Hey, everyone, jrpbsp here…Here is my third and final review for the week, ‘Uncanny X-Men: First Class’. Hope you enjoy it.

Uncanny X-Men: First Class  #2 (preview)
Writer: Scott Gray
Artist: Roger Cruz

SPOILERS BELOW…

RECAP: The issue begins with Colossus rushing to aid his fallen friend, Nightcrawler. Although he had been struck down, Kurt was merely knocked out. Gorgon wants to kill him out of hand but Blackbolt decrees that there must be a trial.

Triton agrees to help Piotr. They try Lockjaw first but the inhuman canine was asleep and could not be awoken.  So they call the X-Men for assistance. Cyclops, Storm and Banshee set out in the Blackbird but are soon joined by Jean in flight.

There is a brief interlude with some scientists studying the sun for new solar flares and seeing what appears to be humanoid figures emerging from it.

Nightcrawler’s trial begins and all Kurt wants is a chance to speak his peace.  He talks about their forcing their children to change and makes a moving speech which enrages Gorgon and many of the Inhumans.

The X-Men arrive to help defend him but the fury of the mob overwhelms Jean’s senses and she pulls Kurt away. Gorgon immediately attacks and a battle breaks out between the mutants and the Royal Family. Colossus and Gorgon’s fight becomes so heated that the Inhuman strikes the ground hard enough to shatter the mountains around the city causing a massive avalanche.

Jean is able to block the rocks but knows she will not be able to hold it for long. Cyclops suggests turning the shield into a funnel and Blackbolt uses his voice to pulverize the stones. He then pardons Kurt as an outsider who is not bound by the laws of the Inhumans. The two groups part as allies if not exactly friends.

On the way back Jean and Scott have a fight over her actions that started the conflict. In the end we see Wolverine has finally landed from Gorgon’s kick. He crashes into a farm in Georgia near Russia.

MY TAKE: This was a decent if simplistic issue. Most of the comic focused on Nightcrawler and Colossus which is an interesting dynamic but ultimately not the best pairing to me personally. It also did not seem to know exactly what message it wanted to convey. Complete acceptance of yourself or acceptance by society and the people around you. Kurt seems to want both but cannot accept the customs or practices of those that welcomed him without reservation. Kurt’s speech was especially heavy handed. Calling children perfect from birth when he has hated and hid his face most of his life was extremely contradictory.

Of course, all of this is mostly an excuse to drum up tension between the teams and lead to a fight scene and that is done well. I liked how Cyclops was questioning his training and command during the battle and most of the match ups were done well.  It was also fitting that in the end, the X-Men had to save the city after it was endangered by one of their own.

Beyond that, the story is straightforward and basic. It is something we have seen plenty of times before but it is strong enough to make for an entertaining read. The characters are starting to come into their own and be more recognizable. Wolverine is still being played for humor which I dislike, it is not a role that he is well suited for. But the rest are being done well and I appreciated Jean’s trouble with her power and Scott’s displays of leadership.

I am not a huge fan of the art although it is pretty effective at grabbing attention. It is overdone, especially the faces to the point where they often do not look human. Everything is exaggerated including having the colors being extremely vibrant almost to the point of distraction.

In the end it was a straightforward but not badly written comic. It was decently scripted but not very orginal or unique. It still feels like the writer is getting a handle on the story and the characters. But it still comes across pretty well and manages to have its own voice and direction. Only time will tell if the series manages to correct its flaws and becomes a truly worthy successor to the First Class brand.

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…For my next exciting review we have ‘X-Men: Forever’. Hope you enjoy it.

X-Men: Forever  #5 (preview | thread)
Writer: Chris Claremont
Penciler: Tom Grummett
Inker: C. Hamscher

SPOILERS BELOW…

RECAP: The issue opens with Gambit and the young Storm under fire. Remy tosses the child off the bridge to keep her from being shot. Rogue is able to catch her before she hits the water and Nightcrawler deals with the squad of shooters.

We then see Cyclops’ team showing up just in time to save the elder Storm from her Consortium compatriots. The group takes the men down quickly but it is Storm who kills the last one who is trying to use her as a shield. She is then able to summon her winds and escape to the skies.

S.H.I.E.L.D. shows up quickly to take into custody the agents that Nightcrawler defeated while Jean attempts to read the minds of the other group. Sabretooth is able to sniff out a secret door which leads into a warehouse with water access. S.H.I.E.L.D. shows up again and takes control before the X-Men have a change to look around. Cyclops wants to protest but he is called back to the mansion by Hank on an urgent matter.

Fury is living up to his name questioning everyone around him in the wake of the Consortium revelation. He is informed that the plane that was transporting Cortez has disappeared.  We then see Cortez who is being handed over to Consortium troops by his S.H.I.E.L.D. captors.

Back in the mansion Beast tells the others that both the older and the young Storm identically match every scan they have ever done on Ororo. But that is not all, Hank has also found some old files in the system that indicate that mutant’s own powers burn out their bodies and it is impossible for them to live past the age of sixty. The rest of the team is shocked that Xavier kept this from them but despite their anger Fury convinces them they are still needed as X-Men for now.

The issue ends with a small memorial for Logan where Scott confronts Jean about her feelings and she admits that she loves Wolverine and not him. Scott vows to keep Xavier’s dream alive and despite everything he wants to set things right.

MY TAKE: I am not sure what it is about this series but it seems to suck you right in. Looked at objectively I do not know why but it remains one of the most entertaining and fun new series I have seen in a long time. The characters are done well and even though some of the plot points do not make much sense it still manages to read very well.

That is not to say that the issue and the series do not have problems. The biggest one so far has been pacing. So much is being thrown at us so quickly that it is hard to care about any of it. For example the big reveal in this issue, coming on the heels so many other huge plot points, made me unable to feel any real outrage. Now it is a clever idea and I can understand the X-Men being upset but it just seems less important. It also struck me as a bit too much like Decimation in that we have yet another doomed mutant race scenario.

While the characters are starting to get back in their roles, there is still enough odd behavior to be noticeable. Sabretooth playing nice and Scott pretty much shrugging off being dumped by Jean are good examples of this. I am sure Claremont is attempting to make a base line for his series but as a long time X-Men fan, some of his interactions are hard to take seriously.

About the only other problem I had with the comic was in the coloring. Jean’s hair looked very pink for a lot of the issue and several other colors just did not seem to have come through correctly. Of course that could have just been my issue but it was noticeable.

But none of those problems really detract from the entertainment value of the series. Claremont has managed to hit a note that is both modern and retro and over the top without being silly or stupid. It is a hard balance to find and yet he is managing with each issue so far. If he can keep up both the tone and the plots then I expect he will have a very long run on this series.

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…There wasn’t anything worth a review last week, but I am back this week for three fun-filled issues, starting with a bang reviewing Part 4 of Utopia. Hope you enjoy it.

Uncanny X-Men #514 (preview)
Writer: Matt Fraction
Penciler: Terry Dodson
Inker: Rachel Dodson

SPOILERS BELOW…

RECAP: The issue starts with Trask’s sentinels making their existence known and attacking the city. Scott has a plan however, and meets with Dani, Domino, Mindee and Psylocke to discuss their parts in it. The Cuckoo’s job is to get arrested.

We then visit the Dark X-Men and Avengers where Daken and Bullseye are fighting. Emma steps in breaks it up calling her team into battle to stop Trask’s forces.

They are ported to the main site of the disturbance and Emma leads her people into battle. She makes saving the civilians the priority.  She scans the minds of the sentinels and finds nothing human left, so gives the order for maximum force.

Scott takes a group out to watch their progress, consisting of Pixie, Colossus, Northstar, Iceman, X-23, Dazzler, and either Armor or Karma.

Emma’s X-Men are doing well, though cracks do show in their team work. Cloak and Dagger feel forced into the team, Namor hates humanity and Daken is too savage. Interestingly Mimic wants to help the sentinels while Omega wants to lash out at them.

We briefly see Dani arrive in Las Vegas to meet with someone about her task but we do not learn any more about it.

Scott brings his group to a roof where they can study Emma’s team. He has picked his people specifically to take out a target and wants them to study their enemy. They are given a good show as the Dark X-Men perform flawlessly. They learn that Trask is at St. Francis Hospital and teleport there to find him.

Meanwhile, Illyana is with X-Force waiting for Wolverine’s arrival. X-23 returns from her studying just in time to see Logan rise from the river and vow to get their people back.

At the end we see the science team with Betsy. They are arriving at a site under the ocean to install a device at an underwater site that will spell the end for the X-Men in California.

MY TAKE: This issue is really starting to ramp up the plot and tie the story elements together. I am getting more and more interested in the conclusion of the story as it goes along, which speaks well of the writing. I am still a bit concerned that, with only two issues left, we will be given a naturally flowing conclusion rather then one that feels rushed or tacked on.

It is already starting to feel a bit pressed for space. For example several of the plot points only got a page and a couple, like the prisoners, received no screen time at all here. Hopefully there will be enough pages in the last issues to resolve all of the plot points and give them the space they need.

I was very glad to see Cyclops showing some leadership here and the X-Men going out and making a plan. The team has been back on its heels since the beginning and while they should feel like under dogs a bit, they definitely needed to start seizing the initiative. While we do not yet know the whole plan, we are given some very interesting clues and plot points to build on.

I am especially excited about Wolverine finally getting his screen time with X-Force and Dani’s mission to Las Vegas. I do wonder, however, if adding more story lines to the series will cause an even more frantic pace. There is already so much going on that the pay off is going to have to be something really special, especially since the last issue is mostly going to be fight scenes.

Besides the pacing issues, my biggest complaint is the artwork, especially the women. They are all drawn identical so you can not tell who is who without either an intro box or someone saying their name. I still am not sure who the other girl that went with Cyclops is and I had no idea it was Illyana at the end until Wolverine spoke to her.

In the end we have another strong issue of a really big story that is being crammed to fit into six comics. But even with the lack of space, it reads well and has kept me interested and entertained since the first issue. I can not wait to see what the last two issues has in store for us.

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 one review for this week ‘X-Men: Forever’. Hope you enjoy it.

X-Men: Forever #4 (preview)
Writer: Chris Claremont
Artist: Tom Grummett

Note: This issue does not contain Wolverine.

SPOILERS BELOW…

RECAP: The issue opens with the hidden group assessing the situation and deciding to cut their losses with Storm.

We then cut to Storm reacting to Kitty having cut her face. Kitty has one of Wolverine’s claws that is apparently a part of her. She and Storm fight briefly before Storm throws up some concealment and flees toward the Morlock tunnels.

The rest of the X-Men are trapped in the Danger Room with a power inhibitor. Xavier appears to tell them her can not track Storm. Kitty uses her new claw and frees the team from the outside.

Fury, Beast and Xavier discuss the problems with Storm and Kitty’s new power. They theorize that Kitty got the claw when she phased with Logan during the fight with Cortez.

Sabretooth offers to go with the team to get revenge against Storm. Scott agrees but only if Creed plays by their rules. He accepts and Scott splits them up. He, Creed, Kitty and Jean will pursue Ororo through the tunnels while Rogue, Kurt and Gambit take to the skies to head her off.

Hank takes some blood from Kitty’s claw to analyze the DNA. He then manages hot wire the power grid enough to use the orbital scanner to find Storm. They find two separate hits, and send Rogue’s group after the second target.

Scott’s team makes contact quickly and are hit with a surprise attack. The team recovers and Storm is forced to hit them with a whirlwind to buy herself time to run again. She makes it to the surface to find Consortium agents waiting for her. They are not there to help but rather to kill her.

Rogue’s team, meanwhile, lands on the Brooklyn Bridge and finds the source of the second signal. It is Storm still in her child phase. She hugs Gambit as we see an infrared scope draw a bead on them.

MY TAKE: While this issue is still good I feel like it has slipped a bit in quality this time around. Perhaps because they are coming out so quickly, I felt several things were not well explained and some of the characterizations felt off. Nothing was bad enough to really hurt the still strong story but it did impede the flow a bit.

I am seriously wondering why they bothered to set this in any part of the canon 616 world though. Claremont obviously has things he wants to do and it would have been a lot easier if he could have simply started with the team and abilities he wanted rather then having to make up excuses.

The biggest one of these is the sudden status changes we are getting. Cortez’s power is starting to look a lot like magic. He is only supposed to be a power and life amplifier but now he can transfer abilities and fix people’s heads too? Not to mention adamantium suddenly bonding to a normal skeleton. Add to that Logan and Jean being in love and Creed being willing to work with the X-Men and it feels like a What If?

Now that is not really a bad thing. As long as the story is good and the characters are strong, and these are, I love the What If? stories. In fact I am very much drawn into the world and plot that Claremont is crafting. He has some great ideas and the execution is good, he is just having to spend far too much time explaining away the status quo and it detracts from the story.

My only real problem with the actual story, outside of the changes, is Claremont’s love and overuse of Kitty. She is a personal favorite of mine, but he tends to make her the end all be all on the team. Her powers work when the others do not. She is given an unbreakable claw so she can fight and so on. I would rather he spread out the action more and give the others things to do.

In the end the story and plot remain strong but he is trying to make too many changes too quickly, in my opinion, and the cracks are starting to show. However, once we get through this initial story arc, I expect everything will settle down and we will be back to just telling stories. And that is the series’ strongest part.

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 for the third and final review of the week we have ‘Wolverine: First Class’. Hope you enjoy it.

Wolverine: First Class #17 (preview)
Writer: Peter David
Artist: Ronan Cliquet

SPOILERS BELOW…

RECAP: The issue opens with Wolverine and Kitty at a political rally for Benjamin Wong, a candidate for the Senate. Logan is in his Patch persona complete with white tux. Wong sees him and it throws off the speech, but he is able to finish it gamely.

We flashback to years ago when Patch broke up Wong’s father’s criminal empire. Logan kills the father and his men but leaves young Benjamin alone.

We then jump to the near present with Kitty and Wolverine sitting and watching an advertisement for Wong’s campaign. Kitty believes in the man but Logan is sure he is dirty like his father.

Back in the present, Wong secludes himself in his office canceling his appointments. Patch and Kitty break in via Shadowcat’s phasing power and Logan confronts him. Wong reacts angrily and tells the pair to leave his office.

Driving home the duo is attacked by some goons who shoot a gas grenade into their car. Kitty phases it back and uses it against the attackers. They are then run off the road by a truck but phase clear. Three goons with flamethrowers go in to finish the job but Logan slices open one of the tanks. He bluffs them into standing down.

The truck returns to the building where Wong has his headquarters. Logan and Kitty are posing as two of the goons and face the man behind the attack who turns out to be Benjamin’s father. Benjamin barges in and confronts his dad ordering him out of the building and saying this is not how he wanted things to be. Wolverine is not convinced but Kitty still has faith in the candidate so Logan gives him the benefit of the doubt. Though he warns Patch will still be watching.

MY TAKE: This is a solid if not amazing issue. The plot is more complex then usual and it definitely has more adult themes of trust and family then we generally see in the series. But we are still not getting the level of characterization and interactions that made this series so good in the beginning. The strength of the series has always been the conversations and differing perspectives between the jaded and worldly Logan and the innocent and trusting Kitty.

Some of that is definitely shown here and I was glad to see it. We have Kitty’s faith and belief in the political promises and Logan’s view of distrust and doubt based on previous interactions with the family. But it felt rushed, maybe because a lot of the book is taken up by the beginning and the flashbacks and so there is little room for character exploration.

Still the story is more interesting then the guest star of the month issues we have been seeing. While the ending was mostly predictable, it was done well and the reveal had impact. I do wish we could get back to having multi-issue story arcs when it is justified though. This is a story that I believe would have flowed better had it been allowed some more room.

A minor nitpick that I wanted to mention was the fact that Wolverine was wearing formal wear as Patch to a rally. And especially that he wore it to fight a criminal empire. While yes Patch did often wear tuxes when he was out and about, when he was fighting crime he did not. It is simply too impractical and constricting not to mention the cleaning and repair bills.

The other minor complaint was the over reliance on Kitty’s phasing power. It seemed like it is the answer for every situation and I do not like seeing it used as a crutch. While it is certainly a powerful ability it seems lazy to use it to solve every problem that crops up.

In the end this is a good issue but it felt a bit rushed and incomplete perhaps due to the somewhat ambiguous ending. I did enjoy the plot and the story but would have like to see it explored a bit more. I especially would have liked to see a little more direct discussion and interaction between Wolverine and Kitty. However, this is comic is still better then the other youth-oriented issues and even ranks up there among the older-focused series.

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 for the second review of the week we have ‘Wolverine: Origins’. Hope you enjoy it.

Wolverine Origins #38 (preview | thread)
Writer: Daniel Way
Penciler: Scot Eaton
Inkers: Andrew Hennessy

SPOILERS BELOW…

RECAP: The issue opens with two Russian agents at the airport taking a prisoner into custody. Neither the men nor the prisoner is identified but the Russians obviously have power and connections.

We then get to Wolverine and Omega Red fighting. Wolverine is unprepared for the battle and it quickly goes against him as Red strikes Logan’s eyes and blinds him.

We jump back again and see the two agents dead and whomever they are transporting has obviously escaped. We later see that he left the train he was on and entered into a cave or mine near the tracks.

Returning to the fight, Wolverine has to start using tactics. He manages to get a bit of his vision back and fakes Omega Red in order to get his hands on the Carbonadium Synthesizer. He uses it to goad Omega Red into a foolish attack that Wolverine uses against him. That buys himself enough time to get some distance between them.

Red recovers quickly and follows but Wolverine finds some chains to even the odds a bit. After a couple of minutes Omega Red realizes Logan does not have the C-Synth anymore and goes to look for it. He falls into Wolverine’s trap and is impaled by a set of prison bars. Wolverine does not finish the fight though, instead opting to save his remaining strength and continue the pursuit of Romulus.

Logan falls in the snow outside and we see who the escaped prisoner on the train was, Wild Child.

MY TAKE: This issue is decent but a long ways from great. The story is simple and pretty good but the execution has some problems and there were enough plot holes to take me out of the flow. I know there are plenty of people that love this series but I still find it difficult to really relate to the stories we are given.

Most of the issue is one big fight scene between Omega Red and Wolverine. The fight itself is fine although some of the details annoyed me. Still it was nice to see Logan planning ahead, using his environment and his brain to win rather then just his claws.

Still a couple of things bothered me while reading it. The biggest of which is just how fast Wolverine’s strength fades in the fight. He has been shown to fight Omega Red for hours before with his Healing Factor countering Red’s Death Spores. But here he is weak in minutes and it did not ring true.

Secondly, the fact that Omega Red was able to blind Wolverine in both eyes with one shot by a tentacle. People’s eyes are set back into their skulls to protect their eyes to start with so one a whip across them should do nothing. The end could, in theory, catch one eye but not both.

The rest of the issue was mostly setup for the story arc giving Wolverine someone else to fight and offering a few sparse character moments. It is nice to see Logan so driven and focused but I wish he would stop making so many careless mistakes in his quest. He is supposed to be pursuing an evil mastermind that controlled his whole life so I would have expected Wolverine to play it smart and sneaky rather then rushing around blundering into traps.

Overall my biggest complaint, however was the tale of Wildchild’s journey. Not that the story was bad or illogical, although I do hope they explain how he got on so many wanted lists. No, it was simply that I had no idea that was what was really happening until the end. I thought it was flashbacks about Omega Red since that is what the issue was about but obviously the timing and the situation was wrong. But the story was so similar until the escape that I assumed it was the same tale.

Still, although the issue is flawed, it is one of the better ones from Origins. In fact this whole arc has been a vast improvement over the one before. Still it needs a lot of work to tighten up the plot and the story and more research into continuity to get beyond average.

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 all the big Wolverine titles this week so let’s start with X-Force. Hope you enjoy it.

X-Force #17 (preview | thread)
Writer: Craig Kyle and Christopher Yost
Penciler: Mike Choi and Sonia Oback

SPOILERS BELOW…

RECAP: The issue opens with a brief flashback to the events before Messiah War, with the Leper Queen about to kill Boom Boom. Laura arrives in the nick of time and shoots the Queen dead before collapsing herself. H.A.M.M.E.R. breaks in immediately and take possession of Tabitha and X-23 routing the former to a hospital and Laura to an interogation facility.

We flash briefly to Rahne and Hrimhari spending a blissful moment in each others arms. It does not last, as they are rudely interrupted by three frost giants looking to kill the Wolf Prince.

At the U.N., Trask and Lang are trying to convince the members to sponsor their new anti-mutant force the Mutant Response Divison. Trask is being controlled by Bastion remotely.

Interspersed with this is Surge and Hellion being brought to the U.N. already infected with the Legacy virus and primed to explode. Hellion manages to fight back but is subdued. Wolverine and his group arrive and Logan killers Hellion’s holders while Josh cures him of the virus.

Nori panics and bolts. Wolverine tries to send Warren after her but Archangel is lost to blood lust. Logan has to stab his teammate to get him to focus enough to go after the girl. Archangel manages to grab her but she is pretty close to exploding. She is brought to Elixir who braves her electricity to try and get close enough to touch her.

It ends with Domino waking up where she fell in the future and worried about Tabitha. She stands for a moment before she sees a huge electrical explosion hit in the distance.

MY TAKE: This is a good issue and as much as I have enjoyed the Messiah War it was nice to get back to the main plot again. While I never really believed that Boom Boom was going to be killed off it was nice to see her being saved after months of wondering. The story is good and it moves along very well with lots of action and blood as you would expect from this series.

There were no real surprises here. Tabitha’s survival was expected and we knew from the previews that Laura would be captured. Although Surge’s fate is left up in the air and is seemingly tragic with her being only inches away from Elixir, I cannot really find myself worrying too much about her dying. The ending appears to be more of an attempt to add tension then really question her ultimate survival. Especially with three other team members at ground zero with her.

The characterizations were good as always. I particularly liked Laura’s incredible determination and ruthlessness along with Wolverine’s leadership and fast thinking. Josh was also well done, showing just how much he cares about his friends and former team mates. I am still not sold on Warren’s sudden berserker tendencies but it is nice to see his dark side finally be addressed.

I do wish they had given a bit more background in the story since we have had a several month break from the plot. While the recap page is useful I prefer to have everything I need in the actual story. As it was I was a bit pressed to remember exactly what was happening at the U.N. that Logan and his team needed to protect.

My only other complaint is the seeming need to constantly end each issue with a cliff hanger. While this is a trend in action stories, I do not need to be hit over the head with a ‘Read next month for the exciting continuation’. I want to be driven to read the next issue due to the story and plot not to see if a favorite character lives or dies. That sort of ending always feels a bit exploitative to me.

But both of those are minor complaints about a book that continues to deliver a good story wrapped in great, blood-soaked action. While the plots are not super complex, we are given a broad scope of truly heinous villains and bunch of over the top heroes to carve their way through. This comic has filled an action niche in the X-Titles that I never realized was missing and I hope it continues for a long time.

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 of the week. Hope you enjoy it.

New Mutants #3 (preview | thread)
Writer: Zeb Wells
Penciler: Diogenes Neves
Inkers: Cam Smith & Norman Lee

NOTE: Wolverine does not appear in this issue.

SPOILERS BELOW…

RECAP: The issue opens with Legion, as Jack Wayne, confronting Dani in her cell. He is stalled for a few moments by the steel of the cage which allows Sam and Roberto to knock him through a wall. Dani asks to be let out but Sam is hesitant since she is powerless and the bars slowed Legion once before. He takes off with Roberto to pursue Haller. Dani screams at him as he leaves.

Roberto gets there first and is caught off guard when Legion changes personalities and grows in size, but Sam arrives to knock him around. A second change and Sunspot gets a super tongue choking him but Sam intercedes again pummeling Haller. A third change and Legion is suddenly speaking and acting like a scared child.

Sam and Roberto try talking to him while the personality is forming a construct in Dani’s cell to attack her at the same time. Sam and Roberto finally figure out what is happening but know they will be too late to help. Luckily, Amara and Illyana arrive in the nick of time and destroy the attacker just before Sam and Roberto crash through the wall.

Sam tries to apologize but Dani decks him and goes off to make herself useful. Meanwhile Illyana decides the best way to stop Legion and save Shan is to get into Haller’s head. Sam protests but Magik ignores him and teleports away. Dani arrives with a whole arsenal and says they are going to hunt Legion down. Illyana gets to Shan’s body and uses the link to get inside Haller’s head as Sam warns her not to harm any of the personalities.

Illyana immediately summons her Soulsword and begins hacking through the people in Haller’s mind, cutting off Jack Wayne’s head in the process.

MY TAKE: This series has fast become my new favorite comic based on a strong plot and incredibly well-written characters. The dialogue and the personalities are so note perfect that it is hard to read an issue without a smile on my face. In fact this is the first comic in longer then I can remember where I went back and reread it that same evening just for the enjoyment.

While the plot is not overly complex it has a very nice blend of dialogue, action and character moments. The characters are really the shining point though. Everyone is portrayed extremely well with nods to both their current continuity and their past adventures. This is Dani’s issue to shine and you can really feel for her locked in the jail. Although Illyana has my vote for the best moment at the end, Dani shines throughout.

Legion is a good choice for the villain since he is powerful enough to be a good threat but fractured and flawed enough to be beatable. If I had any complaint at all though it would be about the lack of explanation about where Legion has been and what happened to him. After all the last time he appeared he was killed in the past and potentially never born. But hopefully that will be addressed in a later issue.

I really have nothing else to complain about. These characters are treated with reverence not usually found in comics. Everything felt right from Sam’s conflicted protection of Dani to her left cross to Illyana’s impulsive nobility. These are characters I have enjoyed for decades and thankfully it seems that the creative team is as much of a fan of them as I am.

Normally I do not comment much on the art unless it is really bad to the point of being distracting, since I read comics for the story and the characters. However, I must say the art is very well done here especially the faces. You can really see the emotions and conflicts on their features and it adds another level to the enjoyment.

In the end this is another sensational issue of this series. I find myself looking forward to it every month and I was annoyed when it came a couple weeks later then usual this month. It was the first comic I read when I got home and the last thing I did before I went to sleep and I think that pretty much says it all.

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 am only doing a couple of reviews this week and neither of them have Wolverine. Pretty quiet all the way around. Anyway I am starting with the third part of Utopia.  Hope you enjoy it.

Dark Avengers #7 (preview)
Writer: Matt Fraction
Penciler: Luke Ross
Inkers: Rick Magyar, Mark Pennington & Luke Ross

NOTE: Wolverine does not appear in this issue.

SPOILERS BELOW…

RECAP:The issue opens with Beast in his cell after his stint on the Omega Machine. He is talking to Xavier about how he is losing his fur and fingernails. Norman and Dark Beast are listening at the door. Osborn is very upset at the effect the machine had on Hank and wants it fixed. Dark Beast says it is a work in progress but Osborn does not except that.

Norman goes to talk to the Sentry and explains this is a good thing from a public relations stand point and that they are going to be better off for it. Sentry does not seem convinced.

In Union Square, Emma’s X-Men are taking the fight to the young mutant malcontents. The young mutants are all taken down and Frost has to step in and keep Daken from killing Avalanche. Hellion is the last one standing and yells at the Dark X-Men while the cameras capture the whole fight.

Scott Summers flies in a jet pack to a group of H.A.M.M.E.R. agents and asks to speak with Osborn. Norman appears and Scott tells him to surrender and leave town tomorrow. Osborn refuses and says that Cyclops is a dead man as the mutant leader flies away.

The Dark Avengers are watching the fight on TV and Bullseye is mad that they were not included. He tries to rally the others to go out and do something but only Ares is interested. The are interrupted by the return of the Dark X-Men

Daken is abusing Hellion and Emma makes him stop. She demands that the captive mutants be well treated and and tells Norman she expects to see the whole operation.

Bullseye confronts Daken about being on both teams and he reacts violently starting a brawl between the two groups.

Osborn and Dark Beast are showing Emma the mutant storage area. They have holograms to cover the less pleasant parts but Xavier is able to talk to Emma’s mind and explain what is really going on. She says that she believes him.

It ends with Trask making a speech against the new X-Men and he commands the rest of his Sentinel infected people to rise up and destroy all mutants.

MY TAKE: While the plot is still interesting, this issue is definitely starting to show the strain of the story. There are simply too many characters and too much going on for it to flow well. Although there are a huge number of short scenes, so much is set up and explanation that the real plot does not advance much. Seeing that we are already at the halfway point for the story I do not see how it will be able to wrap up cleanly.

The issue did advance the mutant side with the capture and Emma seemingly being made aware of what was really going on. Scott and Norman’s meeting did not accomplish anything but it does set up a larger conflict. Hopefully next issue will feature more of Trask and his minions. They are really the wild card here.

The characters are done decently in that I did not see any major personality breaks, but so much is thrown at us that I would be hard pressed to tell. Emma is still the focus but she seemed a little bit flat here, only concerned about protecting the mutants that she is going out of her way to capture and give to Osborn. That is somewhat of a contradiction to me.

The whole story reads as a temporary plot line. I am not sure what long term effects this is going to have for either the X-Men or the Avengers. I expect the changes with Beast may be permanent but I seriously doubt any of the prisoners are going to be held indefinitely, especially considering some of them are very high profile.

I also do not see the Dark X-Men team continuing, although it would be great if a few of the members could be rolled into the main X-Men team.

In the end this was not a bad issue but the cracks are starting to show. There is obviously a definite ending point they are trying to get to and everything is being shoehorned in, rather being allowed to evolve naturally.

With this many characters and events it makes the whole thing feel rushed and and slightly off kilter. Hopefully the rest of the series has a chance to slow down a bit on focus on the characters and their thought rather then just the events that are happening.

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’s my third and final review for the week. Last but not least is ‘X-Men: Legacy’.  Hope you enjoy it.

X-Men: Legacy #226 (preview)
Writer: Mike Carey
Penciler: Dustin Weaver
Inkers: Ed Tadeo

NOTE: Wolverine does not appear in this issue.

SPOILERS BELOW…

RECAP: This issue opens with Rogue, Gambit and Danger rushing to San Francisco to help the X-Men with the riots. Cyclops decides they are not going to arrive fast enough and sends Pixie to teleport them directly to his location.

Scott is justifiably skeptical about the group but he needs all the help he can get and he sends them off to locate a couple of the missing kids from the team, namely Indra and Trance.

On the way Danger saves a child and blasts a H.A.M.M.E.R. vehicle that his causing the people to panic.

Trance is with the Dragoness and Toad and they are being chased by H.A.M.M.E.R. goons. Toad is already hurt and the Dragoness runs out of charge and is taken down. Trance tries to use her power but is hit with a taser and is stuck half in and half out of her body.

Gambit arrives and takes down the soldiers and goes to call for help to save Trance but before he even makes contact, Ariel teleports in and takes the girl with her, supposedly on Cyclops’ orders.

Rogue is on Indra’s trail and finds an unconscious H.A.M.M.E.R. agent. Using her powers, she sees that he was knocked out by Paras but she can not find out where he went after that.

She is interrupted by Moonstone, the new Ms. Marvel. Without her old powers, Moonstone is beating her badly. Rogue grabs a gun and shoots out the skylight and then runs through Ms. Marvel when she phases out. Rogue then jumps out a window and makes her rather bloody and painful escape.

Gambit runs into Avalanche and a few other mutants in a mob facing off against H.A.M.M.E.R. forces. Gambit tries to stop them from attacking but before he can make much of an impact, Ares shows up and attacks the mob.

Avalanche fights back but is quickly defeated. Gambit steps and and drops a building on the god but it has little effect. Seeing the explosion, Danger and Rogue rush to the rescue. Rogue manages to grab hold of Ares and drain some of his power but it is too much for her. To break the connection, Danger pulls up a manhole cover and has Gambit charge it. The explosion is enough to hurt the weakened god and separate the two.

Rogue uses her borrowed power to brush away the remaining H.A.M.M.E.R. agents and steal one of their vehicles just as they receive word that Trance never made it back to base and might be near their location. Rogue vows to find her no matter what.

MY TAKE: This was a good if somewhat superfluous issue. The writing is done well and the characterizations are top notch but the plot seems pretty pointless. Just another unneeded tie-in to a big event that will probably either forgotten or never mentioned once it is over.

Still there is plenty to like about the issue. Rogue is really coming into her own and becoming a very enjoyable character now that her powers are under control. I also like how she is having to use her brains now that she is no longer super strong and almost invulnerable. Gambit is portrayed pretty much as he always is and even though he is not my favorite character, he is used well here. I am still on the fence about Danger, but I think she will end up being very interesting and unique as things progress. She just does not really have a personality so far.

The plot is a simple rescue mission which is really just an excuse for a couple of well-done fight sequences. I still think the Avengers are being given way too much power and respect and it was nice to see them being taken down a notch. Still nothing else really happens which makes the whole thing feel like a throwaway issue.

Carey continues to impress me with his knowledge of little-known characters and their inclusion. We have not seen Ariel in so long I could barely remember who she was. I am very glad he takes a least a few panels each issue to address either a dangling plot thread or a long in Limbo character, though it would be nice if he gave a little explanation for those we have not seen in twenty years.

In the end this is a well-written but mostly forgettable comic. The tie-in to the Utopia event seemed forced and mostly unneeded. And yet it was still an enjoyable read I just would have preferred to see an original story and a better plot for the characters.

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.