Original X-Men #1 - Marvel Comics

ORIGINAL X-MEN No. 1, February 2024

Described by its New York City-based publisher as a celebration of “the X-Men’s Sixtieth anniversary with an original X-Men adventure by Christos Gage and Greg Land”, this one-shot certainly appears to contain plenty of action-packed elements to keep the majority of its readers entertained. Indeed, apart from some seriously contrived alternative universe hopping, which allows Professor Xavier’s earliest team of teen mutants to know everything that is going to happen to them in their future, the thirty-page periodical’s plot is loaded with great nostalgia, laugh out loud humour, enthralling drama, and even something of a surprise ending.

Foremost of these sense-shattering successes is surely the way the adolescent Angel and Iceman manage to convince their older counterparts that the poor choices they’ve made to help enslave Earth-696, have badly undermined the moral legacy of their long-dead mentor. So difficult an argument could so easily have caused this comic’s creators to become bogged down in multiple panels of dialogue-heavy discourse. However, the American author quite brilliantly circumnavigates any need for that by simply having proficient penciller Greg Land sketch Warren Kenneth Worthington III seeing the way his junior self is staring at him; “And all it takes is one look to see how much of a hypocrite sellout you are.”

Similarly as well worded are the reasons needed to persuade the likes of the grey-furred Beast and infatuated Cyclops of their evil-doings in the name of ‘saving the planet’. Gage neatly emphasises the fact that this villainous take on the X-Men are still good people at heart, and that they all secretly suspect their version of Phoenix is mentally manipulating them so as to shield them from any doubts their criminal actions are causing. This means each of the team members only requires a little ‘push’ back in the right direction to cause them to repent their villainous stance and team-up to tackle "one of the most powerful beings in the Marvel Universe."

Sadly, this book is therefore only arguably let down by its aftermath, which acts very much as a blatant advertisement for the upcoming mini-series “Weapon X-Men” – featuring ‘a multiverse of Logans banding together.’ Considering that this particular publication is supposedly a celebration of the mutant franchise’s aforementioned milestone, this unashamed incentive for bibliophiles to continue the storyline in a different title smacks of insincerity, and may well leave a bad taste in the odd fan’s mouth.

The regular cover art to "ORIGINAL X-MEN" #1 by Ryan Stegman, J.P. Mayer & Brad Anderson

Ghost Rider/Wolverine: Weapons Of Vengeance Alpha #1 - Marvel Comics

GHOST RIDER/WOLVERINE: WEAPONS OF VENGEANCE ALPHA No. 1, October 2023

Packed full of spine-chilling supernatural shenanigans, and some truly disconcerting physical horror, most bibliophiles perusing Issue One of “Ghost Rider/Wolverine: Weapons Of Vengeance Alpha” probably agreed with its New York City-based publisher that its “hotshot writer” Benjamin Percy was indeed “a master at crafting hair-raising sagas for Marvel’s most hardcore anti-heroes.” In fact, those readers caught up with its narrative about “a demonic serial killer [who] is murdering innocent mutants” would be hard-pressed to find any faults with this thirty-one-page periodical.

To begin with, the American author decides to depict the titular characters’ “(never before seen!) first meeting” via a well-penned flashback, and in doing so transports this comic’s audience back to a classic era of the Uncanny X-Men, when Professor Charles Xavier was busy mentoring the likes of Colossus, Storm, Angel, Nightcrawler and Shadowcat. These scenes set “many years ago” genuinely tap into an ultra-nostalgic vein, and also help sell a significant plot twist when it at first appears that super-powered little Bram Straub will swiftly receive safety inside the School for Gifted Youngsters; “Nobody wants him… including the Orphanage he keeps returning to.”

Just as enthralling though is the terrifying creature which lurks within the poor boy’s soul and seemingly comes out whenever the youngster is disappointed or upset. Somehow able to readily defeat the most formidable of Logan’s team-mates within a matter of minutes, this giant, flame-headed entity readily grabs all the attention whenever it manifests itself – especially when his appearance results in the formation of a stomach-churning flesh column which consists of various hapless children’s twisted corpses.

Readily willing and able to assist Percy in this book’s storytelling is “acclaimed artist Geoff Shaw” of “Thanos” and “Guardians Of The Galaxy” fame. The illustrator does a first-rate job of making the ordinarily warm and welcoming X-Mansion as creepy as possible once tiny Straub crosses its threshold during an electrical storm. Whilst simultaneously prodigiously pencilling Johnny Blaze’s jaw-dropping attempt to break the record of jumping eighteen burning buses on a motorbike. In addition, the University of New Mexico graduate wonderfully captures both the fiery menace of the Ghost Rider and dangerous, quick-moving mannerisms of Wolverine, once the pair clash heads towards this publication’s end.

The regular cover of "GHOST RIDER/WOLVERINE: WEAPONS OF VENGEANCE ALPHA" #1 by Ryan Stegman

All-New Wolverine #2 - Marvel Comics

ALL-NEW WOLVERINE No. 2, January 2016

Having arguably started the titular character’s “shift from X-23 to Wolverine to her place in the larger Marvel Universe” with this series’ “oversized opening” edition, writer Tom Taylor continues to create a storyline within Issue Two of “All-New Wolverine” which is both “very personally about Laura”, and also begins to address many of this book’s unanswered questions. Indeed within the space of this magazine’s first dozen panels it becomes evident that the young man” Logan’s clone “saved… from an assassination attempt” in Paris was the son of Robert Chandler, the director of Alchemax Chemicals”, and that the masked sniper… [who] could not feel pain” and had Kinney’s face was actually one of four errant experimental duplicates responsible for destroying “an Alchemax genetics laboratory” along with “every single one of our scientists” who worked there.

Armed with the knowledge that these ‘terrorists’ were created using her DNA, the mutant heroine unsurprisingly vows to find her ‘siblings’ and “stop them from killing innocents.” A rather stern-faced given statement which possibly promises this publication’s 55,634 followers an enthralling global ‘hunt’ for Wolverine’s duplicates, coupled with the added spice of interference from the research company’s untrustworthy Head of Security; “Tell Captain Mooney I don’t like being followed. Now -- run away.”

Frustratingly however, the New York Times bestselling author’s subsequent narrative proves something of a bitter disappointment and provides a rushed, almost lazy solution to Laura’s emotionally-charged predicament. For no sooner has Kinney fended off the unwanted attentions of two black-suited Alchemax goons in an alleyway, than she is approached by the adolescent Gabby in her mentor’s old apartment and thus able to track down the rest of her targets “deep underground” through “the sewers of New York.”

Just as infuriating as this plot’s wasted potential is David Lopez’s artwork. Wolverine looks every bit the all-action super-hero when she is slashing through Mooney’s gun-toting security soldiers and preventing Bellona from cold-bloodedly murdering the facsimile’s unconscious jailer. But whenever the comic’s tempo slows down to a more sedentary pace, and the Spaniard’s figures have little to do but stand and talk to one another, then the illustrations regrettably appear to be far less convincing and well-drawn.

Writer: Tom Taylor, Art: David Lopez & David Navarrot and Color Art: Nathan Fairbairn

All-New Wolverine #1 - Marvel Comics

ALL-NEW WOLVERINE No. 1, January 2016

Whilst replacing so iconic a comic book character as the “tragically… fallen” mutant super-hero Logan was never going to be the easiest job in the world for the “New York Times bestselling” author, Tom Taylor’s script for Issue One of “All-New Wolverine” arguably raises far more questions than it answers; especially for those who are unfamiliar with the history of X-23 and her creation “to be a weapon.” Indeed despite the narrative starting in the best possible way, with an ‘undercover’ Laura Kinney desperately trying to save a Parisian VIP from an assassin’s bullet and taking a few slugs herself in the process, the fast-paced chase to the top of the Eiffel Tower never pauses long enough to identify just who the ‘diplomat’ is, why someone is trying to murder him, and just who has asked the yellow and blue spandex-wearing heroine to undertake “her first solo mission as Wolverine”?

Confusingly things only seem to get even more befuddling when Logan’s protégé falls from France’s cultural symbol and is ‘swooped up’ by her evident partner Warren Worthington. The Melbourne-born writer has already gone on record to say that he wants the female clone to experience “more support and friendship” during her adventures. But trying to develop the “budding romance” the titular character ‘enjoyed’ with Angel in “All-New X-Men” so early on within this story, as the duo are busily pursing an aerial drone, is awkwardly handled at best and bizarrely results in the preposterous situation of the flying X-Man patting the supposed killing machine on the head when she destroys the “exploding predator drone.”; “A little awkward. I didn't say stop.”

Equally as questionable is the “powerful monkey wrench” Taylor purposely throws “in the works” at the end of the comic. Clearly an awful lot of exposition has taken place ‘off-screen’ or in other titles, as Kinney reveals the masked assassin to be her cloned twin. Unlike the uninitiated bibliophile however neither Angel nor Wolverine are surprised by this revelation, with Laura actually stating it’s her intention to save the rest of her duplicates. Such assumed foreknowledge is hardly desirable within the opening edition of a brand new book series surely?

Arguably this magazine’s biggest disappointment though is the inconsistent artwork of David Lopez (and David Navarrot). The majority of the Spaniard’s drawings of a fully-costumed Wolverine are superb, especially his “I want them to see the Wolverine coming” splash page, and it’s clear just why the publication’s writer thought “he was the right guy to bring Laura to life” when he first saw the artist’s “early character sketches”. Yet the illustrator’s inability to draw credible-looking faces constantly grates and at times makes the likes of Angel, Logan and Kinney appear as if they’ve been sketched by an amateur…

The regular cover art of "ALL-NEW WOLVERINE" No. 1 by Bengal