Uncanny X-Men #494
“Messiah CompleX, Chapter Ten”
Writer: Ed Brubaker
Penciler: Billy Tan; Inker: Danny Miki with Allen Martinez
‘Messiah CompleX’ is now starting to feel like one of those cartoons where a whole bunch of characters beat each other up for some prize. Just when someone thinks they’ve won, he gets hit in the head with a frying pan. I’ve seen it on Tom & Jerry, Bugs Bunny and the Pink Panther.
Well, welcome to the X-Men version of the same game. Only without the humor.
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Exiles: Days of Then and Now
Writer: Mike Raicht
Penciler: Carlos Ferreira among many others
Inker: Terry Pallot among many others
Here is another series that I thoroughly enjoyed. Note my use of past tense.
But when Chris Claremont took over the series, he took all the fun out of it. Instead of the wild and crazy escapades across a multitude of “What If” universes (and more recently a world tour across memorable alternate universes), we have more mutant angst.
Like we don’t have enough of that in Marvel Comics.
So this odd little one-shot written by Mike Raicht apparently sets the stage for the ‘New Exiles’ debuting later in January.
Why mention all that here? Wolverine cameos in the first two pages.
Welcome to the Wolverine Files. Let me give you a quick tour around….
To the right is the Wolverine Files Chronology starting with 000: True Origin (newly updated) detailing the creation of Wolverine within Marvel Comics followed by 001: Wild Child chronicling Wolverine’s earliest days. Other chapters reveal Logan’s early life up through his time with the X-Men, Alternate Universe and Appearances in Publication Order. I am slowly transitioning chapters from my old website to this current format that allows reader comments, so please be patient as I make the switchover and add the latest revelations from Wolverine and Wolverine: Origins.
This is the Wolverine Files Blog featuring Wolverine news, reviews, previews and opinion as well as information on the most recent Wolverine Files updates.
Please have a look around and let me know what you think!
–DiG
Wolverine highlights for March 2008…
Secret Invasion
-Secret Invasion Saga: Very cool cover…
-New Avengers #39: Secret Invasion is here…
X-Men
-Uncanny X-Men #496: Wolverine in Russia…
-X-Force #2: ‘It’s all-out war, with no quarter asked–and none given.’ Did someone ask for a quarter?
-Wolverine #63: ‘Messiah CompleX’ aftermath…
Origins
-Wolverine: Origins #23: Deadpool…
-Logan #1: Three-issue miniseries by Brian Vaughn…
Ultimate Universe
–Ultimate X-Men #92: Ultimate Onslaught…
–Ultimate Spider-Man #120: X-Men guest star…
-Ultimates 3 #4: Special guest Wolverine…
Etc.
-Wolverine: First Class #1: Looks like yet another new continuity…
-Marvel Adventures The Avengers #22: Wolverine vs. Sabretooth…
Marvel Zombies 2 #3
Writer: Robert Kirkman
Artist: Sean Phillips
‘Marvel Zombies’ used to be one of my favorites series.
Good ghoulish, zombie fun. No morality play. Just lots of superhero zombies eating as many people as they could.
But ‘Marvel Zombies 2’ seeks to explore the humanity of zombies. That the most heroic of spirits can control their cannibalistic urges.
An interesting approach, but one that takes the fun out of it, for me at least.
Because if Black Panther, Wasp, Spider-Man and Luke Cage can control their urges, then the rest of the zombie superheroes are weak-willed killers who have fallen prey to their weaknesses.
To put it another way, this plot point suggests that almost every Marvel superhero, when faced with enough adversity, will show that they are, in fact, not heroes at all.
And a morality play is not what I was hoping to get from a comic book about superhero zombies.
X-Men #206
‘Messiah CompleX, Chapter Nine’
Writer: Mike Carey
Penciler: Chris Bachalo
Inker: Tim Townsend and Jon Sibal
I’m impressed.
This crossover actually seems to be going somewhere.
Very nice effort by Mike Carey and Chris Bachalo.
See. I don’t hate everything.
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Ultimate Power #9
Writers: Brian Bendis; Michael Straczynski; Jeph Loeb
Pencils: Greg Land; Inks: Jay Leisten
After 9 issues and 15 months, the ‘Ultimate Power’ miniseries comes to a merciful end.
Let me start with the art.
Greg Land’s photo-realistic artwork style of impeccable makeup and brighteningly white teeth, not to mention the cheesecake poses and skimpy outfits give the feel of a Lingerie Bowl or Victoria’s Secret catalog and not the world of ‘Ultimate’ superheroes. Land’s art, while so refreshing when it first came out, feels shockingly out of place here.
And the story.
Nearly a year and a half ago, this story by Bendis, Straczynski and Loeb began with such promise before being ineptly and jarringly handed off from writer to writer to writer. Peel away the artwork and the countless publishing delays, and one finds a ridiculous plot where whole teams of superheroes disappear for issues at a time with no explanation. And the improbable resolution after such a long wait makes one hope that the promised destruction of the Ultimate Universe is not just another marketing ploy.
Giant-Size Avengers Special#1
“Memorial Day” among others
Writer: Matt Yocum
Artist: Paul Neary
A series of unrelated Avengers stories loosely tied together by an overarching narrative.
‘Memorial Day’ features a brief (and uneven) Wolverine cameo during the early days of the New Avengers.
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Marvel Holiday Special 2007 #1
“Piece of Cake”
Writer: Andrew Farago & Shaenon K. Garrity
Penciler: Lou Kang; Inker: Craig Yeung
This is an amusing little Christmas story with a nice little surprise at the end. Very well done.
I just wish Marvel would clean up their continuity. This story takes place a more classic Marvel universe with Peter Parker still working at the Daily Bugle. But instead of clearly defined worlds where every story can take place within continuity, Marvel now features stories nearly every week that seem to occur in worlds of their own. As a result, we feel no connection to the story or to the characters. It’s like reading a series of one-shots or comics strips.
And personally I don’t think it needs to be this way.
One of the reasons I became enamored by the Marvel universe was explained by Roy Thomas in the back of the first issue of What If?, “…these stories are ones which actually do take place – not in our dimension or time continuum, but in worlds coexisting alongside ours, of which there are theoretically untold billions. They’re as real, in their own way, as any of the parallel-world stories which have appeared in Fantastic Four, Avengers, or anywhere else.”
Would it really be that hard to set up a handful of worlds for these non-canons stories to appear? We already have 616, Ultimate, Zombies, Marvel Adventures. Why not add a few more and satisfy the purists out there?
Wolverine: Firebreak
Writer: Mike Carey
Penciler: Scott Kolins
Nothing special here.
Feels like a filler story for Wolverine that never got used.
Pedestrian story by Mike Carey, and artwork by Scott Kolins that sometimes looks like it was inked by Allen Milgrom.
“Little White Lies”
Writer: Macon Blair; Artist: Vasilis Lolos
A very weird ten-page backup story features disturbing artwork by Lolos and an offbeat story by Blair. Very funky.
