Hey, everyone, jrpbsp here…Here’s my second review for the week. I’m tackling ‘X-Men Legacy #226’ next.  Hope you enjoy it.

X-Men Forever#3 (details)
Writer: Chris Claremont
Penciler: Tom Grummett
Inkers: C. Hamscher

SPOILERS BELOW…

RECAP:The issue opens with a shadowy group of men discussing the events of the past couple of issues and the status of their agent. They decide to leave her to be dealt with by the X-Men.

Those mutants are still in the Danger Room dealing with a blinded Sabretooth and an unpredictable Storm. Storm wants Creed to be dealt with but Scott orders a medkit so he can be helped.

We then join Beast and Xavier who are looking after the unconscious Jean in the MedLab. Xavier decides to probe her mind to find out what happened to her. He immediately discovers the depths of her bond with Logan, one that they were hiding from everyone else.

He then replays the events of the evening from Wolverine’s perspective, seeing him break into an apartment and search the place. Only moments later he is confronted by the owner and blasted to bones. His killer is Storm. The effect of the memory throws Xavier out of Jean’s head and wakes her up.

The rest of the X-Men have Sabretooth restrained and he tells them that Storm killed Logan, his son. Storm denies this and tries again to get the rest to agree to kill Creed. Xavier interrupts and tells them to make sure both Storm and Creed are held. Sabretooth points out that Storm was the only one missing from the mansion when Wolverine died.

Jean chooses then to attack Storm with a powerful telepathic attack, screaming that she killed Logan, the man she loved. But her strength has not recovered enough to follow through and the attack peters out. The X-Men try to stop Storm but her elemental powers prove stronger and she escapes sealing the door behind her. She activated a dampener so they can not follow but Kitty is able to go through the door anyway.

She confronts Storm and her intangibility counters Storm’s attack. She pops out Logan’s missing claw and slashes across Storm’s face and costing her an eye.

MY TAKE: This is a good issue and we are finally starting to get into the heart of what is going on and find out some of the important answers. Of course we are getting more questions piled on top of those but that least we are getting a much better picture overall. The plot is good and it is definitely keeping me interested from issue to issue and characterizations remain strong. The next couple of issues should provide a strong opening arc for the series.

The story is well done and engaging in a way that is both new and still has a retro feel. It is good to see these characters interacting again in more comfortable and relaxed setting. So much is being done in the present of Marvel that it seems like every comic is all about gloom and doom with little brightness or color to be found. Not that death and betrayal are easy subjects but the setting still feels more hopeful.

That said their are still several problems that continue to plague the book. The biggest one right now is that he is telegraphing his surprises far too much. We knew it was Storm that was behind the death pretty much from the first time we saw it, so there was no need to wait to reveal it. Same with Wolverine missing a claw only to have it turn up with Kitty. It would have been better to not make the lost claw such a big plot point prior to showing her having it.

Another issue is the redundancy. While it is definitely a huge event, we have now seen Wolverine die in each issue from different perspectives. While we are given a little bit more information each time it seems like they could save some page space by not reshowing the events. I also hope that he addresses how Kitty can go through a door and phase when an inhibitor has Kurt’s power negated in the same location.

Finally while the characterizations feel real, some of the relationships are off. Creed has never shown an ounce of concern for Wolverine before his death and we never saw anything close to the Logan and Jean bond that is being shown here. Since Logan is dead, for awhile at least, it seems pointless to make these changes now.

In the end the series is still going strong and most of my doubts about Claremont’s ability to tell a story are gone. I just hope he at least explains the sudden attitude changes and tightens up the pacing and foreshadowing a little bit. Still, I am definitely looking forward to the rest of this 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…I only have a few reviews for the week so I am going to get started.  First up we have ‘Uncanny X-Men: First Class’. Hope you enjoy it.

Uncanny X-Men First Class #1 (preview)
Writer: Scott Gray
Penciler: Roger Cruz

SPOILERS BELOW…

RECAP: The issue starts with Nightcrawler running around New York City in a great mood, but that does not last. He saves two young girls from a construction accident and his reward is anger and hatred. He uses his image inducer and flees back to the mansion.

At Xavier’s the rest of the team is having a Danger Room session. They successfully defeat the challenge but their performance is not good enough for Cyclops.

Noticing Kurt is missing, Piotr goes to search for him. Colossus finds him on the grounds brooding over the earlier incident. Kurt is contemplating the future and his place in it.

We get a brief interlude with Scott talking to Jean on the phone. He tries to convince her to return to the school but she says that part of her life is over. She has a job interview and is ready to move on.

Professor X then calls the whole team together to introduce some visitors, namely the royal family of the Inhumans; Karnak, Gorgon, Black Bolt, Medusa, Triton, and Lockjaw. They were in New York meeting with the U.N. and came to visit along with Lilandra and Moira.

The teams get along fine until Gorgon and Karnak are given a tour of the Danger Room by Wolverine and Banshee. The Inhumans’ derision of the training facility leads Gorgon to get a hosing by Wolverine. He kicks Logan through the roof in retaliation.

The rest of the Inhumans apologize for the incident and agree to take Kurt and Piotr back to Attilan with them to visit their city. The pair are given the grand tour and Kurt is impressed by the love for the royal family and the ease with which he is accepted by the people. He ponders staying although Colossus tries to talk him out of it.

That thought ends when they are shown the ritual in which the Inhumans are changed by the Terrigen mists. Kurt sees the mutation of the Inhuman children as an abomination and tries to stop the ceremony. In the ensuing fight one of the mist chambers is destroyed and thus breaks one of their most sacred laws. In response, Kurt is blasted through the chest by the Inhuman high priest.

MY TAKE: I had some initial concerns about this series but this issue was very well done. The characterizations feel much more natural then the giant-size issue and the plot is nicely relevant. You can really feel for Kurt’s dilemma and understand both his frustration and his need to finally find a place where he can fit in.

The plot is still very simplistic, however, and it does suffer slightly from a lack of focus. The scene between Scott and Jean, while nice, did not really need to be included. The same goes for having Lilandra and Moira in the issue.

I also felt that a couple of Kurt’s reactions were exaggerated. He has been judged on his appearance before and had never allowed it to bother him to this level. The biggest overreaction was his response to the mutation of the Inhuman children. Considering he had been willing to leave the world due to them judging him on his looks, it did not seem right that he condemned their whole civilization without even asking for an explanation.

I would have preferred to see Wolverine be the one that accompanied Kurt on his journey. While I like Piotr, the Wolverine and Nightcrawler bond will become one of the strongest on the team. It would have been very nice to see its beginnings shown here. But so far they are using Logan as a comic relief and the role does not really suit him.

Still, in the end the issue works fine. It is a nice little story about Kurt exploring his place in the world and trying to make sense of both his past and his future. I would like to see both the plot and the characterization be tightened up a little bit but it was a strong start to the series. Hopefully we will see another limited or even an ongoing come out once this series is completed.

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.

Not much in the way of Wolverine news this week.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Alas, I seem to have missed nothing.

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

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

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

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

Hey, everyone, jrpbsp here…I only have one review for the week so I can get some much needed rest. But first we have the second part of ‘Utopia’. Hope you enjoy it.

Uncanny X-Men #513 (preview)
Writer: Matt Fraction
Penciler: Terry Dodson
Inkers: Rachel Dodson

Note: Wolverine does not appear in this issue.

SPOILERS BELOW…

RECAP: This issue picks up right where the ‘Utopia’ one-shot left off. Norman and ‘Xavier’ are having a press conference, Cyclops is running from the authorities and Colossus is fighting Venom.

Scott makes his escape while the Avengers confront the crowd. Colossus batters Venom and then gets picked up by Iceman, fleeing to the base.

We shift to the Beast and Xavier in prison. Hank is obviously suspicious of the Professor but Xavier warns him about the Omega Machine just before he is taken to it. The device is being run by the Dark Beast and is apparently what is removing their powers.

We flash to Norman showing Emma Frost her new team of X-Men consisting of Mimic, Cloak and Dagger, Daken and Michael Pointer. He gives a little history on each of their motivations when Dark Beast enters and takes Michael to work on upgrading his powers.

Emma confronts Norman and ‘Xavier’ about the ‘Professor’s’ identity and it turns out to be Mystique. She is being controlled by nanites and her purpose is merely to pretend to be Xavier. Emma then introduces her addition to the team, Namor.

We then flash to the hospital where Trask is being treated. It turns out he is an Omega Sentinel and he has been infecting and controlling those around him.

There is another press conference where Emma and her team are introduced. Scott and the X-Men are watching it although they are not sure what to do. A curfew is being imposed and if they follow it, the streets are given to Trask, but if they do not, then they are the bad guys. Scott wants time to plan and look at his options.

Across town, Hellion is gathering a group of mutants to make a statement and defy the curfew and the new team. He has Match, Lorelei, Avalanche, Adam X, Sunspot and Meld. Although several members are not sure about it, they decide to hit Union Square Park and call out Emma’s team.

The ploy is a success. With the world watching, they make a mess and force the untried team into the field. Emma herself declares Hellion to be under arrest. Cyclops is watching on TV and decides he needs to talk to Osborn before things get worse.

MY TAKE: This issue continues the rather interesting story line setup from the last issue. In fact it adds several new wrinkles that could lead to some great story potential and even long term impact to the characters. Unfortunately, there is still very little here that is new. The series was simply too widely publicized. But we are starting to get to the meat of the story.

I was impressed at the setup last issue and the story continues to be well written and even thought provoking. We are starting to see the characters come through and so far they have all been well done and the overall framework is believable and nicely set up. It has capability to be truly epic as well.

Most of this issue was given to the formation of the new team. I am not sure if this group will continue after the arc but it certainly has potential. Most of the characters are interesting and very underused. I am not sure if they are worth their own series but the dynamics are already complex and noteworthy.

The biggest problem I have with this issue is it feels too short. Already there is so much going on and so many characters to try and balance, we are getting a lot thrown at us. So pretty big events are given no more then a mention or a panel or two. I would prefer they had added comics or removed some pieces of the story to make it fit better, but this is still the beginning. It may find its balance.

Scott and Emma continue to be the key players in the story so you have to wonder what the fall out between them will be. Scott is being publicly branded as the villain and Emma the hero in a fascinating turnabout. In fact there are several surprising dynamics set up here from Trask and his Sentinels to having Mystique back in the X realm.

In the end this is a fast paced but well-written and interesting story. There is a lot happening so I hope there is enough time and space to give all the characters and plots the chance to shine. But so far the story has been very well done.

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.

It all started innocuously enough on the Byrne Robotics forums whilst discussing ‘X-Men Forever’. But before you know it, fans have John Byrne plotting his own X-Men future in ‘X-Men Evermore’…

• Byrne Robotics: The X-Men Evermore Discussion…
• ComixFan Forums: Chris Claremont Responds…

This is probably the last movie update as ‘X-Men Origins: Wolverine’ is really winding down at the box office, its domestic gross barely creeping up to $177.9 million over the weekend. Having been passed by ‘Transformers 2’ and ‘Up’, the film actually fell back to being #126th domestic grossing film of all time, but still inched past ‘Hitch’ in the process. With international box office added in, ‘Wolverine’ has accrued $361.1 million worldwide, remaining the #126th grossing film of all time worldwide.

In other Wolverine News…
–Newsarama: Daniel Way and Marjorie Liu on ‘Dark Wolverine’ #75 (details)
–Newsarama: X-Men Animated Series Vol. 3 & 4 Coming in September (details)
-Houston Chronicle: Wolverine continues his guest star in the Spider-Man Strip (details)

Probable (and Possible) Wolverine Appearances in stores on 7/01/09…
–Uncanny X-Men #513 (preview): Dark Wolverine, at the very least, confirmed..
–Astonishing Tales #6 (preview): Wolverine/Punisher continues…

Wolverine appeared in ELEVEN TITLES (13 if you count Daken as Dark Wolverine) this past week (June 24, 2009) and once again, our very own jrpbsp provides an impressive series of write-ups for…

• Wolverine: Weapon X #3
• X-Force #16
• Wolverine: First Class #16
• Astonishing X-Men #30
• X-Men Forever #2
• Dark Avengers/Uncanny X-Men: Utopia #1

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

Dark Wolverine #75 (preview | thread)
“The Prince, Part 1”
Writers: Daniel Way & Marjorie Liu
Penciler: Giuseppe Camuncoli
Inker: Onofrio Catacchio

This is, quite frankly, the best Daken story I have ever read.

It returns to some intriguing themes from early issues of ‘Wolverine: Origins’ and goes into greater details about his powers and perhaps, most importantly, into how his mind works…

Dark Avengers #6 (preview | thread)
Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Artist: Mike Deodato & Will Conrad

Brilliant artwork as always by Mike Deodato, but the story is starting to fall apart for me a little.

I find myself getting bored with the continuing in-depth portrayal of  Norman Osborn, and for the life of me I don’t understand how he is able to hold so much sway over everyone, especially when it is becoming clear that he is about to crack.

I think it’s time for the final act…

Elektra #4 (preview | thread)
Writer: Zeb Wells
Pencils: Clay Mann
Inks: Mark Pennington

Cool Wolverine cameo in the final two pages…

Ms. Marvel #40 (preview | thread)
Writer: Brian Reed
Artists: Sana Takeda and Luke Ross

Very funny Wolverine cameo in the final three pages with an even briefer Dark Wolverine cameo…

The New Avengers #54 (preview | thread)
Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Pencils: Billy Tan
Inks: Batt and Billy Tan

Not much of a Wolverine issue as Brother Voodoo takes center stage.

Is it just me or has Bendis worn out the “10 minutes ago’ story device?

Avengers/Invaders #12 (preview)
“The Last Full Measure”
Plot: Alex Ross & Jim Krueger
Script: Jim Krueger
Pencils: Steve Sadowski & Jack Herbert

I’d love for fans of Captain America and Bucky to weigh in on this series because Wolverine could have skipped this entire series without anyone noticing…

Timestorm 2009/2009: X-Men #1 (preview | thread)
Writer: Brian Reed
Artist: Frazer Irving

A surprisingly fun little diversion that matches Wolverine present and future…

UPDATE: I failed to review Wolverine Noir #3 in this (last) week’s wrap up. I will add that to the next week-in-review if  I can track down a copy (my store was shorted on the title).

What do you think? Feel free to share your opinion in the comments below OR join in on the fun in the Wolverine Files Forums…

Hey, everyone, jrpbsp here… This is my last review for the week *whew*. Ending with a bang, here is the ‘Wolverine: First Class’ review. Hope you enjoy it.

Wolverine: First Class #16 (preview | thread)
Writer: Peter David
Artist: Gurihiru

SPOILERS BELOW…

RECAP: The issue starts with Dazzler going back to her room after a show with her manager Kathleen. She is excited to be playing a huge halftime gig for the Mega Bowl. When she gets to her room, however, she sees ‘DIE” scrawled on the wall.

Alison goes to Professor Xavier for help and he assigns Wolverine to be her bodyguard. Logan is not thrilled with the assignment, since he is not a fan of her singing or disco. He suggests using Kitty as a buffer.

Pryde is naturally thrilled by this, it is a chance to meet a star and be back stage at a major concert. She tells her friend Terry, aka Siryn, who gets the Professor to let her come along as well.

Kitty is understandably annoyed that her friend has honed in on her fun and becomes jealous when they find out, on the bus to the show, that one of Dazzler’s backup singers is too sick for the concert. Terry tries out for the part and is hired on the spot.

At the concert, Kitty is forced to play spotter in the rigging while Wolverine handles the crowd and Siryn and Dazzler are in the spotlight. But Pryde plays her part even spotting a suspicious looking guy in the crowd. She tells Terry to use her power and the extra noise overloads Alison’s mutant light show and blinds the audience.

Wolverine and Kitty confront the man who ends up only having a video camera and not a gun. The concert over, Kitty tries to save face by accusing Dazzler’s manager of being behind the threat. She is distracted when the real threat, Kathleen’s boyfriend, walks up and hits Dazzler with a pie. Which he explains was the original threat, not ‘DIE”.

The issue ends with Wolverine revealing that even though Kitty was not paying attention, he was aware of the man the whole time and knew he was not a threat. Logan allowed the man to pie her because he hates disco.

MY TAKE: This issue was cute and entertaining although I did not like it quite as much as the last issue. Mostly this is because of the very simple plot and the lack of Wolverine and Kitty interaction. The series is best when you see Wolverine and Kitty together and most of their screen time here is with other people.

Although the plot is extremely basic, it does provide several fun and amusing moments. My favorite was Wolverine and Kitty confronting the man video taping the show. But most of the interaction between Wolverine and Dazzler was humorous as well.

Kitty felt very real in this story. Her teenage excitement and jealously was nice to see. So often she was treated as an adult, even when she was a young teen. I am glad she is allowed to actually be a kid in this series.

Wolverine, on the other hand, did not seem like himself. Although he is undoubtedly cultured, I have never seen him to be much of a music critic and his unrelenting disco-bashing did not feel normal. While I personally agree that disco is awful, it felt tacked on. Especially since, in canon terms, Dazzler joins the X-Men not too long after these events and no tension is ever shown between the two of them. It is an admittedly minor point but I have never liked comics that are meant to be in continuity and then ignore history.

I really do wish they would drop out most of the guest stars and get back to focusing on the Wolverine and Kitty dynamic. We barely see them together at all in this story and I believe that does hurt the overall quality. The best issues in the series are ones with a strong Logan and Kitty interactions.

But the issue is still very good and that is something I rarely can say for an all ages comic. While David is still finding his style a bit, he comes up with some very good ideas. The ‘die’ and ‘pie’ mix up alone is nearly worth the price of the comic.

In the end you have a fun issue that manages to be entertaining despite a generally childish feel. I do hope we get more focus on Wolverine and Kitty together rather then have them doing parallel stories in the same comic. While both of them are great characters, the best part of the series is seeing them handling the problems as a pair.

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… Here is my sixth review, I am almost done thankfully. Next up is the final issue in the Ghost Boxes story for Astonishing. Hope you enjoy it.

Astonishing X-Men #30
(preview | thread)
Writer: Warren Ellis
Penciler: Simone Bianchi
Inkers: Simone Bianchi and Andrea Silvestri

SPOILERS BELOW…

RECAP: The issue opens with the X-Men confronting Forge about the Ghost Boxes and fake mutants. Forge insists that he has solved the M-Day problem and that his creations are real mutants but none of the others agree.

He shows the team his mutants and they are just a group of experimental freaks. Forge releases the pseudo-mutant that the X-Men were holding as Wolverine and Cyclops realize that Forge has an inhibitor that is slowly shutting down their powers.

Forge takes them to the Ghost Box he has which is rigged to be opened. He explains he is fighting a war with the invaders and that he is ready to strike back through the portal.

Just then Armor’s phone rings. It is Agent Brand who has a super powerful laser trained on the base from orbit. Forge is not deterred and wants to proceed but Wolverine cuts off his robotic leg and shuts down the inhibitor field.

Forge activates the Ghost Box and tells his mutants to throw in the X-Men. Beast tosses Armor’s phone into the box and tells Brand to shoot for that spot. The X-Men then fight through the fake mutants to their ship. Ororo tries to get Forge to come but he refuses, hinting that her marriage and treatment of him is why he lost his mind.

The X-Men leave just as something starts to come through the Ghost Box. Brand fires her laser and destroys the base and anything that might have been trying to invade from the other side of the portal.

Both Beast and Storm lament the choices they were forced to make but there really were no other options. In order to save the world they had to stop Forge and destroy the invaders. In the end they head home in silence.

MY TAKE: Although this was an alright issue it was still plagued by most of the problems that have affected the arc to this point; namely pacing and characterizations. The conclusion is reasonable but it would have been better if they had picked someone else to be the villain. It seems to be too much of a stretch to think that Forge would suddenly decide to make his own mutants and wage a war against another world.

The characters still seem off especially Forge. Most of the others do not have enough time to really be highlighted although Armor and Emma still feel like stereotypes. Beast feels more natural here and Scott and Logan are playing off of each other pretty well. But even after reading this comic twice, I am not sure I really understand what is going on with Forge.

Madness can explain some of it, naturally, but I have a very hard time accepting that Storm getting married was enough to drive him that far over the edge. They have broken up before and even moved on and he did not react this way. Perhaps it is meant to merely be the final straw after M-Day and his attack by Bishop but if so then it should have been established that way. As it is, his problems seem to be far beyond what her marriage should cause.

The pace is still an issue as well. This comic seems to be more interested in doing splash scenes and most pages only have four or five panels in them. It slows down the plot and the action and makes the whole issue feel rushed because so much dialogue has to be squeezed into a couple of panels. While the art is nice, I would prefer that the story drives the art and this seems to be the reverse. The comic still reads fine and the plot works, within the confines of the story that has been established, but I am glad we are getting a new artist for the next arc.

The conclusion is more or less satisfying but I am getting tired of people using Agent Brand as a Deus Ex Machina. While I understand that there is some high tech equipment in the Marvel Universe, having her have access to a weapon that is ten thousand times more energy then all the power the Earth gets from the sun seems ridiculous. Add to that it can be narrowed to sixty eight centimeters and fired with pin point precision from orbit and it becomes laughable to the point of distraction.

In the end, things get wrapped up very well and returned to the status quo. I lament the loss of Forge as a character but I understand that he had to be killed after the massive personality change. The issue works fine for as a story conclusion but I hope the next arc is more focused on plot and characterization and less on art and technology.

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… Here is my fifth review. Went ahead and tackled ‘Wolverine Weapon X’ next. Hope you enjoy it.

Wolverine Weapon X #3
(preview | thread)
Writer: Jason Aaron
Penciler: Ron Garney
Inker: Jason Keith

SPOILERS BELOW…

RECAP: The issue opens with the Blackguard operatives hunting the jungle for Wolverine and not doing very well. The mutant is slowly evening the odds with guerrilla tactics and traps. The men heal, though he does manage to capture one. Another he ambushes and shoots with his own cancer gun, forcing the rest of the men to take the sick man back to base.

The leader of the unit, Klein, contacts his headquarters and assures the CEO that the prisoner will never talk. There is a quick cut to Wolverine torturing his captive but without obvious success.

We then see the reporter, Melita Garner, meeting with her contact who ends up being a Vice President for Blackguard. He tells her that Blackguard has been recruiting dishonorably discharged soldiers. The V.P. gives Melita the files and leaves but is snatched by his company before he gets too far. But his abductors are all shot by Maverick with a sniper rifle.

Back with Wolverine, he has apparently broken his prisoner and pulls him out of the hole he is held in. The mercenary was faking it and attacks Wolverine and flees. But Logan was expecting this and had put a tracker behind the man’s eye.

We see the CEO in the Senate doing hearings for a big deal to provide his people to spots all over the world. It is a mere formality though since he has bought the votes.

Back with the reporter, she returns home to find a Blackguard man waiting for her. Maverick shows up again and kills the man. He tells Melita he is there to help.

Wolverine returns to the camp to find it deserted and his tracker and the eye left in a tree for him to find. The Senate hearing ends with applause for the Blackguard CEO.

MY TAKE: This was a good issue but it is still just more setup. I was glad to see Wolverine’s skills being shown. It is rare we see him actually being stealthy and using real tactics. We know that he is a gifted strategist and an expert in the art of war but he is normally pictured as merely a savage brute fighter.

The plot is still very simplistic, an evil corporation is building Wolverine clones to get a huge defense contract from the Senate. Wolverine does not have a very big role in this issue, most of it is told from the perspective of others. Still Aaron proves again that he truly understand and appreciates Wolverine’s character even in the few scenes that he is in.

I am still not completely sold on the villains for this story arc. The Weapon X program has been mined for ideas far too often and the bad guys are too obviously clones of the real world Blackwater security forces. I much prefer my enemies to be more original then that. Although, it is nice to see Logan beating up the bad imitations, I would have liked something different to start the new series.

But it was nice to see that the villains were not incompetent either. As much as Wolverine had a plan he followed, he is still playing catch up. I had been afraid that things were going to be far too easy for him in the story. Even with the basic plot it seems like he might have a worthy trial ahead.

My favorite part of the issue was the return of Maverick. I always thought he was a unique and underused character and his involvement bodes well for the overall direction. Melita Garner is beginning to grow on me as well. I was worried that she was going to be merely a shrieking violet but she showed that she was capable of handling herself in this story. I am still not sure about her as a love interest but at least she can be an engaging character.

In the end, although this story might not be the most original, it is still pretty entertaining. I really enjoy the care that is given to Wolverine’s character and the return of his supporting cast. While this story might not be the best idea to me, it is still being written well and gives me a lot of hope for the future of the 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.