From Marvel.com comes a sneak preview of ‘Astonishing Spider-Man/Wolverine’ #1 by Jason Aaron and Adam Kubert, in stores May 5 (details)…
As for probable/possible Wolverine appearances this week (4/7/10), we have previews of…
–Wolverine Weapon X #12 (preview): Wolverine, Deathloks and Captain America…
–Uncanny X-Men #523 (preview): Second Coming, Part 2…
–Ultimate X #2 (preview): Ultimate X-Men Next continues…
Two more Wolverine appearances from last week and two from earlier in March that I missed…
X-Men: Second Coming #1 (Preview)
Writers: Craig Kyle and Chris Yost
Pencils: David Finch
Inks: Matt Banning
From Marvel: “MANY WILL BE WOUNDED. SEVERAL WILL DIE. The climax of four years of X-Men stories is the X-Event of 2010! What started in HOUSE OF M with the Decimation of mutantkind and erupted with the first new mutant birth in MESSIAH COMPLEX finishes here. In the epic crossover SECOND COMING, Cyclops’ faith pays off when Cable returns to the present with Hope, the girl he believes to be the mutant messiah. But will she be the savior or destroyer of mutantkind? We may never know, as she is the target of an initiative for mutant eradication unlike anything they X-Men have ever experienced. Many will be wounded. Several will die. Is Hope worth it?”
X-Force gets revealed to the rest of the X-Men in brutally awesome fashion.
After watching Wolverine tear through the window of a van moving at high speed, I was left to wonder just how good X-Force could have been if David Finch had been drawing it all along…
In stores March 31, 2010.
Dark Wolverine #84 (Preview)
Writers: Daniel Way & Marjorie Liu
Pencils: Guiseppe Camuncoli
Inks: Onofrio Catacchio
From Marvel: “SIEGE BLOCKBUSTER TIE-IN!! PART 2 OF 3 Daken has been given glimpses of the life he could have—as well as the lives he might destroy—and the time for a choice is finally at hand. Will he become a force for good…or reign as a king in Hell?”
Wolverine cameos in a flash of Daken’s memory, but the story focuses on Daken’s flawed nature and narcissism.
If you’ve enjoyed this run, then you will definitely enjoy this issue…
In stores March 31, 2010.
Spider-Woman #7 (Preview)
Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Artist: Alex Maleev
From Marvel: “The startling conclusion to the first story arc begs the question: Can Jessica Drew be an Agent of S.W.O.R.D. and an Avenger? What will the new direction of Jessica’s life cost her? Brought to you by the Eisner award-winning team of Bendis and Maleev.”
I completely missed this Wolverine appearance from mid-March (hat tip to Comusiv) that features the New Avengers providing an assist to the Skrull-hunting Spider-Woman….
In stores March 17, 2010.
I would be remiss if I did not mention the briefest of brief Wolverine appearance from the same week — Wolverine as a memory of the M’Kraan Crystal in Realm of Kings: Imperial Guard #5 (preview), again thanks to the eagle eyes of Comusiv…
And don’t forget (Comusiv!) to add any other Wolverine appearances from the week that I may have missed…
Hey, everyone, jrpbsp here…This week we have the end of Necrosha in ‘X-Force’. Hope you enjoy it.
X-Force #25 (Preview)
Writer: Craig Kyle & Christopher Yost
Art: Clayton Crain
SPOILERS BELOW…
RECAP: The issue opens with Selene rising as a goddess and affecting all of the magic users of the world. Even with all her power, Selene hungers for more and orders her followers to bring back the rest of the techno-zombie mutants. Blink leaves and teleports all the attackers off of Utopia and back to Genosha.
Meanwhile, Proudstar is using his people’s mystic arts to protect X-Force and allow them to speak with the dead and hopefully kill them. Selene’s troops are starting to question their purpose, especially Mortis. The others are less fearful or even in awe of their mistress. They are interrupted by X-Force who separate to take out Selene’s people.
Wolverine and X-23 take down Senyaka and Vanisher intercepts and holds Blink while Archangel slices her. Rahne fights Mortis and cuts her deeply, but is nearly grabbed by Kevin who sneaks up on her. Elixir confronts his once friend and they fight power to power and it is Josh who proves to be the stronger. He completely destroys Wither until there is nothing left.
James confronts his brother and they fight even though neither of them really wants to. Proudstar is able to best his older brother and give him peace in death. X-Force then moves to confront the former Black Queen while Blink flees with the wounded Mortis in tow. Selene tries to absorb the living mutants but they are immune. The fight turns into a traditional battle of powers and will, and Wolverine and Warren manage to get Selene’s arms partially pinned. Warpath then jams the spirit knife into her heart and she explodes in a burst of light.
While X-Force takes stock, they see all the spirits of the dead departing. Proudstar even sees his brother’s soul ascending and is able to make peace with his death. In the end, Scott and Wolverine meet. Cyclops wants X-Force to stay together and Wolverine says he will stay with Domino and Vanisher. Elixir, James and Rahne are all out for various reasons, and Wolverine says he is taking X-23 out so she can be normal. Still Scott needs his strike team and says that things are only going to be getting worse before they get better.
MY TAKE: This a good, if somewhat anti-climatic issue, that gave us resolution on the total arc but not much more then that. There were very few surprises to the issue, all of the heroes survive, and the enemies that might eventually be allies. There are lingering questions on which of the risen characters are still around but that will probably not be resolved until after the next big event finishes.
The story and the characters are well written, as usual, but there is not a lot of plot. There are a few good character moments, and I was glad to see that Proudstar is finally getting some resolution to his personal issues. Still, most of the story is taken up by fighting between X-Force and their various enemies. The combats were fine but none of them was unexpected. Everything was pretty predictable and well foreshadowed, though, and the ending was never really in doubt. I also wonder how a broken neck was able to even phase Thunderbird considering the healing power the techno-dead possess.
The fight with Selene was definitely the weakest part of the comic. They spent most of the event stressing how powerful and godlike Selene could become and then the team was able to fight her with hand-to-hand tactics. Wolverine and Warren should never been able to hold her so Proudstar could simply stab her with one easy blow. Even with Native magic, which Jimmy has never been shown to possess, Selene’s appearance was enough to take out the most powerful magic users in the world. But once it got to the end, there was no real feeling of threat. Plus her size seemed to really fluctuate, in one panel she is able to hold Warren in her hand, and the next her head is nearly the same size as Logan’s.
Still it was an entertaining read and I did enjoy the story. I am afraid it will be overshadowed by Second Coming though, especially with the first issue of that story happening on the same day as this conclusion. An event of this scope should have had more importance and been given more focus for the conclusion. This felt rushed and a bit slapped together to make way for the next major story. Even the deaths are already being overshadowed by what will be happening in the near future. And that is a shame because this was a fun and well-done story that deserved to the spotlight all by itself.
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.
Wolverine Origins #46 (Preview)
Writer: Daniel Way
Pencils: Scot Eaton
Inks: Andrew Hennessy
From Marvel: “His final confrontation with Romulus on the horizon, Wolverine reaches out to a friend to help him put to rest one of the greatest tragedies of his long, long life-the death of Mariko Yashida. Guest-starring Nightcrawler.”
On sale March 31, 2010.
Share your thoughts on the prologue for the final arc of the series in the comments below.
And if you haven’t picked up the issue, make sure to read the preview, linked next the series title above.
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From ComicBookResources, Craig Kyle and Chris Yost discuss the latest X-Men crossover event, ‘Second Coming’ (details)…
As for probable/possible Wolverine appearances this week (3/31/10), we have previews of…
–Dark Wolverine #84 (preview): Daken’s journey from “Siege’…
–Wolverine Origins #46 (preview): Daniel Way’s take on Mariko…
–X-Force #25 (preview): Necrosha ends here…
–X-Men Second Coming #1 (preview): The climax of four years of X-Men stories…
With only two titles this week, and minor Wolverine appearances at that, I thought it wiser to combine them into one ‘Rest of the Rest’ open thread…
Uncanny X-Men #522 (Preview)
Writer: Matt Fraction
Pencils: Whilce Portacio
Inks: Ed Tadeo
From Marvel: “She’s been gone for a long time, but she’s coming back. This isn’t a hoax. This isn’t a joke. KITTY PRYDE is back in this over-sized special issue of UNCANNY X-MEN”
Wolverine cameos in this melodramatic and uneven return of Kitty Pryde.
As an aside, doesn’t Kitty need to eat to survive?
In stores March 24, 2010.
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Breaking Into Comics the Marvel Way #2 (Preview)
“Green Dreams”
Writer: Peter David
Pencils: Tommaso Bennato
Inks: Vincente Cifuentes
From Marvel: “Want to know what it takes to break into Marvel Comics like these guys? Then look no further than this two-part book which is a must-have for anyone wanting to be a Comic Book Breakout Star! After traveling the globe and meeting scores of talented illustrators, intrepid writer, editor and talent manager C.B. Cebulski is giving twelve rising star artists the opportunity to do their breakout work at Marvel Comics! But not only will BREAKING INTO COMICS THE MARVEL WAY showcase the work of these up-and-comers, C.B. will also provide an insider’s commentary on how these artists got their work seen and what it was that landed them the gig. And with step-by-step submission information and a sample Marvel Comics script, these books are MUST HAVES for anyone interested in doing their breakout work and breaking into the comics industry!”
Wolverine cameos in a dream, but I do like the concept of a book for artists trying to break in.
I have an even better idea.
How about couple new artists with new writers? And tell the comic book community at large if they want to keep open submissions, then they need to keep the sales level of the title respectable.
Just a thought.
In stores March 24, 2010.
Share your thoughts on the two Wolverine appearances in the comments below.
And don’t forget to add any Wolverine other appearances from the week that I may have missed (Comusiv, are you listening?)…
Marvel Comics released its June 2010 Solicitations today, so, as usual, here are the core Wolverine appearances for the month…
WOLVERINE WEAPON X #14
Written by JASON AARON
Pencils by RON GARNEY
With battles raging in both the future and the present, pushing Wolverine and Captain America to their very limits, the most important battle may yet be the one taking place inside the mind of a cyborg assassin. Witness the battle for the soul of a Deathlok. Oh, and laser claws too.
WOLVERINE ORIGINS #49
Written by DANIEL WAY
Penciled by WILL CONRAD
“WHAT I DO,” Part 1 (of 2)
His past finally behind him, Wolverine now turns to face another, more terrifying challenge: His future. Don’t miss out on the beginning of the end, part one of the last chapter of a story years in the making!
DARK WOLVERINE #87
Written by MARJORIE LIU
Penciled by STEPHEN SEGOVIA
“IDLE HANDS”
Betrayed by his father, cut off from his destiny, Daken now faces an uncertain future. What is he supposed to be now? With the pantheon of Marvel heroes stepping out of darkness and into the light, there seems only one choice…
X-MEN LEGACY #237
Written by MIKE CAREY
Penciled by GREG LAND
“SECOND COMING”, CHAPTER TWELVE
X-Force cuts their way through a dangerous future trying to cut off Bastion’s armies at the source. They better hurry as the X-Men in the present are falling left and right.
X-FORCE #28
Written by CHRISTOPHER YOST & CRAIG KYLE
Penciled by MIKE CHOI
“SECOND COMING”, CHAPTER THIRTEEN
The final battle begins here! It’s X-Force’s last stand in the future and the X-Men’s last stand in the present. Bastion has been one step ahead of the X-Men the whole time, but one X-Man’s sacrifice could turn the tide! Don’t miss the penultimate chapter of the X-Event of 2010!
ASTONISHING X-MEN: XENOGENESIS #2 (of 5)
Written by WARREN ELLIS
Pencils by KAARE ANDREWS
The birth rate is climbing in the small African village of Karere…and these newborns are anything but normal: infants made of steel, infants only partially visible to the eye, infants who combust and destroy city blocks. Hoping to witness the rebirth of the mutant species, the X-Men go to investigate. But what they find may just be something far more sinister and dangerous…and familiar.
AVENGERS #2
Written by BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS
Pencils by JOHN ROMITA JR.
The Avengers have assembled and the villainous Kang has revealed that they must travel to the future to save their own children from destroying the universe! Yes, the entire universe. But it will take one more Avenger to make the trip complete. Who is the newest hero to join the ranks of the Avengers true? And why is the once-great hero Wonder Man hell-bent on stopping the Avengers at every turn? Backup feature: Another brand new oral history of the Avengers chapter by Bendis!
NEW AVENGERS #1
Written by BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS
Pencils by STUART IMMONEN
Find out who the New Avengers are, where they call home (gotta see it to believe it!), which Dark Avenger has joined their ranks, and just who the interdimensional demonic threat to our existence is! These heroes have gathered to take on the threats too dark, too dangerous, and too bizarre for any other team of heroes. The New Avengers are back!! And Bendis & Immonen are back with the Siege & Secret Invasion colorista Laura Martin!! You didn’t really think Marvel was going to cancel their number one ongoing title did you? Heck no!! Backup feature: Another brand new oral history of the Avengers chapter by Bendis!
X-CAMPUS #1 (of 2)
Written by FRANCESCO ARTIBANI
Pencils by DENIS MEDRI & ROBERTO DI SALVO
It’s an all-new, all-different version of the X-Men as told by some of Europe’s greatest comics storytellers! In this vivid re-imagining of the X-Men mythos, everything is not as it seems and teenaged versions of Cyclops, Beast, Wolverine, Iceman, Storm and Rogue face a threat worse even than super villains or race-destroying viruses… HIGH SCHOOL! When the troubled Anna Raven is recruited to join the Worthington Foundation, a school for the gifted, she jumps at the chance to escape her broken life. But one student who can’t control his unusual powers could bring everything crashing down, literally, as he threatens to destroy the entire school!
For the complete list of Marvel’s June Solicitations, visit Comic Book Resources (details)…
As for probable/possible Wolverine appearances this week (3/24/09), we have previews of…
—Breaking Into Comics the Marvel Way #2 (preview): More debuts of new artists…
—Uncanny X-Men #522 (preview): Kitty returns…
X-23 #1 (Preview)
Writer: Marjorie Liu
Pencils: Filipe Andrade and Nuno Alves
Inks: Jay Leisten and Nuno Alves with Sandu Florea
From Marvel: “X-23 has spent her short life being used by those in power, from the military to the X-Men. But when she is forced to confront a being who can control her life with nothing but a thought, will X-23 finally learn how to fight — not for others, but herself? Guest-starring NYX!”
Marjorie Liu, Filipe Andrade and Nuno Alves kick off an intriguing X-23 one-shot, guest starring Wolverine…
In stores March 17, 2010.
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Incredible Hulk #608 (Preview)
Writer: Greg Pak
Pencils: Paul Pelletier
Inks: Danny Miki
From Marvel: “FALL OF THE HULKS Conclusion! Years ago, the Hulk helped found the Avengers — and then almost immediately smashed his way into becoming one of the Avengers’ greatest nemesis. Now in the wake of the Intelligencia’s crippling attack on the World’s Mightiest Heroes, Bruce Banner’s actually leading a group of Avengers — but can he be trusted any more than his big green alter ego was back in the day? Plus, the reveal of the master plan of the Leader and M.O.D.O.K. and the true motivations of Skaar, Son of Hulk, in the stunning conclusion of the ‘Fall of the Hulks’ and the shocking kickoff to the upcoming ‘World War Hulks’ blockbuster!”
Surprise finale promises an interesting follow up in ‘World War Hulks’. Note, that while ‘Hulk’ #21 covers the same ground, Wolverine does not appear in that issue…
In stores March 17, 2010.
Doomwar #2 (Preview)
Writer: Jonathan Maberry
Pencils: Scott Eaton
Inks: Andy Lanning & Robert Campanella
From Marvel: “Doctor Doom’s latest power play has the Marvel Universe up in arms. Wakanda has been conquered and Storm faces execution in the next 48 hours — unless the X-Men, the Fantastic Four and the two Black Panthers can rally to the rescue! With Doom only minutes away from stealing enough Vibranium to help him conquer the world, T’Challa faces the most dreadful decision possible: let Doom win…or let Storm die!”
Wolverine is featured prominently, but it is Doctor Doom who steals the shows…
In stores March 17, 2010.
Hercules: Fall of an Avenger #1 (Preview)
Writer: Greg Pak & Fred Van Lente
Art: Ariel Olivetti
From Marvel: “When the most beloved Olympian of all time falls, who will mourn him? Acclaimed INCREDIBLE HULK artist Ariel Olivetti joins writers Greg Pak and Fred Van Lente for a two-part mini-epic that marks the end of an era and the beginning of something utterly unexpected for Hercules, the Lion of Olympus. Bring your hankies — and your golden adamantine maces — as an all-star cast including Thor, Namor, Namora, Snowbird, Alflyse, Bruce Banner, and of course, Amadeus Cho send off the Son of Zeus with shocking tales, smash-tastic action, bawdy tomfoolery, and heart-rending drama that will change the course of Marvel’s marvelous mythological milieu… forever!”
Hercules’ wake with Wolverine, surprise, surprise, drinking…
In stores March 17, 2010.
Siege #3 (Preview)
Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Penciler: Oliver Coipel
Inker: Mark Morales
From Marvel: “THE MARVEL BLOCKBUSTER OF THE YEAR!! In the halls of Asgard and on the streets of small town America the entire Universe is gripped in a the greatest battle ever seen: SIEGE!! Lives have been lost! Lines have been drawn! And the battle for Asgard is in full force. The moment for revelations and life-changing moves is here, and for some, this will be the last choice they ever make in this world. What happens next is so epic, so historic, that it changes the entire dynamic of the Marvel Universe. You’re gonna want to be there for this one…trust us.”
Wolverine cameos as the stakes increase exponentially in the penultimate issue of this Marvel Universe-wide event…
In stores March 17, 2010.
Nation X #4 (Preview)
“Dooptopia”
Writer: Peter Milligan
Art: Michael Allred
From Marvel: “All the pieces fall into place as this final issue concludes with a bang! Namor has never taken orders from anyone before, so why does he take them from Cyclops? Where does Emma get all those Jimmy Choo’s? And when a mystery strikes Utopia, who does Cyclops send to solve it? DOOP!”
‘Nation X’ boasts four short stories per issue. This month, Wolverine appears in two: the bizarre Doop mystery and a brief cameo in the Namor tale…
In stores March 17, 2010.
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Spider-Man & The Secret War #4 (Preview)
Writer: Paul Tobin
Penciler: Patrick Scherberger & Clayton Henry
Inkers: Terry Pallot with Henry & Scherberger
From Marvel: “When all the heroes and all the other villains were busy playing the Beyonder’s game, only one man took himself off the game board in order to challenge the Beyonder. That man, of course, is Victor von Doom. But what made both Spider-Man and Wolverine go along for the ride? And what is the terrible cost for the ticket?”
Odd finale to this throwback miniseries gives Wolverine some significant exposure…
In stores March 17, 2010.
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Prelude to Deadpool Corp #3 (Preview)
Writer: Victor Gischler
Art: Phillip Bond
From Marvel: “Witness the birth of the most important super hero team ever in a universe-spanning event that will rock the month of March! Wade Wilson has been tapped to save the Universe, and to do that he’s going to need help. Enter: The sexy-but-insecure Lady Deadpool! The devious-but-lovable Headpool (a.k.a. the Zombie Deadpool Head)! The bratty-but-brilliant Kidpool! And the irascible mutt known as Dogpool! Individually, they’re, well, kind of messed up, but together, they’re the unstoppable force know as DPC. ”
Another alternate reality, this time with Wolverine as a dog… <sigh>
In stores March 17, 2010.
Share your thoughts on the EIGHT Wolverine appearances in the comments below.
And don’t forget to add any Wolverine other appearances from the week that I may have missed (that still means you, Comusiv!)…
Hey, everyone, jrpbsp here…This week we have the latest Origins from last month to review. Hope you enjoy it.
Wolverine: Origins #45 (Preview)
Writer: Daniel Way
Pencils: Doug Braithwaite
Inks and Washes: Bill Reinhold & Mike Manley
SPOILERS BELOW…
RECAP: The issue opens with Romulus confronting Ruby. He wants to know Wolverine’s plan. She resists at first, trying to play a game with him, but then he threatens her daughter and she talks. Wolverine finds her a short while later and hints that he knows what happened. Ruby lies but Logan pretends to sniff out the truth and she panics and attacks him.
They fight and Wolverine gets the upper hand, but he stops to try and reason with Ruby and gets stabbed through the belly for his troubles. Before she can hurt him further, the rest of Logan’s troop shows up. With four against one odds, Ruby does not last long. Soon enough, Skaar gets a hold of her and throws her to Cloak who teleports her back into her cell.
Once she is gone, Wolverine reveals that the whole incident of her betraying them was part of the plan. He fingers a man called The Answer as the brains of the operation. The Answer was apparently trying to use them to rescue Ruby who he loves. He knew that she would betray them though he did not tell Wolverine this little fact. The man who did actually plan the whole thing up is finally revealed once Wolverine leaves. He heads to a small apartment and meets up with Deadpool.
MY TAKE: This was an okay issue and a very fast read. Not much happened in the plot as evidenced by the unusually short synopsis. Most of the issue was the team fighting with Ruby which is a bit of a waste since she really would not have stood a chance even against Wolverine normally. The plot advancement was mostly the introduction of the two new characters. The Answer seemed to be pretty much redundant, he was simply the reason that Ruby was chosen to be the one to spill information to Romulus.
Deadpool is meant to be the real surprise here and if this was a year ago it might have worked. Now it is more of a shock when Deadpool is not included in a plot somewhere. Considering that Way writes both titles, it was only a matter of time until Wade showed up. A year ago I would have been excited to see Deadpool getting more exposure, but now he is in too many books. Not to mention that he is not exactly the planning type, or very subtle, so his appearance does not even make much sense.
I was also a bit confused at Silver Samurai being a part of the group. I know that Logan went to him for help but I thought that was limited to sword training. Considering the fact that the two men hate each other, it does not make much sense for Harada to go to the extra trouble and leave Japan to help Logan. I would have liked to see a bit more of reasoning behind that move rather then just have him showing up here with the rest of the gang.
In the end this issue was decent, mostly because there was not much to it. The fight scenes were pretty well done and they comprised most of the story. It would have been better for the overall plot line if a bit more had happened, still it was nice to see a bit of action. With only a few more issues in this story though, I hope the narrative picks up a bit next issue or the comic series is going to feel very slow and drawn out.
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.
My sincere apologies but I doubt I will be able to update this site until this weekend.
Work has been crazy, crazy, crazy, but I can finally see light at the end tunnel. The hope, of course, is that it is daylight and not an oncoming Acela train.
My desire for the weekend is to wrap up posts from last week, and get caught up with all news, reviews and open threads from this week.
Whether that will happen or not remains to be seen.
DiG…
