Wolverine: Not Dead Yet Review (Marvel Premiere Classic)

Wolverine: Not Dead Yet (MPC Edition)

Writer: Warren Ellis

Penciler: Leinil Yu

Inkers: Edgar Tadeo & Gerry Alanguilan

Collects Wolverine #119-122; originally published 1997-98

I learned a couple new Wolverine facts by reading this book. Well, not directly by reading this specific book, but it made me do some research on the character because I was a little confused. First, Wolverine apparently was lacking adamantium from late 1993 until late 1999. Magneto removes it and Apocalypse restores it. And second, it was during this time that Wolverine's bone claws were originally introduced (not during the much more recent Wolverine: Origin miniseries as has I had originally thought.) I cannot, for the life of me, figure out the editorially logic or reasoning behind this change. So, he still has claws, still has heightened senses, and is slightly more vulnerable to damange... but he still has a healing factor, which apparently is even more powerful without the adamantium in his body. Basically, he has the exact same powers, except that he can sustain more injuries and can heal more quickly from said injuries. Okay... Hey, while we're at it, why don't we blind Cyclops, but give him cybernetic eyes that can see, maybe even better with a Daredevil-esque radar sense, and that shoot lasers? Oh, that would be stupid? All right then.

Anyway, on to the actual review. This was a pretty good story, with exceptional art. I'm not sure how deserving it is of the Premiere Classic treatment... specifically the "Classic" portion of that name since it's only about ten years old. But I guess when Wolverine: Origin was the second volume in the line, written in 2005, anything is possible. But I'd much rather have Marvel giving us too many of these rather than too few. Nobody made me buy it. However, if you're going to do a more modern story, I'd expect some more extras than what we got here. As in, anything at all. All we got for extras in this volume was a brief introduction by Ellis and a cover gallery with 18 additional covers by Yu. Not exactly overly insightful.

The only other complaint I have, though, has to do with the villain, the White Ghost. He's Scottish, and Ellis decides to spell out the man's speech phonetically (i.e. "head" is "heid," "on" is "oan," etc.) It just always bothers me when writers do that. Just tell me he's Scottish. I can figure it out from there.

Other than that, though, I have no complaints. The dual stories of flashbacks/modern time were easy to follow, and the flashbacks were insightful rather than superfluous. And it's hard to argue with a short arc that's basically Wolverine carrying out a vendetta. Those are always fun in small quantities. Plus, the art is fantastic, which only makes those kind of stories all the more enjoyable.

Final Verdict: 7/10 (only because I'd expect more extras from a book in this line.)

(Oh, by the way, can anyone clue me in to why the paper in the more modern books in this line, like this one, Wolverine: Origin, Avengers: First to Last, seems to be flimsier and thinner than the older stories? All I can think is that it must have something to do with the ink, but I really don't know how that relates to the paper quality.)

Marvel's Solicitations for July 2009

-How long do you think it'll take before "Ultimate Universe, Take II" starts to get ridiculous, too?

-Do we really need a Dark X-Men team? Aren't they supposed to be outcasts anyway? It doesn't matter since I've dropped Uncanny anyway, but still...

-Other than Dark Avengers, I am picking up absolutely none of these Dark Reign titles.

-I'm getting a bit skeptical as to how almost all of Marvel's major titles (Spider-Man, Thor, Cap, Hulk) are all hitting #600 right around the same month. Can someone do some journalistic sleuthing on this? I think Marvel may be fudging the issue count a little here...

-I'm not going to get the Tomb of Dracula Omnibus Vol. 2, but it does get my hopes up that I'll see an Uncanny X-Men or Amazing Spider-Man Vol 2 in the near future.

-This months Marvel Premiere Classics - X-Men: Wolverine/Gambit... I don't know how "Classic" this is, but it could be fun. And the longest, most ridiculous title yet, Mephisto: Vs. the Fantastic Four, X-Factor, the X-Men, and the Avengers. Really? Just look at that cover... The title takes up almost half of it. They couldn't come up with a better name for this collection. Like Mephisto: Deals with the Devil? I dunno, that's just off the top of my head.

That's really about it for items of interest for me this month. A bit of a disappointment, really.

DC's Solicitations for July 2009

Alrighty, it is time once again for Day One of my favorite two days of the month. Or, as my fiancee likes to call it, "How Luke will be wasting his money three months from now." Let's get on with the show.

-Blackest Night #1 - Sold. I need to read absolutely nothing about this. Sold. Sold. Sold. I'm also pretty pumped that this is its own mini series, eight issues even, so we should, theoretically, get twice the GL for the next eight months. Of course, we could just end up with the same amount of story with shoddier pacing for twice the price, but let's try to stay optimistic here, people.

-Green Lantern #43 & #44 - Two in one month? Hot damn. And boy, oh boy, are those covers pushing my Geek-O-Meter to 11. Let's see, Black Hand fondling Bruce Wayne's tombstone? Uh, yes please. Recently resurrected (and zombified) J'onn J'onzz fighting a recently resurrected Barry Allen and recently resurrected Hal Jordan into the open (empty?) grave of (possibly soon to be resurrected) Bruce Wayne? Where do I sign? 

By the way, anytime you can work four once dead cornerstone characters onto a single cover and have it make complete sense, you know you've probably got a winning storyline.

Double by the way, Black Hand is about 30 seconds away from going Dr. Light on Bruce's tombstone.

-Green Lantern Corps #38 and Tales of the Corps #1-3 - Here's where I think we reach our dilution point with Blackest Night plotlines.

-Wednesday Comics - Pass.

-Final Crisis Aftermath Books - Still?

-Batman Titles - Yes to Batman & Robin, Batman, Detective Comics, and Red Robin. No to Streets of Gotham, Gotham City Sirens, Confidential, and Outsiders.

And these can't start up soon enough. Battle for the Cowl has been simply horrendous. And I think we're all in agreement over how it's turning out: Dick is Batman, Damien is Robin, Tim is Red Robin, and Jason is still a dick. The only questions are what costume will Jason be wearing, and how long until Bruce comes back?

-Superman Titles - Yes to everything. (Except Superman/Batman... which doesn't really count anyway.)

-The Flash: Rebirth #4 - Great cover. That's really I can say. DC's playing this one real close to the vest, and even after the first issue, I can surmise nothing about what this is going to be about. Still pumped for it though.

-Justice League: Cry for Justice #1 - Wasn't this supposed to come out, like, a year ago? And wasn't it originally supposed to be an ongoing? (The answer to both of those is yes.) I'll buy it because I like the line up, and the writer, but I have a hard time believing Hal is still going to be on such a crusade to avenge J'onn's death (the rumored reason for starting his own team) when he's fighting the guy's reanimated corpse in his ongoing title.

-Justice Society of America #29 - Sure. Why not?

-Nice to see DC finally wised up and put Hush into a single trade paperback. I have it in Absolute Edition, so it doesn't make much of a difference to me, but it was just completely unnecessary to have that storyline be in two volumes.

Speaking of Absolute Editions...

-Absolute New Frontier (New Printing) - I really didn't like this story. At all. Maybe I'll go back and reread it before this comes out to make a final decision on whether to pick this up or not. But the real reason I point this out is because it gives me hope that I may see a "new printing" of Absolute Planetary or LXG. It'd be nice to get a copy of those without having to pawn off the rights to my future first born on eBay. You hear that, you vultures? You better hurry up and dupe somebody into paying $250 for a $75 book fast... you're days of piracy are numbered...

-DC Comics Classics Library: A Death in the Family - Hey! A DC CCL that seems like it might actually be worthwhile. I won't get it, cause I'm boycotting these, but still, a step in the right direction.

-Gotham Central Vol. 2: Jokers and Madmen HC - Yes, please.

-Batman: The Dark Knight Archives Vol. 6 - I don't buy these, but it's nice to see DC hasn't completely given up on them.

-After Watchmen tanked at the box office, is a second round of "After Watchmen, What's Next?" titles really such a good idea?

-Tom Strong Deluxe Edition Vol. 1 - I have no idea what this is about, but I will almost certainly buy it.

-Fables Deluxe Edition Vol. 1 - Finally! Fables in hardcover! DC, if i may be so bold, can I humbly request that you crank these out faster than whatever your current pace is for the Ex Machina Deluxe books? I'm still waiting for even a solicitation of volume 2 of that one.

-Transmetropolitan Vol. 3 (New Printing) - I've heard nothing but good things about this series. Why aren't these getting the Deluxe Hardcover treatment?

Well that's it for DC's offerings of note this month. Check back tomorrow for Marvel's.

This Week's Books

Oh boy... I'm going to throw my back out coming out of the comic shop this week...

Books:

-X-Men Omnibus (I'm very excited about this one)

-Wolverine: Not Dead Yet MPC (Marvel must know it's Wolverine month here at the Manifesto. An Omnibus and an MPC? They're just lobbing me softballs right over the plate. What? There's a movie coming out? Oh, please, I doubt that has anything to do with it...)

-Dark Tower: Treachery

-BPRD, Vol. 10: The Warning

(I had briefly considered picking up the DC Comics Classics Library Edition of The Batman Annuals, but I've decided to stop throwing away my money. At least with that line of books. $40 for 3 issues that are reprints of earlier Batman issues from the early '40s? Um, no. I'll pick up the Chronicles for $15.)

Issues:

-Detective Comics #853 (I'm very excited about this one as well. The conclusion to "Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader," and if you missed the first issue... Come on... What's wrong with you?)

-Justice League of America #32 (I don't particularly like this series, but, similarly to a horrifying car wreck, I just can't seem to look away.)

-Thor #601

-X-Force #14 (This story arc's last chance to wow me.)

Wolverine: Weapon X Review (Marvel Premiere Classic)

Wolverine: Weapon X

Writer & Artist: Barry Windsor-Smith

Collects Marvel Comics Presents #72-84; originally published 1991.

Hoo, boy... And I thought Brian Michael Bendis wrote some dialogue that was hard to follow. He's got nothing on Barry Windsor-Smith's running conversations in this book. I'll admit, I was a little put off by it at first, but stick with it, because this is one of the best Wolverine stories you will ever read. The basic plot of this story is Logan being abducted and turned into "Wolverine" by the Weapon X program. But this book should really be looked at as three distinct acts, each with a very different voice and focus, that create a very unique reading experience.

First off, we've got Logan being abducted and experimented on by the Weapon X program. The focus here is really Wolverine and his hazy, pain-filled, drug-influenced perceptions and recollections of the experimentations on him. He spends most of his time lying on a table or in a vat of some sort of liquid, wires and tubes coming in and out of his body all over the place, while faceless voices, somewhere above him, carry on conversations about him as if he's a car being worked on in the shop. (Page 58 is a really good example of this.) This is why I said not to worry too much about following the conversations... The details of what the Professor and Cornelius and the rest of them are saying isn't really overly important. You just need to know they're operating on Wolverine as if he's an object, instead of a man.

The second segment of this story is, what can probably best be described as, a horror story. (Page 58 is also where it really shifts gears into this second act.) Now, our focus is on the Professor, Cornelius, and Hines as Wolverine gets loose, hunts them down, destroying everything and killing everyone in the process. Think the movie Alien, where Wolverine is the alien, and Canada is outer space. Again, Wolverine isn't a person here. He's just a ruthless, mindless animal who only wants to hurt those who've hurt him. (Although I'm not sure "revenge" is necessarily an animalistic trait... but either way, he's not a reasoning, logical individual here.) There's also a cool twist where it's implied that someone higher up than those who worked on Wolverine is now controlling him, and is ordering him to wipe out all traces of anyone or anything involved in the creation of him as a weapon.

And, finally, for the final act, Wolverine becomes a man again. A very angry, severely disturbed man. But a thinking, reasoning human being nonetheless. He makes his escape, and we see that our favorite "hero," even when he has his sense and mental faculties back, isn't above some good old fashioned revenge. (And with good reason... I certainly can't fault him for it.) Which makes the case that Wolverine really isn't all that heroic, and when we get right down to it, is probably why we all love the character so much.

Alright, now we get to my tiny, little, almost insignificant critiques... I really did have to force myself to get through the first 20 or so pages of this story, simply because of the aforementioned dialogue issues. If I hadn't been determined to write this review, I probably would have stopped reading it without ever realizing why Windsor-Smith was writing it like that. I'm not exactly sure how this could've been made clearer, but I'd be willing to guess this story's lost more than a few readers because of it. Which is really a shame. Push through it. It's worth it.

Also, why does the Weapon X facility look like a third-rate meth lab? (I guess I'm really not sure how much difference that is than a first-rate meth lab, but I think you get my drift.) It does lend itself to a real Frankenstein-ian feel, which is kind of cool, but I have a hard time buying that a project of this magnitude would take place in a university science lab surrounded by barbed wire. Like Wolverine isn't going to break out of that place...

Oh, and Wolverine's hair was just a mite ridiculous. I mean, really... I know it grows fast, but he looks like lion crossed with Martin Van Buren crossed with Chief Standing Bear.

And, finally, while this is in no way a knock against this particular book, it is a pretty big slam against Marvel editorial. We have here, on page 105-109, the greatest reason why Wolverine should absolutely not have "bone claws." Page 105 is really where the third act starts up, and Wolverine's humanity resurfaces. He wakes up in the aftermath of his "horror story" rampage, surrounded by blood and gore and carnage, having no memory at all of what's just happened. He's looking around, noticing all the dismembered body parts and stab wounds, and wondering just what the hell could've possibly caused this. Then, the horror gradually dawns on him, his claws slowly pop out, and he realizes that he was the savage animal responsible. Come on! How cool is that! You can't have that if he already knows he has claws! AAAAGGGHHH!!!! (That was frustration on my part.) I realize that sequence is part of a simulation, but I don't care. I don't care how Marvel wants to retcon it. It doesn't matter. That was freaking badass. Bad. Ass. It makes him human. It makes him real. And it provides all the justification necessary to explain why Wolverine is the way that he is today. End of story.

(Whew... okay... give me a minute to calm down...)

(All right... I'm good now.)

Okay, on to the extras. We've got a brief introduction by Larry Hama that was written in October 1992, shortly after the story was finished. We've got a cover gallery with all 12 covers, the original hardcover cover, two trade paperback covers, and a pin-up from Windsor-Smith. Then we've got a "flashback sequence" from Wolverine #166 and the cover to #167, both done by Windsor-Smith, detailing Wolverine's escape from the Weapon X facility. This was a pretty cool sequence, but it just left me wanting to read the rest of the story. Still, I can fault Marvel for throwing in extra stuff. It never hurts anything to have a little more.

Final Verdict: 9/10 (only because the opening dialogue sequences threw me off so much)

Thoughts on Comics for 4/15

Captain America #49 - Well, nothing really "happened" in this issue per se. Basically, Sharon Carter had some freaky dreams, made out with George Lucas, got her memory back, and then had another weird, freaky dream/flashback. Oh, and Falcon is still hunting down "Fifties Cap." (Apparently we're supposed to say "Bad Cap," now, but I'm not buying into that.) And Fifties Cap is pumping Sharon's elderly Alzheimer's suffering aunt for info on Steve. I guess I just didn't really know what to make of this issue. The plot didn't really advance at all, and it's been quite a while since Sharon's even made an appearance in the book. It just seemed like a weird place to put a "character piece" issue about her in the grand scheme of things. It wasn't a bad issue, but I really wasn't impressed as I usually am with this title. But hopefully we got all that out of the way and can get moving on with the rest of the story. (By the way... does anyone else think Sharon looks approximately 14? I feel creepy any time she does anything even remotely sexual...)

Fables #83 - I had no idea this was even coming out this week. That's always fun when you go into the store and are completely surprised by a title you're looking forward to being unexpectedly on the shelf. I really like where this storyline is going. I was soooo disappointed with the way the war with the Empire ended. It was just way too easy and inconsequential. It felt like such a let down. But now we're back to imminent danger at every turn and zero predictability. Plus, it'll be nice to see Jack back in these stories. I always thought it was a mistake to write him out of the book since he's such an interesting character.

Action Comics #876 - Well, well, well... I rarely like books that are nothing but one long extended fight scene, but this one was an exception. I don't know what it was about this issue... well, I do, it was the art... but I'm not sure what exactly about the art made this such a fun read. Everything just seemed so dynamic and vivid. My hat's off to Eddy Barrows and Sidney Teles. I've never heard of either of you, but keep it up.

We also get some interesting questions about Kryptonian genetics in here, too. Chris/Zod's son apparently doesn't have all the powers/strength of regular Kryptonians because he was born in the Phantom Zone. So we can surmise either one of two things... either a Kryptonian's powers are a factor of their birthplace and/or place of conception, or the Phantom Zone has some crazy effects on pre-natal development. I'm leaning towards the second option. Superman grew up on Earth, but was born/conceived on Krypton, so he still fits that typical mold. But I think it's more likely some of the properties of the Phantom Zone were absorbed by Chris while he was developing in the womb. (And it has to be in the womb since Zod, Ursa, Non, and Mon-El don't have those powers.) And they must also dampen his Kryptonian powers to some degree... We shall see... Just know, DC, I'm watching this verrrrry closely...

(Oh, and stop putting those "free previews" at the back of your books. I hate getting to the end of an issue and thinking I still have 4 more pages of story when I've really got one long extended ad that I have no interest in reading. At least warn me by putting some kind of notice on the cover.)

Uncanny X-Men #508 - Ugh. I think I'm going to be dropping this book. Some of the issues on Fraction's run haven't been too bad, but then there are issues like these. There isn't really any coherent plot. There are like half a dozen different story beats being told throughout. And to top it off, we've got snarky attempts at meta-humor in the narration boxes. As in, when a character first appears, the box might say: "Name. Power. Lame Joke Clearly Trying to Illicit a Laugh from Famously Critical Comic Fans." Look, I wholeheartedly encourage a writer of a superhero comic trying to make me laugh. But do it like Whedon did on Astonishing X-Men through genuine character interaction. Mocking characters as a omnipotent narrator does not work. Sure, "Professor X. Telepath. Kind of a Douche." might make a few people laugh... but I'd appreciate it if you took this a little more seriously, and instead tried to write a story that will still hold up 30 years from now.

Green Lantern Corps #35 - Where this week's Action Comics succeeded as a "fight issue," GLC sadly failed. The battle sequences were just kind of chaotic and hard to follow. The plot was still pretty good though, and I'm developing an interest for Sodam Yat, which was completely lacking prior to this story arc. (Can someone please tell me how to pronounce that, by the way? Thanks.) Oh, and did we know that Sinestro was Soranik's father before this? Or is that just a misleading statement at the end... as in, "Hello, Soranik. I want to have a little heart to heart between a father and his daughter... Do you happen to know where she is?"

This Week's Books

Alright, here's what's on my pull list for April 15... man, I wish I could write-off comics for my taxes.

Books:

Justice Society of America: Thy Kingdom Come, Part III - I really loved this story, even if it did seem a bit plodding in the monthly books. I'm excited to read it all at once to see how it holds up. (Although I wish they had waited and just done one massive hardcover of Thy Kingdom Come... and I'm sure they'll get around to it... and I'm sure I'll buy it despite having the monthlies and these hardcovers... sigh... I'm such an idiot...)

Superman: The Coming of Atlas - Here's a book that I actually DON'T have as individual issues. I really got tired of Busiak's run on Supes, and just stopped paying attention to the book, so I missed when James Robinson started on it for his first few issues. So I didn't get on board with him until New Krypton started up. (By the way, I love that my spellcheck has no problems with the word "Krypton," and yeah, I know it's an element, but just let me have this, okay?)

Issues:

Action Comics #876

Green Lantern Corps #35

Captain America #49

Dark Tower: Sorcerer #1

Uncanny X-Men #508

Look for thoughts on those tomorrow. And I have BIG (that's right, all caps big) plans for some Wolverine trades reviews by the end of the week. Starting up a blog and getting consistent time for it is a bit more complicated than I thought... But there will be reviews for Wolverine, Wolverine: Weapon X, and Wolverine & Kitty Pryde by the end of the week (one a day, maybe?) and as many of the one-shot/standalone stories in the Wolverine Omnibus that I have time for.

Thoughts on Comics for 4/8 (and 4/1)

Alright, I was lazy last week, but I only read three books (Flash: Rebirth, JSA, and Cable) and there were plenty of thoughts on Flash across the web that I hope nobody was significantly harmed by my lack of initiative. ANYWAY, I'll put some quick thoughts here on those too, but first, this week's books.

Batman: Battle for the Cowl #2 - Ugh. Tony Daniel. What are you doing? I think the job description 'writer/artist' may have one too many occupations in it for him. Look, I love Daniel's art, but it's pretty evident this is his first foray into writing. This issue was rife (RIFE I say!) with horrible dialogue, ugly cliches, and some pretty awful puns. I mean, come on, I think we all knew that Jason Todd. I had it figured out from the "I AM BATMAN" teaser image he drew. And even if you do want to spell it out for people, there's absolute no reason for both Dick and Tim to say, basically, "I've figured out who you are... JASON TODD!!!" Why would they say his last name. Which other Jason are they differentiating him from? And for as much of a badass as JT is, he still wouldn't kill Tim. (Or Dick.) Or beat him to the brink of death. And why would Jason have a crowbar just laying around his "Batcave" just waiting for someone to re-beat him to death? I'm sorry, Mr. Daniel, but no. Just no. Stick to the art.

When this was solicited, I thought "How are they going to tell this story in 3 issues?" Now I'm wishing this was a one shot, tops. Or even skipped altogether. Although, to be fair, I just recently read an interview with Judd Winick on Comic Book Resources, and apparently, he was supposed to do this mini, and at the last minute they decided to shift his entire plot into the Batman ongoing he'll be doing and left something like the first 1/8th of the previous plot for Battle for the Cowl. So, Daniel probably didn't have a lot to work with here.

But still, that's no excuse for someone saying, "I love the way you light up a room," to Firefly. Or writing Damian as a complete wuss. Morrison's Damian would have killed this one a long long time ago. I think Talia would have, too. Anyway, if this had any more than one more issue, there would be no way I'd be picking up any more.

Green Lantern #39 - Look, I love Johns' run on this title as much as anyone, but, honestly, can we get on with it already? I was expecting something ridiculously cool with these orange lanterns but it's pretty much the same thing as the red ones. Sure, different "emotion" (although I'm not entirely sure "avarice/greed" is an emotion) but it's just a one track villain. This sort of feels like a "color corps" thrown in just to get the full rainbow effect. I dunno. He has a few issues left to wow me. (Not that I'm going to drop the book or anything, that's just how long this arc is supposed to last.)

Superman: World of New Krypton #2 - Wow, I'm just Mr. Negative today. (No, not the lame Brand New Day Spidey villain... I just wasn't into these books.) There weren't really any major developments in this issue. And I hate it when Supes is embracing his Kryptonian roots, even though I know it's basically a ploy. But Clark, er, Kal as a military commander is a cool idea, but all he does here is herd psychic alien triceratops. I'm almost positive that's what they were, anyway. Even cooler is seeing him as the Kryptonian Gandhi. But regardless of which road he ends up taking, (can he take both?) I am MUCH more optimistic about the next issue of this book than the two books above it.

Wolverine: Weapon X #1 - This is a pretty standard Wolverine book. He's surly (possibly drunk), dismembering thugs, and his past is coming back to haunt him. If that's your thing, you'll probably enjoy this title. I wasn't a big fan of the art, but Jason Aaron has shown himself to be more than a competent writer of surly (possibly drunk), angry, violent characters on Scalped, so this could be a fun ride for you guys that just can't get enough of Wolverine. I think I'll be passing on it, but I might check out a trade if i hear enough good things.

Okay, last week's books...

Cable #13 - Meh.

JSA #25 - It really is a shame to see Johns' JSA run come to a close with this.

Flash: Rebirth #1 - Okay, Barry Allen has never been my Flash. He died a couple months before I was even born. However, just as long as Wally doesn't get the shaft (and I'm fairly certain he won't), I have absolutely no problem with Barry being the Flash again. The only problem is, I don't really like him all that much, yet. He's just kind of moping around the whole issue. I know he's a little shocked and all, coming back from the dead, but you'd think he'd be a little happier about it. And why is he moping around with Hal instead of spending time with his wife? That part just bugged me. Barry had time to tour the Flash museum with his buddy, but not to touch base with his wife? I dunno. Weird. And although this was only one page, why was Bart being such a dick about Barry's return? Didn't he just come back too? Oh, the art was fantastic; Van Sciver is at the top of his game.

I'm almost positive I'll enjoy this a bit more once the series gets into full swing. I just have to get to know the characters first. One major plus, though, is that it's very clear Barry is not Wally. Which I'm really glad is the case. I'd hate to replace one character with another in name only, just for nostalgia's sake, but not have him actually be a different character.

Wolverine and the X-Men

Well, I didn't get any suggestions for a "character of the month," so screw it. Wolverine will move up a month and become April's Character of the Month. We'll just say we're building up to the midnight showing of the movie on May 1.

Anyway, to kick things off, I'll start out with some thoughts on the new animated television series, "Wolverine & the X-Men." Now, if you read my Wolverine: Origins review, you can probably guess my feeling on that title, and on the show's premise in general. Basically, the story goes that some sort of "telepathic bomb" went off at Xavier's and all the telepaths disappeared. I say ALL, but the only ones I can think of are Professor X and Jean Grey. Because of this, the X-Men disband. This is all backstory, because the series starts off with Wolverine getting the band back together, and, using telepathy, Professor X, who is trapped 20 years in a Sentinel dominated future, tells Wolverine he must be the one to lead the X-Men to prevent that future from happening.

So, yeah, I hate the idea of Wolverine as leader of the X-Men. Vehemently. Cyclops is supposed to be the leader. Although, in the show he's just busy moping about the loss of Jean to command a razor and hot shower, let alone a team of mutants. However, as much as I hate that concept, the characters and plots are so strong, that I love this show anyway.

I just watched episode 12 (I've been watching them all online), and the most interesting thing about Logan being the leader, is that Scott basically gets to fill the "Wolverine Role." And let me tell you, Cyclops is a friggin' badass in that role. Cyclops has always been my favorite X-Men (which might be why I have a moderate predisposition to dislike Wolverine since the two characters are almost alwlays at odds) and it was just awesome to see him blasting the bejesus out of everyone and everything standing in the way of his one man crusade to find Jean. I'm not a big fan of the trench coat the animators decided to give him, since it's always got this weird "popped collar" that hangs open exactly the same way always, but his costume looks awesome otherwise. The only thing I didn't like with this particular episode was Wolverine scolding Cyke like a child at the end, but, whatever. What goes around comes around, I guess.

A couple minor complaints with the series (other than Wolverine getting top billing): I don't like that Iceman is one of the "Kid X-Men." He's an original. Someone needs to start showing him some love and stop skewing his age to be eternally 15. I'm sure they need age appropriate "Kitty-Bobby sexual tension," but I just don't like them as a couple. I keep thinking how upset Colossus is gonna be whenever he finally shows up. And I'd really like to see some more Angel. There's another original who gets absolutely zero respect.

But, what I find to be the coolest aspect of this entire show, is that watching it feels exactly the same as jumping into X-Men comics right now. What I mean is that the very first episode already has a backstory that you have never read/seen. You're diving into the middle of these characters lives and just fleshing things out for yourself as you go along. The characters all know each other, all have histories with each other, but you, as the viewer, are thrown right into the middle of it. Which, if you think about it, is exactly what most life situations are like as well. The only real "origin story" you know is your own, and you just have to put together the pieces of peoples' pasts on your own as best you can with the information available.

Overall, I'd say this is easily the best representation of the X-Men that isn't in comic books. Better than any of the movies, and infinitely superior to the other animated show in the 90's. (And I loved that show.) If you haven't had a chance to watch it yet, do yourself a favor and check it out.

Wolverine Omnibus Vol. 1 Breakdown

Here's a (relatively) quick look at what you'll be getting if you decide to pick up this massive 1064 page beast. And the writer/artist/contributor pages are just ridiculous, everyone's had a hand at voicing or drawing this guy, so I'm going to omit most of that for now and save it for the actual review. Anyway, here's the stories you'll be getting, in order (original publication date in parentheses):

-"Weapon X" by Barry Windsor-Smith from Marvel Comics Presents #72-84 (1991) ... yes, that's right, all 13 of those issues were published in 1991, March to September to be exact.

-Incredible Hulk #180-182, otherwise known as Wolverine's first appearance (1974)

-"At the Sign of the Lion" from Marvel Treasury Edition #26 (1980)

-"The Hunter" from Marvel Comics HC (1987)

-Wolverine #1-4 by Claremont and Miller, Wolverine's first solo miniseries (1982)

-Uncanny X-Men #172-173, basically a two issue follow up to the miniseries (1983)

-Kitty Pryde & Wolverine #1-6 (1984-85)

-"Tess-One" from Captain America Annual #8 (1986)

-"High Tide" from Spider-Man Versus Wolverine (1987)

-"Vicious Circle" from Incredible Hulk #340 (1988)

-"Save the Tiger" from Marvel Comics Presents #1-10 (1988-89)

-"Wolverine" from Marvel Age Annual #4 (1988)

-Wolverine #1-10 (1988-89) I don't know if this is one big storyline or several small ones, but it's the first ten issues of Wolverine's first ongoing series.

-Punisher War Journal #6-7 (1989)

And that's it for issues. I'm not familiar with all of these stories, but as far as I can tell, these appear to be in chronological order for the character of Wolverine, rather than by publication date. As in, "Weapon X" happens before Wolverine's first appearance in Incredible Hulk which happens before the Claremont/Miller miniseries, etc. As far as extra's go, we've got:

-Introductions to "Weapon X," Best of Wolverine HC, Wolverine, and Kitty Pryde & Wolverine by Larry Hama, Chris Claremont, Claremont again, and Al Milgrom respectively interspersed with the stories.

-Sketches and the covers to the various trade paperbacks that the above stories have been reprinted in.

-The pages from Wolverine #166 and cover of #167 that were drawn by Barry Windsor-Smith that were flashbacks to Wolverine's time in Weapon X.

-An essay on the evolution and development of the character from Peter Sanderson.

Now, if you're like me, and you collect all the Marvel Premiere Classics, you already have at least three of these stories: "Weapon X," the Claremont/Miller miniseries, and Kitty Pryde & Wolverine, which is a pretty big chunk of this book, (422 pages to be exact, or roughly 40% of it) so you may want to consider passing on this one... Don't worry, I knew this before I bought it. I bought it anyway. Omnibuses are my kryptonite.

Anyway, this thing is basically a comprehensive "Wolverine in the '80's" bible. And I have a feeling that, with the movie coming out shortly, this may sell out relatively quickly. I can't say how good the stories that aren't in those Marvel Premiere Classics are, but those three stories are all very good. "Weapon X" is excellent, the two miniseries are both solid, and the cost of those three hardcovers will run you $60 anyway. I'd say that if you're even slightly interested in the character or in getting this book, it's probably a good idea to pick it up sooner rather than later. Marvel doesn't seem to like to do second prints of this stuff, and the resale value of these things on eBay is just ridiculous.