GeNext #1
Cover: Doug Gregory Alexander

Chris Claremont continues the storyline he began in the ‘X-Men: The End’ trilogy, chronicling the next generation of X-Men.

Luckily it’s not as verbose as one might expect coming from Claremont.

And while Wolverine only barely cameos on the cover, it is a safe bet he will make an appearance later in the run.

From Marvel (preview): “You asked for it, X-Fans, and now, you got it! Marvel.com asked you what Chris Claremont’s next project should be. You, the fans, said you wanted to know what today’s new generation of X-Men would be like if the Marvel Universe aged in real-time! Who are the children of the X-Men? And what happened to the original team, Professor X, and Magneto after over 30 years of conflict, victories, and tragedies? Now, at last, the answers arrive as beloved X-Men scribe Chris Claremont reveals an all-new generation of mutant teens!”
On sale May 14, 2008.

Wolverine #65
‘Get Mystique! Conclusion’
Writer: Jason Aaron
Artist: Ron Garney

I was genuinely looking forward to this issue.

Unfortunately, it is quite a disappointing finale to a promising start by Jason Aaron.

Once again, we are presented with Logan at his moral worst. How refreshing it would be to see Logan’s early life presented is such a way where he is neither an utter dirtbag nor a weak-kneed coward.

And the abject rejection on so many levels of ‘Wolverine Dies’ (the previous ‘Wolverine’ story) is truly shocking and appalling. I know I’ve gone off on this rant before, but this issue completely and utterly rejects its premise on every level.

That said, it’s a helluva a fight between Wolverine and Mystique even if the final two pages are a bit of a letdown.

From Marvel (preview): “‘Get Mystique’ comes to its bloody conclusion in the deserts of Iraq. The quest for Mystique is over, and now the no-holds-barred face-off between her and Logan begins. Only one will walk away, but both will pay a price.” On sale May 14, 2008.

Dear DiG,

Somewhat in my dotage and evidently having lived under a rock all these years, I have discovered the tremendously intriguing character of Logan/Wolverine. In search of more information about this character and his various depictions and stories over roughly a 35-year period, I came upon your incredibly detailed, literate (not all Wolverine-related sites out in the www are, I’m sure you know) informed as well as informative, website. It would be very difficult to find anyone more knowledgeable on Wolverine than you, and I am in awe of the amount of work and depth of detail you have poured into creating and maintaining this important reference.

With that said, I throw my dilemma like a gauntlet at your feet and ask your advice. As I mentioned, I have discovered this terrific character far too late to ever hope to read even a fraction of his stories… even if I could, I’d never be able to locate them all, nor could I afford the expense of trying to collect them. A search through Amazon.com reveals a confusing array of Wolverine compilations, some with good reviews, some not so good, but what to trust? What to ignore, and what truly is Wolverine ‘gold’? I have so far only purchased two compilations – the jaw-droppingly riveting Barry Windsor Smith Weapon X, both story and artwork just amazing; and Greg Rucka’s The Brotherhood, although I liked the story (not great, but OK), the cartoony artwork makes Logan look like a Neanderthal – didn’t care for the artwork, and wasn’t interested in the follow-ups Coyote Crossing or Return of the Native. This may sound a bit strange considering, Wolverine IS a comic book superhero, after all, but I really prefer the man to the spandex. I’m not crazy about the weird-colored tights, but prefer him in ‘civvies.’

In your well-considered opinion, what would be, say, your top five or six Wolverine compilations combining the best story arcs and the best artwork? I sincerely look forward to hearing your recommendations.

BTW, my husband has been a big fan of Warren Zevon for years, and I have forwarded your site to him (see https://www.typingmonkeys.com/zevon_cd.html). Zevon’s lyrics are absolute poetry, and what an incredible musician he was!

Thank you for the labor of love that is your website!

Sincerely, Pamela D. Arceneaux

Wow.

Well, thank you very much for you kind and considered words. This site is most definitely a labor of love (and many times a labor of frustration). But it is always encouraging to hear from folks who have visited. And I have a hunch that I share your ‘dotage.’

You bring up a terrific question and let me see if I can help. At first blush, I would recommend the following stories (in order):

-Essential X-Men #1 (amazon.com): Black and white compilation covers Wolverine joining the X-Men in Giant-Size X-Men #1 through the ‘golden years’ of Chris Claremont and John Byrne and X-Men #119. Wolverine is a terrific supporting character throughout and it is during this run that he become my favorite character.

-Essential X-Men #2 (amazon.com): Continues the ‘golden age’ of Chris Claremont and John Byrne from X-Men #120 through Uncanny X-Men #144. Some of the best X-Men/Wolverine tales ever told.

-Essential X-Men #3 (amazon.com): Uncanny X-Men #145-161 and several annuals. Not quite the ‘golden age’ anymore, but critical stories to the development of Wolverine’s character.

-Essential X-Men #4 (amazon.com): Uncanny X-Men #162-179, several more annuals and God Loves, Man Kills, the brilliant graphic novel by Chris Claremont. Wolverine leaves the X-Men in issue 168 for perhaps the best Wolverine story to date (see next item) and returns in #172. Really the last essential Essential.

-Wolverine (amazon.com): This miniseries by Chris Claremont and Frank Miller (and believe me Frank Miller does more than just draw) is what keeps me reading Wolverine to this day. Not to be missed.

-Weapon X (amazon.com): Barry Windsor-Smith stunned the comic book work with this mind-blowing saga of Wolverine’s early days.

-The Best of Wolverine, Vol. 1 (amazon.com): This collection includes the Claremont-Miller miniseries and Weapon X saga from above and a few other strong appearances. A great collection and a good value.

Now I may be ruffling some feathers, but I simply cannot recommend any of the other X-Men or Wolverine collections (at least of the ones that immediately come to mind). To be blunt, they are caricatures of Wolverine with the occasional strong issue, but nothing of sustaining significance. The much ballyhooed Wolverine: Origin is overly dramatic tripe, and the current runs of Wolverine and Wolverine: Origins are deeply cynical, broad caricatures or all-too-infrequent one-hit wonders.

That said, I would strongly recommend one series that wraps up quite soon…

-Astonishing X-Men, Vol. 1 – 4 (amazon.com vol. 1 | vol. 2 | vol. 3 | vol. 4 ): Joss Whedon and John Cassaday capture Wolverine at his best. This may be the best Wolverine written, period.

OK, I’ve had my say.

Anyone else out there want to recommend the very best Wolverine collections of all time?

I have been remiss in providing up-to-the-minute Wolverine news, but now that I have caught up with reviews (finally!), it is high time I catch up on the news. So below, find Wolverine news from the past week with interesting tidbits from the last month sprinkled in.

From Marvel: “The first, official trailer for Marvel’s upcoming animated series, Wolverine and the X-Men, is here! Packed with more mutants than you can shake a stick at, check out what’s in store for a world in which Professor X has been taken out and Wolverine must lead the X-Men into a very uncertain and dangerous future!

“Wolverine and the X-Men begins as an explosive event shatters the lives of the X-Men and takes away their mentor, Professor X. The beaten heroes, including Beast, Storm, Cyclops and Nightcrawler, walk away from it all but then they are given a rare glimpse into the future, where they see a world in utter ruin…ruled by giant destructive robots. They discover the world has spiraled out of control because the X-Men have given up. So now the most legendary of all X-Men, Wolverine, must take the lead on the ultimate mission—to prevent the world’s destruction—while fending off enemies Magneto and The Brotherhood.

“Check it out the debut trailer at Marvel.com’s Videos section. Better yet? Watch the Wolverine and the X-Men animated series trailer in hi-res!”

More Wolverine news…
-Comicbookresources.com: X-Force Special: Ain’t No Dog Preview
-Comicbookresources.com: Ultimate X-Men #97 Cover by Gabriele Dell’Otto
-Marvel.com: Wolverine #65 Preview
-Marvel.com: Wolverine: The Amazing Immortal Man & Other Bloody Tales #1 Preview
-Marvel.com: Wolverine #66 Wrap-Around Cover
-Newsarama.com: Marvel, Del Ray Announce Wolverine Manga Creators
-Newsarama.com: Mark Millar on ‘Old Man Logan’ (from January)

Avengers/Invaders #1
Cover: Alex Ross

Awesome cover by Alex Ross (see larger version here) featuring Wolverine as part of the New Avengers.

Unfortunately, no Wolverine on the inside.

All in all, a very auspicious start to what promises to be an interesting series.

From Marvel: “The original Invaders (Captain America , Bucky , Human Torch , Toro , and the Sub-Mariner) return in a twelve issue maxi-series by the award winning team behind EARTH X, Justice and Project Superpowers .The greatest super-team of World War II finds themselves transported from the battlefields of the Second World War to a future they never imagined! Now, the Invaders find themselves confronted by two teams of Avengers who want desperately to believe these heroes are who they say they are, while Tony Stark faces his greatest challenge since the Civil War as he must deal with the ‘return’ of Steve Rogers. Confronted by a world they barely recognize, the Invaders will have to show two teams of the Earth’s Mightiest Heroes just what kind of power, courage and sheer determination it took to defeat the forces of unrelenting evil in the Twentieth century. In fact… they may just have to do it again in the Twenty-First. ” On sale May 7, 2008.

Secret Invasion #2
Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Penciler: Leinil Yu; Inker: Mark Morales

I’ve reread this issue several times trying to put my finger on exactly what I don’t like about it.

I’ve enjoyed some of Bendis’ buildup (‘Mighty Avengers’ #12 is excellent) and hated others (‘New Avengers’ #40 is dreadful).

And this issue, unfortunately falls into the latter.

There are way too many characters to do anyone justice — the younger Wolverine (and many others) are just window dressing. Clint Barton is the only character to get any oomph.

That said, not a bad final two-page spread.

And for those of you enjoying the return of Nick Fury, ‘Mighty Avengers’ #13 is worth a read.

From Marvel (preview): “The Invasion is here!! The Marvel Universe is in shambles. The Skrull Empire’s plan has birthed itself into perfection. It is hero versus hero!! Resurrections and reunions!! Is Tony Stark a Skrull? And is that actually Captain America leading the heroes into a new era?? EXPECT CHANGE!!” On sale May 7, 2008.

Logan #3
Writer: Brian K. Vaughan
Artist: Eduardo Risso

Eduardo Risso’s artwork continues to impress but a disappointing concluding chapter by Brian Vaughn closes out what had been a terrific series.

Logan, the mutant who cannot die (‘Logan Dies’ notwithstanding), is confronted by another who conceivably cannot die — the proof being his survival of the atomic blast at Hiroshima. So believe me when I say that the final confrontation is a letdown of epic proportions.

It never fails to amaze me how often writers can create such awesome and seemingly indestructible villains, only to inexplicably depower them for the finale. What ever happened to clever plotting?

If you want to read exactly the type of clever plotting I’m talking about, give the Naruto manga (not the anime) a chance. You may be pleasantly surprised.

From Marvel (preview): “In the gut-wrenching conclusion to Vaughan and Risso’s epic story, Wolverine must make the single most difficult decision of his long and bloody career.” On sale May 7, 2008.

Marvel Comics Presents #8
“The Rabbit Hunt”
Writer: Andy Schmidt
Artist: Marco Turini

This eight-page Cyclops & Wolverine tale features a somewhat forgettable story and extraordinarily uneven art.

Marco Turini’s rendering of Wolverine wearing cowboy hat looks more like comic relief from an old Western than a menacing superhero.

Flip through the story at your local comic book store if you must, but this is for completists only. And I, unfortunately, am a completist.

From Marvel (preview): “Aaron Stack has been drinking again…drinking to keep the ghosts of his past at bay. It wouldn’t be a problem if he was just a man—but he’s MACHINE MAN, and his past has a way of coming alive! Join 24/7 creator Ivan Brandon and Pride of Baghdad artist Niko Henrichon for the debut of an all-new 5-part Machine Man tale! Plus: CYCLOPS & WOLVERINE go hunting, WEAPON OMEGA battles U.S. Agent, and VANGUARD reveals the truth about the murder of John Doe.” On sale April 30, 2008.

Ultimate X-Men #93
‘Apocalypse, Conclusion’
Writer: Robert Kirkman
Artist: Harvey Tolibao

First thing’s first… Nipple-less Phoenix?

And I won’t even go near her hairless, genitalia-less… um… woman’s trousers area.

With that out of the way (and believe me, it’s hard to ignore), Robert Kirkman wraps up his ‘Ultimate X-Men’ run (after 27 issues) with a serviceable, but flat finale.

I would love to get the inside story on what really transpired during Kirkman’s run. The last year’s worth of stories have been so pedestrian and lacking in passion compared to his first year that I wonder if something happened behind the scenes that caused Kirkman to mail it in. Something like Alan Coletie of ‘Heroes’ fame signing on to write the next ‘Ultimate X-Men’ arc perhaps?

From Marvel (preview): “It’s Robert Kirkman’s final issue of Ultimate X-Men – and he’s going out with a bang! Has the worst happened? Has Apocalypse triumphed? If so, there is only one force in the universe with the power to end his iron fisted reign. But it is a power of such magnitude that its slightest misuse could bring about the end of all things!” On sale April 30, 2008.

Avengers/Invaders Sketchbook
Sketch Materials: Alex Ross
Penciled Pages: Steve Sadowski

This free preview of the ‘Avengers/Invaders’ mini-series is full of stunning pencil sketches by Alex Ross and equally impressive penciled pages by Steve Sadowski. And the finished covers by Alex Ross (four are reproduced inside) promise to be as awe-inspiring as always.

If you can still find a copy, it’s definitely worth it for the sketches (Wolverine is featured once inside and on both the front ant back covers).

From Marvel: “Alex Ross makes his jaw dropping return to Marvel in May’s Avengers/Invaders #1, but this is your chance to get a first look at his designs and the interior artwork of Steve Sadowski! With special commentary from Ross, Sadowski and co-writer Jim Krueger, now’s your chance to get a sneak peek into one of 2008’s most anticipated new series.” Free in stores on April 23, 2008.