Wolverine #71 (preview | thread)
“Old Man Logan, Part 6”
Writer: Mark Millar
Penciler: Steve McNiven
Inker: Dexter Vines

Now we’re talking!

This is, by far, the best issue to date.

It may still be a travelogue through Mark Millar’s Marvel Universe of the future, but at least this time around, the travelogue remains firmly and effectively in the background.

And the plot actually starts going somewhere.

As has been said before, I have a hunch the trade paperback is going to read much smoother and ultimately much better than this issue by delayed issue publishing schedule.

Wolverine: Origins #34 (preview | thread)
Writer: Daniel Way
Pencils: Doug Braithwaite
Inks: Bill Reinhold, Cam Smith & Paul Neary

Remember when Joss Whedon portrayed the X-Men as a top-notch mutant commando team in Astonishing X-Men?

Remember how awesome that was?

Well, Cyclops obviously has been replaced by an incompetent Skrull as his sub-par tactical skills make this team of X-Men look like amateurs against Daken.

Oh yeah, and Daken takes center stage… again!

Clearly this issue hits a few of my pet peeves, namely giving one side a case of the stupids for the sake of a fair fight.

That said, it’s not really all that bad.

What do you think? Feel free to share your opinion in the comments below OR in the Wolverine Files Forum using the ‘thread’ links above…

The Wolverine Files Forum has really picked up in traffic and discussions over the past week with some very interesting debates and Wolverine news updates.

Brian Knippenberg has been so prodigious in posting Wolverine news on the Forum that I have recruited him to help out with the Wolverine News Updates on the main site. So as of this update, I will link to the forum thread with each news story and the ensuing discussion. Please welcome Brian aboard and let us know what you think of this new style of Wolverine news reporting…

Up first is news that ‘Wolverine: Origins’ Action Figures are in stores NOW (scroll down thread for story).

In Wolverine Comic Book News…
–WF Forums: From ‘Wolverine: Prodigal Son’ Manga (Amazon)…
–WF Forums: Wolverine vs. Red Hulk in Hulk #13 (MySpace)…
–WF Forums: Wolverine Offerings on Free Comic Book Day (CBR)…
–WF Forums: Scroll down thread for All ‘Wolverine: Weapon X Variant Covers & Podcast (CBR)…

In Other Wolverine News…
–WF Forums: Scroll down thread for Wolverine Video Game Full of Severed Limbs, Exposed Organs (Network World)…
–WF Forums: Scroll down thread for Wolverine: Inside the World of the Living Weapon (Amazon)…

In Breaking Wolverine News…
-Marvel.com: Wolverine Noir Sneak Preview…

Probable (and Possible) Wolverine Appearances in stores on 3/18/09…
–Wolverine #71 (preview): ‘Old Man Logan’ continues…
–Wolverine: Origins #34 (preview): Weapon XI, Part 2 of 5…
–X-Force #13 (details): The lead-in to ‘Messiah War’…
–Ultimate X-Men #100 (details): Final issue…
–Ultimatum #3 (details): The travesty continues…
–Uncanny X-Men #507 (details): Not sure if Wolverine appears in this one…
–Marvel Adventures the Avengers #34 (details): Or this one…
–X-Men Legacy #222 (details): Pretty sure Wolverine doesn’t appear…
–Dark Avengers #3 (details): No Wolverine, just Daken, but you gotta read the preview…

Wolverine appeared in only two titles this past week (March 11, 2009).

But he was the centerpiece and editorial subject of Marvel Spotlight: Wolverine that begins with an absolute must-read interview with Daniel Way.

Early on, Way admits, “[Wolverine] is almost a war criminal. And if we had lost WWII, he would have been a war criminal.”

And here is where Daniel Way and I differ.

Morally, Wolverine is a war criminal, period.

I understand his legal distinction, but for me it is all about what one does when no one is looking. Not merely what one can prove.

And for me, it is for exactly that reason that I do not like ‘Wolverine: Origins’.

I, for one, do not believe it was necessary to take Wolverine to these evil depths in order to show off his redemption.

As he notes at the end of the interview, “…Sometimes I’ve done things that have pissed off fans to the extreme, but I’ve gotten their heart pumpin’ again. ‘I made ya look.’ And, that was the point.”

And here I thought it was to make fans say, “Wow.”

Jason Aaron and Christopher Yost are also interviewed and there are some excellent pieces on Barry Windor-Smith’s ‘Weapon X’, ‘First Class’ and ‘Origin’.

Moving onto the reviews themselves…

X-Men Noir #4 (preview)
“The Mutant Hunter”
Writer: Fred Van Lente
Artist: Dennis Calero

I strongly recommend a thorough reread of the first three issues before embarking on this series finale.

Wolverine does appear, but merely plays a supporting role this time around…

Astonishing Tales #2 (preview)
“The Hard Way”
Writer: C.B. Cebulski
Penciler: Kenneth Rocafort

More over-the-top posturing for Wolverine and the Punisher, and the introduction of “Kimora: Agent of the Mysterious Organization Known as The Facility” whose enormous breasts threaten to burst through the fabric of her low-cut uniform.

So depending on your viewpoint, this is either an incredible waste of your money or the greatest comic book of all time…

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…

As you have undoubtedly noticed, chronology updates have slowed down quite a bit as I’ve  spent more time on some personal writing projects, but I did want to share a few updates on the site…

-Wolverine Files on  MySpace: Please add us as a friend if you use MySpace. I would really like to connect with the readers here!
-Wolverine Files on  Twitter: Not sure I’m sold on Twitter, but if you use it, please follow us while we bang the tires…
– Wolverine Files Forums: Check out the fun. We have some interesting discussions ongoing and have cracked the 50 member mark. Not much I know, but we do have over 1200 posts!

As for the chronology, I have added ‘New Avengers: Illuminati #1’ to 021: Department H and Weapon X and am rewriting chapter 024 (The Wolverine) as well as adding recent comics to the existing chapters (‘X-Men Origins: Sabretooth’ and ‘Manifest Destiny: Wolverine’)…

A new trailer for ‘X-Men Origins: Wolverine’, new photos from Marvel.com and a nice upgrade to the official website…

In Wolverine Comic Book News…
–MySpace: Daniel Way talks ‘Wolverine: Origins’…
–CBR: From Jason Aaron on ‘Wolverine: Weapon X’…
–Marvel: Peter David on ‘Wolverine: First Class’…
–Marvel: Exclusive Wolverine/Punisher Digicomic…

Probable Wolverine Appearances in stores on 3/11/09…
–Astonishing Tales #2 (preview): Wolverine, the Punisher and Predator X, Part II…
–X-Men Noir #4 (preview): Miniseries finale…
–Marvel Spotlight: Wolverine (details): The overexposure of Wolverine continues here…
–Official Marvel Index to Marvel Universe #3 (details): More X-Men chronology…

Wolverine appeared in two titles this past week (March 4, 2009) and I include one other appearance I missed from the previous week…

Ultimate Wolverine vs. Hulk #3 (preview)
Writer: Damon Lindelof
Artist: Leinil Francis Yu

February 2006.

That’s when this series began, meaning  issue #1 arrived in stores in 2005.

Think about that.

2005.

Makes you nostalgic for the days of ‘Big Numbers’!

I reread the first two issues (of ‘Ultimate Wolverine vs. Hulk’, not ‘Big Numbers’) having forgotten what transpired and was absolutely blown away by how good they were.

Wow.

From the ripping apart of Wolverine in the first issue to the classic Hulk lines of the second issue (“HULK NO IMPOTENT! HULK NO ANGRY!!” or “TOFURKEY NOT FUNNY!”).

Wow.

So I was excited to get to #3, only to find 22 pages of flippant self-referential humor, and a needlessly intrusive tendency by Lindelof to break the fourth wall.

Maybe it’s a good thing we’ll never see the third issue of ‘Big Numbers’…

X-Men/Spider-Man #4 (preview)
“The Mutant Hunter”
Writer: Christos Gage
Artist: Mario Alberti

When characters within a story make fun of the writing, you know you’re in trouble.

Which is a shame, for this has been a fun series.

But this final issue simply dwells too much on reminiscings of past team-ups and this misplaced, gag-inducing sentiment that throughout the years, Spider-Man and the X-Men have each others’ backs.

Vomit bag, please…

Marvels: Eye of the Camera #4 (preview)
“Deep Wounds”
Writer: Kurt Busiek & Roger Stern
Artist: Jan Anacleto

I missed this Wolverine appearance from last week.

Not a shock considering Wolverine’s cameo consists of a part of his mask from a montage on the front page of the Daily Bugle.

Thanks, once again, to the eagle eye of Comusiv…

Last but not least (for comics), the Wolverine Poster Book also hit the stands with a collection of mostly recent Wolverine cover. Not nearly as good, in my opinion, as the last one that boasted covers from throughout Wolverine’s career…

And don’t forget the excellent ‘Wolverine and the X-Men’ animated series, debuting a new episode tonight, “Time Bomb”.

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…

Lots of X-Men (and Wolverine) News broke over the weekend from WonderCon ’09 …

-‘Uncanny-Men: First Class’: Stories from Newsarama, CBR and Marvel.com…
-Uncanny-Men/Dark Avengers Crossover: From Newsarama, CBR, IGN and Marvel.com…
–From Earlier in the Week: Ron Garney on Drawing ‘Wolverine: Weapon X’ (Newsarama)…

In ‘X-Men Origins: Wolverine’ Movie and Video Game News…
–Marvel.,com: All Three ‘X-Men Origins: Wolverine’ trailers…
–Wired.com: Enter for a Chance to Win a Trip to the Premiere (but you have to take me!)…
–Newsarama: Video Game Interview…
–Marvel.com: New Video Game Screenshots…

Probable Wolverine Appearances in stores on 3/4/09…
–Ultimate Wolverine vs. Hulk #3 (preview): Finally! Next up, Big Numbers #3…
–X-Men/Spider-Man #4 (preview): Miniseries finale…
–Wolverine Poster Book (no preview): The overexposure of Wolverine starts here…

Wolverine appeared in four titles this past week (February 25, 2009) and I include one other appearance I missed from the previous week…

I reviewed Wolverine Origins #33 and Wolverine: First Class #12 on Wednesday — the major revelations within seemed to require immediate attention.

As for the rest of his appearances…

New Avengers #50 (preview)
Writer: Brian Michael David Bendis
Art: Billy Tan, Matt Banning and Justin Ponsor

Not quite New Avengers vs. Dark Avengers, but Norman Osborn does make interesting opening gambit in his dealings with the New Avengers that makes one wonder where the hell this Brian Michael David Bendis was during Secret Invasion.

And a surprising bevy of guest artists really makes this issue a blast, especially Leinil Yu, Mark Morales and Dave McCaig on the Wolverine page, an amusing look inside Wolverine’s mind. Though I must admit it would have been a lot funnier if Joss Whedon hadn’t already done it in ‘Astonishing X-Men’…

X-Force #12 (preview)
“Suicide Leper, Part One”
Writers: Craig Kyle & Christopher Yost
Artist: Clayton Crain

I’m still having problems getting used to the enormous pupils and irises that Clayton Crain likes to use in his artwork.

As for the issue itself, it’s like every other issue of X-Force before it. So if you enjoy X-Force, you are sure to happy. If you are on the fence like me, you’ll probably stay there.

That said, awesome double-page spread to end the issue…

Young X-Men #11 (preview)
“End of Days”
Writer: Marc Guggenheim
Present Day Sequences: Rafa Sandoval & Roger Bonet
Future Sequences: Daniel Acuna

I completely missed this Wolverine appearance from last week.

A very intriguing future sequence with Wolverine that ties into the current storyline, again with Wolverine.

Since I haven’t been reading this series, please feel free to chime in with comments on just what the hell is going on…

Last but not least (for comics), Wizard Magazine #210 boast a Wolverine/Spider-Man cover by John Cassaday..

And don’t forget the excellent ‘Wolverine and the X-Men’ animated series.

Tonight’s episode, “Wolverine vs. the Hulk” (watch it here), is by far the best episode of the series. Unfortunately, after watching the ‘Hulk vs. Wolverine’ DVD, one realizes just how little Wolverine can do with the claws in a show geared towards kids. That said, this episode really is a hoot with some wonderful one-liners.

Now if only Nick Fury didn’t sound like Lando Calrissian…

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…

Some issues are easy to review without giving away spoilers.

Unfortunately, ‘Wolverine: Origins’ #33 is not one of those, so…

SPOILER ALERT! SPOILER ALERT! SPOILER ALERT!

Wolverine: Origins #33 (preview)
Writer: Daniel Way
Penciler: Doug Braithwaite
Inker: Bill Reinhold

I am of two minds on this issue.

There is one wonderful revelation. Genuinely wonderful revelation.

But it gets obscured, at least for me, by some serious chronological confusion that I will do my level best to chronicle.

In other words, SPOILER ALERT, WILL ROBINSON, SPOILER ALERT!

–Nick Fury suggests that the reason the Canadian government allowed Logan to work for the CIA was because the U.S. government knew about Weapon X and blackmailed the Canadian government into using Logan. But the accompanying visual shows Logan as part of Team X — BEFORE he received his adamantium at Weapon X…

–Nick Fury also talks of Frederick and Elias Hudson, the owners of the Hudson Bay Company. Slight historical problem here as the Hudson Bay Company was named for the Hudson Bay (think East India Company), not any owner named Hudson…

Read more…

For those of you who missed Hugh Jackman hosting the Academy Awards last night, this is an absolute must-watch!

I wonder if he’ll get to sing and dance in ‘X-Men Origins: Wolverine’?

“Mariko! I just met a girl named Mariko!”

Oh and Wolverine also hosted the AICN Comics 5th Annual Awards Show…

Speaking of ‘X-Men Origins: Wolverine’, here is the final extended trailer from last week (see the first two here)…

In more ‘X-Men Origins: Wolverine’ Movie and Video Game News…
-Yahoo! Movies: 10 Essential Wolverine Movie Facts…
–Marvel.com: Video Game Cover Art Unveiled…
–Marvel.com: ‘X-Men Origins: Wolverine’ Toys Debut at Toy Fair 2009…

‘Wolverine and the X-Men’ News…
–Marvel.com: ‘X-Calibre’ (episode 6) Preview…
-NickToons: Watch the Full Episode Online…

Wolverine Comic Book News…
–IGN: ‘X-Force/Cable: Messiah War’ Preview (3/25/09 release)…

Probable Wolverine Appearances in stores on 2/25/09…
–New Avengers #50 (preview): New Avengers vs. Dark Avengers…
–Wolverine: First Class #12 (preview): Fred Van Lente’s final issue…
–Wolverine: Origins #33 (preview): Nick Fury tells Wolverine what he knows about Romulus…
–X-Force #12 (preview): Suicide Leper, Part 1..