I’ve decided to unveil a new category: Covers — issues that only feature Wolverine on the cover, but not in the story itself. For the inaugural post, we have two issues, one from last week (March 26) and one from this week (April 2)…

Marvel Atlas #2
Cover: Staz Johnson

From Marvel: “Your only guide to Marvel’s Earth concludes! Antarctica, Africa, the Middle East, and North, Central and South America are highlighted as the Marvel Atlas plans your trip to Wakanda, Atlantis, the Savage Land, Sky Island and the U.S.A. (home of a super hero or two)! Visit the realms of the Black Panther, the Initiative, Omega Flight, the Sub-Mariner, Ka-Zar and more…” On sale March 26, 2008.
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Young X-Men #1
Cover: Terry Dodson and Rachel Dodson

From Marvel: “In the wake of Messiah CompleX, there are no X-Men and young mutants Rockslide, Blindfold and Dust are alone and directionless. Until the day Cyclops recruits them to hunt the new incarnation of the Brotherhood – and kill them. Joined by a pair of new recruits, the young X-Men learn a hard truth about the world post-Messiah CompleX: sometimes old allies make for deadly enemies.” On sale April 2, 2008.
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Ultimate Spider-Man #120
‘Apocalypse, Part 3’
Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Penciler: Stuart Immonen
Inker: Wade von Grawbadger

It is, perhaps, issues like this one that makes Secret Invasion so hard to stomach.

Brian Bendis is an amazingly talented writer when it comes to small stories. Here, he takes the juvenile ‘Spidey and His Amazing Friends’ concept and turns it into an engaging and fun yarn about becoming a mutant. And even Wolverine comes across in this cameo as Ultimate Wolverine.

So when this same writer tells us to believe that Secret Invasion will be good, you want to believe him.

Unfortunately, all the evidence is to the contrary.

From Marvel (preview): “Now that one of Peter Parker’s fellow students has been outted as a mutant, the struggle for their heart and mind is on! Magneto, Master of Magnetism, claims the new mutant as his own, but the X-Men aren’t about to let that stand! It’s a battle royale that rages across the city with the web-slinger caught in the middle!” On sale March 26, 2008.

Ultimate X-Men #92
‘Apocalypse, Part 3’
Writer: Robert Kirkman
Artist: Salvador Larroca

I’m still struggling to understand why I don’t like this series.

The story is interesting. Salvador Larroca rocked on ‘Xtreme X-Men.’ Robert Kirkman kicked ass on ‘Marvel Zombies.”

But mix all these ingredients together and I get a series I just don’t care about.

I mean, the first panel of a one-armed Wolverine is awesome. But the dreadful dialogue (“Why’d you shoot your own teammate, Cyclops?”) and the flat, uninspired artwork just deadens the whole series for me.

Anyone out there enjoying this?

From Marvel (preview): “Hey, on the cover…is that Stryfe and Onslaught? Apocalypse’s endgame is revealed as the beleaguered X-Men mount a last-ditch attack to save the world! Meanwhile, two more monstrous threats rear their ugly heads to ensure the young mutants’ downfall!” On sale March 26, 2008.

New Avengers #39
Writer: Brian Bendis
Artist: David Mack

‘New Avengers’ finally shifts to the Secret Invasion storyline full-time, or as I like to think of it, Infinity War 2008.

Really.

Go back and flip through ‘The Infinity War’ from 1992 and you will find the doppelgangers and ensuing paranoia feel eerily like Secret Invasion.

That said, Wolverine does figure heavily in this issue and engages in some fairly humorous bits.

But Bendis still fails to deliver how Wolverine or anyone else could have genuinely suspected a global conspiracy when every other Skrull impersonation over the years wasn’t. And for a secret invasion, is it really necessary to attempt a body swap in full view of the world in downtown Manhattan? Shouldn’t you pick somewhere a tad more private?

An inauspicious start to another over-marketed and bloated crossover.

From Marvel (preview): “The Secret Invasion is here! Have the Skrulls infiltrated the Avengers? Is Maya Lopez the only one with proof? Will she live to tell the tale? All this and a major Avengers hook up!” On sale Mar 26, 2008.

Wolverine: First Class#1
“The Buddy System”
Writer: Fred Van Lente
Artist: Andrea Di Vito

Wow.

This series is a pleasant and unexpected surprise.

Carefully inserted into official chronology between ‘Uncanny X-Men’ #138 (Jean Grey’s funeral) and #150, ‘Wolverine: First Class’ evokes the fun of the X-Men from the early 80s and does a nice job capturing the curmudgeonly loner that is the Wolverine I grew up with.

The story itself, unfortunately, is rather weak, but the characterizations are pretty good and I look forward to reading this refreshingly change-of-pace Wolverine series.

Previously: Wolverine: First Class Preview (ComicBookResources on Dec 06)
Together Again: Van Lente on Wolverine First Class (Newsarama on Dec 12)
Fred Van Lente Talks Wolverine: First Class (ComicBookResources on Mar 26)

From Marvel (preview): “Return with us again to the early days of the all-new, all-different, X-Men for all-new solo adventures of Wolverine and Kitty Pryde! The next generation of students has arrived at Xavier’s School–Colossus, Storm, Nightcrawler, and the mysterious Wolverine–and with them, new teaching methods. Professor X pairs up green recruit Kitty Pryde with the been-everywhere, done-everything vet Logan, and neither of them are all that happy about it. But unless they learn to work together, neither of them will come back from their first mission together alive!” On sale March 26, 2008.

Marvel Adventures The Avengers #22
“Wakanda Wild Side”
Writer: Marc Sumerak
Pencils: Ig Guara; Inks: Jay Leisten

By now, everyone knows I hate this series.

Well, surprise! I actually enjoyed this issue.

Sabretooth takes center stage as the villain and Wolverine finally gets to act like Wolverine for a good chunk of the story.

And the comedy really works this time around… “But Hulk wanted couscous…”

From Marvel: “The Avengers take a walk on the wild side as they go toe-to-toe–and claw-to-claw with the savage Sabretooth! Hope you all have current passports, heroes, because this adventure is going to take you deep into the heart of the African jungle…and right into the heart of the mysterious nation known as Wakanda! (Looks like Sabretooth isn’t the only cat about to cross the Avengers’ paths…)” On sale March 19, 2008.

Wolverine: Origins #23
“The Deep End, Part Three”
Writer: Daniel Way
Artist: Steve Dillon

This is more like it.

“Stupid flipperhands!”

Daniel Way may be at his best when writing Deadpool. “‘Mortal terror,’ right? You nailed it!”

Another brilliant comedic issue, sans lesbians, makes for a most enjoyable ride. And a great final page.

From Marvel (Preview): “Wolverine just will not #$%ing die! Now, this is really no big surprise to Deadpool, but it is definitely…frustrating. Maddening, in fact. Will Deadpool be able to keep it together long enough to pull the trigger on his “master plan?” Or will he, instead, be the one who gets trapped? After all, it’s not like this is Wolverine’s first time around the block” On sale Mar 19, 2008.

Wolverine #63
‘Get Mystique, Part 2′
Writer: Jason Aaron
Artist: Ron Garney

Terrific cover.

And the present-day story is a lot of fun, even realizing not to take itself too seriously. As Mystique asks, “God knows it isn’t the first time I ever betrayed your precious X-Men. Why’d you wait ’til now to start taking it personal?”

But the flashback sequences left something to be desired as the crew of misfits just didn’t work for me. Though I must admit, the set up for the next issue has me intrigued.

All in all, another solid issue, just not as solid as last time.

From Marvel (preview): “In the aftermath of ‘Messiah CompleX,’ Wolverine’s quest for vengeance continues, taking him from the desolate hills of Afghanistan to the war-torn streets of Baghdad. Along the way, with his quarry throwing more and more innocents into the line of fire, Wolverine must ask himself: just how much collateral damage can he live with?” On sale March 12, 2008.

Secret Invasion Saga
Writer: John Rhett Thomas
Artist: Various

Skrull-Wolverine graces the cover of this somewhat verbose recap of Skrull history within the Marvel universe in anticipation of the much-dreaded Secret Invasion crossover by Brian Michael Robert Thomas Bendis.

Interestingly, while this book gathers enormous amounts of information old and new, there is nary a mention of the Skrull who impersonated Wolverine during the Wolverine-dies-but-not-
actually-because-he-was-really-brainwashed-
by-Apocalypse-and-fighting-the-X-Men-as-the-
villain-Death storyline.

From Marvel: “The Secret Invasion has been underway for years. For how long and to what extent, Tony Stark is not sure, but there is one thing he does know: Now is not the time for complacency. Following hot on the heels of the stunning revelation that Skrulls have been masquerading as Elektra and Black Bolt, Stark puts his best data-mining technology to the test to piece together their treacherous plot. From their first encounter with the Fantastic Four, through the epic clash of the Kree/Skrull War and the destruction of the Skrull Throne world, all the way to the recent Annihilation War and subsequent invasion of Earth, the timeline of known Skrull activity is made clear so effective battle plans can be drawn. With the Classified Top Secret Secret Invasion Saga report, the new Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. must leave no stone unturned in his analysis of this insidious enemy’s history: The fate of the Earth will depend on it!” On sale March 5, 2008.

Penance: Relentless #5
Writer: Paul Jenkins
Artist: Paul Gulacy

I’ve never been much of a Paul Jenkins fan. I didn’t like ‘Wolverine: Origin.’ I didn’t like ‘Wolverine: The End.’ And I don’t like ‘Penance: Relentless.’

Sure, the story deals with the psychological trauma that Robbie Baldwin (Speedball) endures after the events of Stamford where 612 people were killed. But as is the case with most of Jenkins’ stories, it is handled in an overly melodramatic way. And while our hero seems to take a moral stance against the death penalty, he seems to have no problems with cruel and unusual punishment.

So why I am telling you about this in ‘Wolverine Files’?

Well, Wolverine makes a two-page cameo. A two-page cameo that reveals a heretofore unknown detail about Wolverine.

Wolverine’s cowl does not cover his ears.

Seriously.

From Marvel: “It’s the endgame for Robbie Baldwin as he finds what he has been looking for in Latveria. Can Robbie defeat Nitro, the man who set him on the path to becoming Penance? Or does Penance have something other than just winning a fight in mind?” On sale March 5, 2008.