In just the last decade, the comic book character, Wolverine, has undergone a surge in popularity and renown. He has always struck a chord with readers as a prominent and important character; from his humble, slightly silly (and heavily retconned) beginning in the pages of The Incredible Hulk in 1974, to his re-introduction and subtle reimagining in the Marvel Universe-changing Giant Size X-Men #1, and then his foray into a self-titled comic line starting with the iconic Frank Miller/Chris Claremont mini-series and spanning into a monthly series for almost 25 unbroken years. Yet, recently, his saturation in the comics and movie universes has led to a mere shell of the man known as Logan, James Howlett, Patch, and The Wolverine. Now Marvel plans to kill him off in the comics, and this is seen as a poor move by some, a welcomed move by others, and has outraged die-hard fans and new believers all the same. I am penning this as a letter to address the points from both sides of the argument, and shed some light on the life, and inevitable demise, of this tragic super hero. [Read more…] about Wolverine: A Love Letter for the Demise of the Tragic Super-Hero
Marvel Reviews
Old-School X-Men with Lincoln Crisler: Uncanny X-Men #198
Last week’s installment was a pretty zany one-off featuring Arcade and Dr. Doom that nevertheless managed to serve a purpose in the overall 80s X-Men story–namely, the rekindling of Colossus’ and Shadowcat’s kinda-relationship, which Piotr dumped water on by hooking up with an alien chick during the Secret Wars. This week, we get the sequel to Barry Windsor-Smith’s epic LifeDeath collaboration with Claremont. The original, which appeared in Uncanny #186, dealt with the repercussions of Ororo being de-powered by a device created by the tech-wizard mutant Forge (at this time, still a new character known only for creating this weapon). Subsequent repercussions include her leaving the X-Men, returning to Africa, running afoul of the Strucker Twins (Fenris, to long-term Marvel fans, and also brand-new creations in 1985) and being gunned down by them a few issues later. [Read more…] about Old-School X-Men with Lincoln Crisler: Uncanny X-Men #198
Ms. Marvel #7 Review! Yes, Gyros ARE Better Than Shawarma
What many people thought would be a gimmick title has quickly become one of Marvel’s most enjoyable books. Kamala Khan is a Palestinian/American who develops shape changing powers after the detonation of the Terrigen Bomb during the Infinity event. This book began with a five issue arc that established the character of Kamala, as well as her supporting cast, before delving into the world of capes and cowls. Ms. Marvel did not get her costume or really even her villain until the fifth issue. While it was surprising the pace that the series took, this was still a good thing for the story and the characters of the book. Now that all the introductions are out of the way, Ms. Marvel finally gets to participate in some costumed adventures. So, how well does this book transition from world-building to superhero action? Well, let’ see. [Read more…] about Ms. Marvel #7 Review! Yes, Gyros ARE Better Than Shawarma
Wolverine vol 6 Annual #1 Review! “Wolf and Cub”
On the eve of Wolverine’s death, this annual gives a small respite to the events that are careening out of control in the final issues of WOLVERINE, leading up to the DEATH OF WOLVERINE mini series. Still tagged with the ‘1 Month To Die” at the top of the cover, the impending doom for the title character is not lost, but rather heightened and accented in a beautiful way with this stand alone story. [Read more…] about Wolverine vol 6 Annual #1 Review! “Wolf and Cub”
Savage Wolverine #22 Review! “The Great War Part Two”
We pick up this story where we left off last issue, right in the middle. A great tale about Wolverine’s time serving for the Canadian Army in World War I, we see Wolverine deal with his immortality and usefulness in killing in a very classic sense. [Read more…] about Savage Wolverine #22 Review! “The Great War Part Two”