Wolverine First Class #5 (Possible Spoilers)

Not sure how many of you subscribe to the X-Axis reviews mailing list, but this was in the most recent.
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WOLVERINE: FIRST CLASS confuses me a little. At first glance, you might
assume that it was intended to bring in younger casual readers, like the
various Marvel Adventures books. And it's certainly rated for younger
audiences than the other X-books.

But at the same time, it's more of a traditional superhero book for
people who liked the style of the 1980s. Of course, that makes it a
relatively accessible title - everything's neatly introduced, with Kitty
serving as the character who needs it all explained to her, and writer
Fred van Lente carefully and skilfully ties up the plot in the course of
22 pages. It's got the good old-fashioned, salt of the earth
storytelling values that you don't always see in superhero books today.

Yet at the same time, it runs stories like this one. "Citadel" is a
flashback story where Wolverine recounts an early adventure with Alpha
Flight, in which he fought another victim of the same government project
- Weapon Y - and hoped to get some clues as to his own background. It's
partly a vehicle to use the classic Alpha Flight as guest stars, but
mainly a rather depressing story speculating about Wolverine's mystery
origins. Curiously, it does so in a way that would have made perfect
sense in the context of early eighties comics (when this series is
supposed to take place) but more or less ignores all of the revelations
added more recently. It's pick and mix continuity.

The story handles all this very efficiently, and guest artist Clayton
Henry is well used on an all-ages title. His style is always
well-suited to superheroes in the classic mould. Still, the whole thing
just seems like a rather odd story if we're going after the younger
readers here. The main impression I get from the book is of a writer
who really enjoys playing with these toys, and is inviting us to join
him.

And there's nothing wrong with that, so far as it goes. I quite like
the book, and I share its affection for the period. It's got a lot
going for it. But this story, at least, feels a little bit like a
nostalgia book.

Rating: B
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Paul O'Brien

THE X-AXIS

Weapon Y?

:roll:

Seriously the whole Weapon X program and all of it's garbage is just plain mind numbing sometimes. Dear Marvel... keep it simple stupid.

I never liked the retconn into Weapon Plus, to me that was like retconning Superman into a DNA experiment, and one of many variations across the 'multiverse'.

I'm very, very confused by the whole Weapon Whatever program...

First you had Weapon X (in which the X was originally intended for the entire program or at least that's what I gathered) and the program included Sabretooth, Maverick, Silverfox, etc (all under the Weapon X program)...Later we're lead to believe that it referred to Logan himself and that he is Letter X in a long line of Weapon letters...Later we're told it's not the letter X, but the number ten and there is a Weapon 11, 12, 13, etc...etc...A bit later, a second Weapon X program produces Deadpool, Copycat, Weapon X II/Garrison Kane, Slayback, Sluggo, Etc....Then the new comic series Weapon Xcomes (the third Weapon X program we know of) out and it's again a whole program called Weapon X and there are many superhuman (mutant and otherwise) agents within it's structure.

The whole thing is mind-numbing (as PWalk stated)...I actually get dizzy whenever somebody brings it up and tries to fit another character into it.

Dana

Quote:

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Originally Posted by cmdrkoenig67

Later we're lead to believe that it referred to Logan himself and that he is Letter X in a long line of Weapon letters...Later we're told it's not the letter X, but the number ten and there is a Weapon 11, 12, 13, etc...etc...

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What you're forgetting is, we've also been told (in a comic called Alpha Flight for no apparent reason) it's the Greek letter 'Chi'. (Which looks like the Roman letter 'X'.)

- Le Messor
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