running while the rest of Emma’s team mobilizes.

Scott gives the command and they raise up what looks to be Asteroid M in the middle of the bay and Pixie starts moving the mutants to their new home.

Omega and Dark Beast face X-Force and are carved up quickly. The rest of the team arrives and Daken starts making threats about killing them all. He is taken down from behind by Emma while Namor deals with Mimic. Illyana makes one more teleport trip to take everyone out. Emma convinces Cloak and Dagger to come along as well.

Scott holds a press conference on his new island home with Emma at his side. He says that they have left the mainland but will not be pushed or prosecuted any more. He throws down the gauntlet for Osborn who accepts, taking the remaining Dark X-Men and his Avengers on the attack.

MY TAKE: This issue was surprising but in a good way. I expected it to be more about fighting but there was actually quite a bit of plot development. The story was pretty simplistic, most of the issue was simply about getting their people free and to the new base, but it was still filled with important plot points. I do hope that the next issue is a bit more streamlined. There were so many locations and character jumps that it felt rushed.

I am not sure that I really understand the significance of living on an island versus the shore, nor do I think it is smart considering Genosha, but it is an interesting concept. Having a mutant homeland is something that has been explored any number of times but takes on an added dimension with small numbers of living mutants. I wonder if we will see the reactions from the rank and file X-kids about their new living arrangements.

My favorite part was Dani’s brief scene at the beginning. I have always liked her character and without powers it has not been easy to keep her involved. But with the Valkyrie abilities it will put her back in the mix. I am confused about the significance to Scott, however. Perhaps he wants a god to fight a god? I do not see how she would be a match for Ares. Maybe it will be explained next issue.

I am not the least bit surprised that Emma and Namor turned out to be good and betrayed their companions, but I was pleased to see that Cloak and Dagger came along as well. They are two very underused and hopefully this will led to them getting a bit more screen time and development.

The weakest part of the issue was the characterizations. So much was happening that we did not really have time for introspective moments and that always hurts an issue in my opinion. Several characters seemed to be reduced to caricatures, especially on the villain side. I am not sure if that can be helped with the sheer volume of people being used, but it does make it harder to relate to their stories.

In the end this was a solid if somewhat hurried issue. They had a lot of ground to cover and did it pretty well but I am still of the opinion they needed to either add more issues or reduce some of the story. As it was, Trask’s defeat did not even get to happen on page after the build up last issue. But it was still a fun read and I am eagerly looking forward to the big fighting finale.

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, everyon, jrpbsp here…This is the second review for the week, ‘Wolverine: First Class’. Hope you enjoy it.

Wolverine: First Class #18 (preview)
Writers: Peter David
Art: Francis Portela

SPOILERS BELOW…

RECAP: The issue opens with Kitty contemplating her role in life as a young mutant genius and X-Man. She is interrupted by Jamie Madrox. She kicks him into a fountain before she realizes who it is. Madrox reabsorbs the dupe that was created and explains to Kitty the reason he was there. He is looking for one of his duplicates that ran away.

Meanwhile, Logan is making a sandwich in the kitchen when Madrox walks in saying he is looking for a runaway dupe and needs a place to act as his base for a while. Of course moments later Kitty and her Jamie walk in. The one with Logan outs himself as the duplicate and screams in fear that he is going to be killed.

The real Multiple Man says that the dupe is just a part of him and goes to absorb him but Kitty feels sorry for the second Jaime and phases him out of the room. They make it to the woods with Logan and Madrox in pursuit. The duplicate does not want to involve Kitty so he knocks her out and flees.

Logan offers to take Jamie into the city to hunt himself down and Kitty forces them to take her along. Kitty and Jamie argue in the car about whether the dupe deserves a chance to be free. Multiple Man argues that it is a part of him and he is responsible for the dupe while Kitty says he is a person and has the same right to live as anyone.

The other Jamie, meanwhile, is enjoying his freedom in the park. They arrive in the city and after Logan destroys an illegal movie vendor’s stand, they are back to hunting down the dupe.

The second Madrox gets stopped by a frantic women who asks for his help since he is dressed like a super hero. There is a fire and her little sister is trapped inside. The dupe goes in but gets pinned by a ceiling beam. The others arrive and Kitty saves the girl while Logan rescues the dupe. Outside, the other Jamie is dying and is confronted by Madrox who finally understands his duplicates are real people.

The dying Jamie offers to shake hands and gets absorbed, then they all head back to the mansion. Madrox makes four more duplicates and sends them out into the world to learn and then hopefully come back and share their knowledge with him. He now trusts them to do the right thing.

MY TAKE: This was an extremely good issue, in fact I believe it is the best one since Peter David started writing the series. The characterizations were very good and while the plot was simple it dealt with some very deep and interesting themes. I especially liked the inclusion of Madrox and the ties into the X-Factor series. This issue is essentially a prequel to that book which is also written by PAD, but I do not think you would lose anything if you are not reading X-Factor.

I was highly impressed with the overall theme of knowing and trusting yourself that we see both from Kitty and Jaime’s perspectives. Some of the parts were a little heavy handed but it was still very well done. It is a topic that is difficult to handle well and to do it in a younger focused comic is amazing. Simple moments like seeing the dupe enjoying the park were very effective at driving the point home without getting preachy.

I also need to make a comment on the fun page where Wolverine busts up the movie pirate on the streets. After the leak of the Wolverine movie it is nice to see it being addressed even if in a humorous manner.

About the only complaint I had was that some of the arguments felt a little repetitive and over done and the fire was a bit too convenient a plot device for the ending. But both of those are very minor complaints in what was a very entertaining and even thought provoking issue.

In the end this was a great and well-written issue with strong characters and a deep message. It is especially impressive for an all ages title and it gives me great hope for the rest of the series under PAD. It seems that each of his comics has been better then the previous one. If the trend continues this could end up one of my favorite titles.

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…I will be doing several reviews this week. Since it is a overload week, I am not sure exactly how many but at least four I expect. So let’s get started with ‘X-Force’. Hope you enjoy it.

X-Force  #18 (preview | thread)
Writers: Craig Kyle & Christopher Yost
Art: Mike Choi & Sonia Oback

SPOILERS BELOW…

RECAP: The issue opens with H.A.M.M.E.R. departing with X-23. They leave two soldiers behind with orders to kill Boom Boom. One them is starting to get a little frisky when Proudstar shows up and kills him. He takes out the other goon as well and is tending to Tabitha as he sees the sudden light show.

Domino is racing to the source of the disturbance only to find Archangel and Wolverine have things under control although Noriko, Elixir and Keller are all down. They transport the youngsters to a nearby safe house and try to figure out what happened to Laura.

X-23 is being transported by H.A.M.M.E.R. They land in the Facility where Kimura and the scientists are waiting to take custody of her.

We get a brief interlude with Rahne and her Wolf Prince fighting the Frost Giants. Hrimhari is doing a good job hurting them and orders Wolfsbane away but she refuses, wanting to stay and fight at his side.

Another scene change and we find Caliban, Eli Bard and Wither at a grave in Salem Center. They somehow raise the occupant and we see it is Doug Ramsey.

Back at the X-Men headquarters, Surge, Foley and Hellion are being tended by Beast. Wolverine tackles Cyclops and pins him to the ground telling him if anything happens to the kids it is his fault. Cyclops takes responsibility and Logan fills him in on a bit of their mission to the future. He leaves to try and find Laura.

Wolverine, Domino and Proudstar interrogate Tabitha and she remembers the name S.H.I.E.L.D. Division C. That sparks something to Logan and he orders the Cuckoos into Cerebra. We then see Laura being rudely awakened by Kimura. One arm has already been cut off and Kimura is applying a chainsaw to rest of her.

MY TAKE: This is mostly a clean up and a set up issue but it is still a strong start to the next brief arc. As always the writing and characters are well done and though I personally do not like the direction things are going, I hope it will lead to some good stories coming up. It seems to be a smaller and more personal story that is beginning, which is a welcome buffer between Messiah War and Necrosha.

Wolverine is particularly strong in this issue and it is nice to see him holding Scott responsible for his decisions and to see Logan’s concern for Laura. Most of their relationship has been subdued or off panel and hopefully we will get to really see his feelings as the storyline progresses.

I am a bit surprised at the amount of disturbing bits that were included. We see attempted rape, torture and murder in this issue alone which is unusual mainstream books.  It is all handled well and done in a way that is not too blatant or over the top and it does fit with the overall tone. Still you have to wonder if this series is heading into MAX territory or if people are going to be shocked and stop buying it. I am a big fan of Laura so her torture was especially hard to read.

The Necrosha story also starts here with a well-publicized resurrection. I am certainly torn on bringing Doug back although I have no idea how lasting this will be. I am interested to see the explanation of how the powers are being combined to work on raising the dead and why Ramsey should be first.

Still, I would have preferred that they wait to start the new story until the current one is wrapped up. The biggest problem I had with this issue was the severely fragmented focus. It jumped both scenes and stories every few pages which made it harder to relate to. I understand that this is the nature of a transition but they could have left out a few scenes in order to focus on the central issue of saving the young X-Men and searching for X-23.

In the end it was a strong if a bit dark comic. The story and characters continue to be well done and it is nice that everyonel generally gets the focus shined on them. While I do not really like the way it ended, I am hopeful that this will create a stronger bond on the team, especially between Wolverine and Laura and lead to a couple of great issues before the next big event.

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…Here is the second review for the week, ‘X-Men: Legacy’. Hope you enjoy it and see you next week.

X-Men: Legacy  #227 (preview)
Writer: Mike Carey
Penciler: Dustin Weaver
Inker: Ed Tadeo

Note: Wolverine does not appear in this issue

SPOILERS BELOW…

RECAP: The issue opens with a recap of Ariel teleporting Trance to the headquarters of the X-Men. Unfortunately when she arrives back, Trance is nowhere to be seen. Trance’s powers apparently interfered with the ‘port and she was dumped somewhere in the city.

She is immediately confronted by a H.A.M.M.E.R. squad but with her powers out of control, Trance blasts the three men. One of them is still conscious enough to call for help after she runs.

Rogue, Gambit and Danger get the call to go find her with Mindee mentally guiding them to the location. They come across the wreckage of her power flare and are forced to bull their way through.

Trance stumbles across some regular people and begs them to call the X-Men for help. She explodes again before they have a chance to, but Rogue and her group find her moments later anyway. Rogue still has some of the power she borrowed from Ares and is able to approach Trance with Gambit and Danger guarding her back.

Moonstone is taking down a few rioters when the call comes in for support. Suspecting this is her chance for a rematch, she tells them she will take care of the problem.

Rogue has managed to get close to Trance and is in the process of talking her down. She believes that the taser just allowed Trance to let go of her unconscious power restrictions rather then cause the partial separation and urges the girl to power down.

Moonstone arrives before Trance manages to help herself and takes down both Danger and Gambit easily. She blasts Rogue butthe mutant is able to take the shot and knock the Dark Avenger through a truck. But that pretty much uses up the last of Ares’ ability and so Moonstone starts to beat up Rogue.

Trance has managed to get herself under control and interrupts the fight giving Rogue a moment to breathe. Moonstone phases through the next attack but Trance’s alter ego is still able to hit her. When she solidifies Gambit blasts her which buys them enough time to escape with the help of Pixie.

Back at base Scott commends Rogue on her efforts. He tells her that he has a plan and that it is time to start fighting back.

MY TAKE: Like pretty much all tie-ins, this was a simple story with no real impact on events in the main titles. But it still manages to be a good and well told story despite its limitations. The plot is simplistic but it is peppered with good character moments and insight.

Trance is the focus of the issue and even though I did not know too much about her, you start to feel affection and compassion for the character after only a few pages. It is hard to take a mostly undeveloped character and make her both sympathetic and likable during the course of an issue but Carey manages it. Already I can see her becoming a useful and popular member of the series’ supporting cast when it takes its new direction next issue.

Of course character development is always one of the strengths of this series. The other is taking plot threads and unused characters and making them viable. To that end I hope Ariel continues to make the occasional appearance in the book. She is a character that never really got a chance to be seen in the larger Marvel universe and she definitely has potential.

Being a tie-in issue, the plot is the real weak point. Nothing of any really impact can be revealed here since it is not part of the main story. So the entire comic has to take place on the fringe and therefore has no real meaning. I do think it does a good job at beginning the change of focus but beyond that this is pretty much a non-event.

In the end though the characters make up for the lack of plot and this still manages to be a good comic. The fight scenes were also done well and it was nice to see someone writing the Avengers as beatable villains again. Still, I will be glad when we get more in depth and focused stories next month. With the strong characterizations I am eagerly waiting to see what Carey can do with the underdeveloped young characters on the fringe of the X-universe.

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…I have a couple for this week so we’ll start off with a bang. Here’s ‘Wolverine: Weapon X’. Hope you enjoy it.

Wolverine: Weapon X  #4 (preview)
Writer: Jason Aaron
Artist: Ron Garney

SPOILERS BELOW…

RECAP: The issue opens with the Blackguard’s Chief Financial Office being retired in a way that leaves no need for severance. Several H.A.M.M.E.R. agents show up at the scene, although the official story is suicide, they know it was murder.

One of the agents, Gertrude, receives a call from Maverick and fills him in on the details. They exchange a little information but North manages to slip away before she can confront him.

He receives another phone call but this one is from Wolverine. He tells Logan that all the Blackguard execs are being secluded in a Caribbean resort but Wolverine is already there. He has killed the men, except for the last one who he is currently drowning in a punch bowl of champagne. The man talks and giving Maverick information over the phone.

The Blackguard CEO is running scared. With a couple of his Strikeforce X soldiers, including their leader, he makes a run for it. Maverick already has the place scoped out and gives Wolverine the information when they run. Logan crashes his motorcycle into their car  slashing the CEO’s face and disabling the vehicle.

Their leader attacks Wolverine starting a vicious and savage battle of blood and claws that is only halted briefly when a school bus drives by. On the walk to a more secluded place, the other man tells Logan that he saw him fight once and that was the inspiration for his current transformation.

The other Strikeforce X solider is getting the CEO to safety when Maverick confronts him. Since North has a gun he is confident of his ability to win at a distance until the soldier fires his laser claws into Maverick’s chest.

Wolverine’s fight continues with Logan seeming to be the better man. They take a break where the leader asks Wolverine about the ending to the book he is reading obviously surmising that he will not survive the fight. One more pass and he is down although Wolverine collapses moments later only to be found by H.A.M.M.E.R. agents.

MY TAKE: This is another great issue even though it is mostly focused on combat rather then plot. But sometimes mindless action has its own entertainment value and that is what this issue was, entertaining. The fight scenes, especially the main fight between Logan and the Strikeforce X leader, were well drawn and executed. You could feel the frantic pace and the  powerful blows during the sequence. The splash page was especially well designed. When you have scenes without dialogue the art has to work and it certainly did.

My favorite part of the issue, however, was the phone call between Maverick and Logan. The whole scene was extremely well crafted with great banter between the two. It only got better when you found out where Wolverine was calling from. There were nice little personal details in the conversation that gave it an extra boost like North’s lineage and Wolverine’s movie preferences. The latter of which could be a homage or even a poke at Old Man Logan.

Of course there are some flaws as well. The biggest, as noted, was the overall lack of plot. It was just a series of conversations designed to move the action forward and get to the big battle scene. While this is certainly an action oriented title, I would have liked to see a little more how the CEO went from high and mighty to running scared after Wolverine executed his people. After all he had one of his execs killed in the first scene and did not care. Because Wolverine can kill some suits, the big boss is terrified? It did not make a lot of sense.

My only other problem was pretty minor, namely why did North call his H.A.M.M.E.R. friend from the same building? He has never been shown to be reckless or hasty and it was a phone call. He could have made it from another country or at least routed it so it looked like that was where he was. It seemed uncharacteristic for him to take a risk like that for no real gain.

But even with a couple of small issues, this was a very strong and enjoyable book. It read fast but it was hard not to get a silly grin at the dialogue and action pieces. Thankfully this series continues to show Wolverine respect as a character and gives him strong action and fun stories. I am eagerly looking forward to the conclusion of the story arc.

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.