Wolverine: Origins #20
“Our War, Conclusion”
Writer: Daniel Way
Artist: Steve Dillion

Another arc in this series is now finished, so I can pass judgment with being reprimanded for judging a storyline before it’s over.

I hated it.

I know what your thinking. Hey, don’t hold back.

This series has taken the fun out of Wolverine’s background. And not by revealing too much of his past.

Logan used to be a heroic figure in World War II, albeit one with a chip on his shoulder. This story reveals him to be thoroughly dislikable, dishonorable and a weasel.

We grew up liking Wolverine because he was a failed samurai who never stopped trying to become a better man. It was his indomitable spirit and will that we admired. Did he kill? Did he do things that were wrong? Sure. But he did them because he believed they were the right thing to do at the time. That sometimes, assassination is necessary. That sometimes killing is necessary for the greater good.

But in this series, Daniel Way has reduced Logan to a traitorous pawn who would betray anyone simply because he is told to. Shockingly, he seems no different than the Nazis running concentration camps, claiming simply to be ‘following orders.’

New X-Men #45
“Messiah CompleX, Chapter 8”
Writers: Craig Kyle and Chris Yost
Penciler: Humberto Ramos; Inker: Carlos Cuevas

Still haven’t been able to track down Chapter 7, but this is a good solid issue of fighting.

X-23 vs. Deathstrike is quite enjoyable especially under the expert pencil of Humberto Ramos.

Unfortunately there is a fairly cheesy scene near the end that reeks of editorial meddling, but as a whole, I was pleasantly surprised by this issue.

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Ultimate X-Men #89
“Shadow King”
Writer: Robert Kirkman
Artist: Salvador Larroca

Upon my first reading, I was sure I had missed an issue somewhere along the line. I mean, it starts in the middle of a battle and reads like the final issue of a five-part series.

After a quick check, I confirmed that I had not, in fact, missed an issue.

I was perplexed.

Robert Kirkman isn’t the sort of writer to do something like this.

Then it occurred to me.

Isn’t there a big Ultimate Ultimatum event coming up soon?

It makes me wonder if Kirkman had to speed up his story arcs and condense a traditional 5-part series into one to make time for an Ultimate media event in 2008.

A boatload of probable/possible Wolverine appearances scheduled to hit stores this Wednesday, 12/19/07:

-Wolverine: Origins #20 (Preview): “Our War, Part 5 of 5”
-Wolverine: Firebreak (Preview): Wolverine one-shot written by Mike Carey…
-New X-Men #45 (Cover/Details): “Messiah CompleX” Chapter 8…
-Marvel Holiday Special (Preview): Wolverine confirmed for the holidays…
-Exiles #100 (Preview): Last issue of the series may feature a Wolverine flashback since he appeared so frequently throughout the run… (Update: No Wolverine)
-Ultimate X-Men #89 (Preview): Shadow King storyline begins…
-Marvel Adventures The Avengers #19 (Cover/Details): No Wolverine on the cover… (Update: No Wolverine inside either)
-What If: Civil War (Preview): Wolverine will probably cameo at the very least… (Update: Sold out at my store)

X-Factor #26
“Messiah CompleX, Chapter 7”
Writer: Peter David
Penciler: Scott Eaton
Inker: John Dell w/Andrew Hennessy

Sorry, sold out at my local comic store.

I’ll add a review as soon as I get a copy.

Update: And now I finally have the issue…

Interesting interplay between Wolverine and Warpath setting up the upcoming X-Force series that debuts in 2008.

But it is exactly this sort of editorial heavy handedness that has marred and cheapened this crossover.

Mandates from on high that attempt to impose ‘creative tension’ for future publishing efforts. Publishing efforts that will undoubtedly attempt to capitalize on yet another Wolverine-driven series.

Wolverine #60
“Logan Dies, Part 4 of 5”
Writer: Marc Guggenheim
Artist: Howard Chaykin

I really enjoyed Howard Chaykin’s work during the 1980s. His Shadow run, while controversial, was a lot of fun. But 20 years later, his artwork is shockingly pedestrian. Logan looks exactly the same during World War I as he does in present day, and Chaykin’s over-reliance on hexagon patterns is beyond distracting.

Nor have I been a fan of this story (by Marc Guggenheim) from the start, what with a love interest created out of thin air for the sole purpose of killing her. And the oversized vents in a secret complex. Can’t we retire this cliche?

The tone is eerily reminiscent of Claremont and Miller from the 1980s. And not in a good way. Ninjas and inner dialogue galore, Wolverine calling women skirts, and even more ninjas.

All that said and done, the last page is a stunner.

Now that I have a little more space with the ‘Wolverine Files’ blog, I will begin to write slightly longer weekly reviews of each Wolverine appearance beginning with…

New Avengers #37
“The Trust, Part Six”
Writer: Brian Bendis
Artist: Leinil Yu

I used to like this series and the writings of Bendis.

But not anymore.

Bendis seems to be struggling to convince his readers that this current storyline is worthy of our attention and worthy of our praise. He seems to be genuinely surprised that no one cares about the Skrull invasion. What Bendis fails to realize, in my opinion, is that the revelation that Elektra was a Skrull does not and should not immediately lead everyone to believe that no one can be trusted and that a Skrull invasion is imminent.

Then there is the dialogue in this issue that leads me to believe that Bendis is either testing to see how much of parody of himself he can become before his readers drop this book, or he isn’t taking the task of writing New Avengers very seriously.

Case in point, here is some of the ‘dialogue’ he repeats throughout the 22 pages of this issue:

“Agh!” – 9 times
“Rraarrgg!” – 5 times
“Argh!” – 4 times
“Ow!” – 4 times
“Uh-huh.” – 4 times
“Ha!” – 3 times
“Dude!” – 3 times
“Whoa!” – 2 times

This used to be a premier book that I actively looked forward to each month, but Bendis’ obsession with Skrulls and cute dialogue has dropped this book to the bottom of my read pile.

Marvel and Del Rey have agreed to produce two original English language manga series starring Wolverine and the X-Men (separately) to debut in early 2009, with Wolverine being written in a shonen style by Antony Johnston (‘Wasteland’).

Each volume will be in manga digest format at about 200 pages, black and white, but read Western-style from left to right.

–Newsarama.com coverage

–ComicBookResources.com coverage

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Welcome to the beta launch of the Wolverine Files blog!

Take a look around and let me know what you think.

I know a few things aren’t working quite right (like the periodic appearance of the German language while adding comments) but I hope to get everything sorted out soon.

My next step will be to start transitioning each chapter of the Wolverine Files chronology into blog pages so readers can leave comments directly on the page.

So don’t be shy, leave a comment and introduce yourself to the Wolverine Files audience.

Probable Wolverine appearances scheduled to hit stores this Wednesday, 12/12/07:

-Wolverine #60 (Preview): ‘Logan Dies’ continues with more World War I action.
-X-Factor #26 (Preview): ‘Messiah CompleX’ Chapter Seven.
-New Avengers #37 (Preview): The Skrull conspiracy continues…