Panels of Awesome!

It seems like only yesterday that I was sitting in this very spot contemplating weather or not to jump on board the shaky boat that was Wolverine. After months of mediocre issues, and even some unreadable ones, the team of Jason Aaron and Ron Garney jumped on board and decided to take Wolvie for a test-drive into the post-Messiah CompleX world. That test drive comes to a grinding halt as we reach the end of the “Get Mystique” arc and look forwards toward whatever comes next.

Well, what comes next is the highly controversial Old Man Logan saga being brought to us by none other than Mark Millar and Steve McNiven, the same duo that brought us Civil War a short time ago. It’s a shame that Aaron and Garney’s run was cut so short since I was really starting to enjoy the run but if Millar’s writing, which has been consistently good in my opinion, stays at the same level as his previous work, we really shouldn’t have much to worry about. Then again, it’s going to be a much different take on the character of Wolverine and it could really do some damage to the character if it’s not executed with a great deal of precision and excellence.

That being said, there’s obviously a couple things that could take place during this 8-issue story that would be less than favorable. Here’s a couple stories I could definitely see killing the character of Logan for future generations:

• After years of battling the Brotherhood and fighting for mutant rights, Logan settles down and lives a normal life in a small suburban community.
• Old and desperate for money, Logan has subjected himself to making public appearances on reality television shows and doing signings in small town malls.
• Living through countless wars and battles, Logan finds himself being the last man alive. He spends the rest of his days reading back issues of Vanity Fair and trying to work through expert level Sudoku puzzles.
• Wolverine is diagnosed with a currently incurable disease and dies. This successfully eliminates any chance of him being reinserted into any mainstream comic book.
• Wolverine is struck by a car while crossing a street and dies.

All jokes aside, I think Millar will probably be able to tell an original and highly interesting story ala Dark Knight Returns by Frank Miller. With Steve McNiven doing the artwork, this could be a great time to check out Wolverine. Although, on the rarest of occasions, I’m sometimes wrong. Regardless, the first issue of the “Old Man Logan” story begins with Wolverine #66. In the meantime, be sure to grab the conclusion to “Get Mystique”, which takes place in Wolverine #65, that goes on sale tomorrow!

While we’re on the subject, if you can come up with some hilariously brutal stories that you’d hate to see take place in Wolverine, or really any comic for that matter, post them in a comment! I could use a laugh or two.

“Don’t the Avengers need help saving the world? Or maybe one of the half-dozen groups you run with?”

With a quote like that, it looks like Jason Aaron’s been paying attention to Wolverine’s place in the Marvel Universe. All jokes aside though, this isn’t about how many books Wolverine is in. This time, I’m reviewing the one book that still sits on the fence as it relates to my pull list. With a strong first outting in Wolverine #62, could Aaron and Garney keep the trend going long enough to see to it that this title becomes a regular pick-up of mine? Let’s find out.

Once again, Jason Aaron’s writing is top notch. Between the main story of Wolverine tracking Mystique and the constant flashbacks showing the evolution of their complicated relationship together, this comic is a great followup to the previous issue. Like I said in my review of Wolverine #62, Aaron’s seamless transitions from the past, in Wolverine’s flashbacks throughout the issue, and the present are really something to admire. Many writers seem, in my opinion, to have trouble sometimes shifting not only the reader but the whole story as well into a different time frame and then return to the main story sometime later. With Aaron’s writing, it’s all done so well that you can’t help but wonder how long it will last before you’re thrown back in Wolverine’s time line and don’t realize what’s going on. In the meantime though, it’s a well written story that’s entertaining and exciting while not stressing out your brain too much trying to figure out what’s going on.

Next to the overall writing of the title so far, Ron Garney’s artwork has been one of my favorite parts about this arc and this issue is no exception. Continuing the trend from the previous issue, Garney paints a wonderful canvas of artwork for Aaron’s great storytelling to come alive. It’s easy to see that he and Aaron work well together and tell one of the better stories that the title has seen recently.

Wolverine #63 is a great issue. If you read Messiah Complex or Wolverine #62 you’ll definitely enjoy this comic. If you’re like me and didn’t read anything Messiah Complex related at all, you’ll probably still like this one. You’ll have to have read Wolverine #62 to really understand what’s happening here but both issues, in my opinion, are worth the $3 cover price. This arc is half over and looks like it only gets better from here.

Wolverine #63

8.4/10 (How’d you get that?)

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It might seem like I’ve been piling on a hefty dose of Wolverine over the past week, which I have, but I just can’t help it. Wolverine #63 hit the shelves yesterday and I’ve been itching to get my hands on it. If you’ve been following this site for a while, you know that I recently dipped my foot into the waters of the X-Men, more specifically Wolverine’s solo series currently being written by Jason Aaron and penciled by, one of my favorites, Ron Garney. The anticipation is killing me here.

When we last saw Wolverine, he was wandering the barren deserts of Afghanistan in search of Mystique. This mission, given to him by Cyclops at the end of Messiah Complex, was proving to be much harder than originally thought. Wolverine kills an innocent civilian he’s convinced is Mystique and then wanders into a church that is then blown up by Mystique from the outside. At the issue’s conclusion, Wolverine comes face to face with her only to be confronted by some of the locals regarding his killing of the villager earlier in the issue. When we join Wolverine in the opening pages of issue #63, he’s been ripped to shreds by the hail of gunfire he received last issue and is thrown into a pit, left to die.

Apparently, the locals have no idea who Wolverine is or what he’s capable of.

If you’re like me and have to wait an extra day to get your comics, why not check out the preview that Marvel has on their site including several demo pages of the comic that will be hitting store shelves later this afternoon. As I said in my previous Wolverine related rant, if this 4-part series pans out the way it looks like it will, Wolverine will be a surefire addition to my pull list.