Category: X-Men

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Colossus: God’s Country


By Anne Nocenti, Rick Leonardi & P Craig Russell (Marvel Comics)
No ISBN:

The world of the X-Men has always been a broad canvas for telling stories and exploring issues and in this collected tale from the always intriguing Marvel Comics Presents (volume 1, issues #10-17) writer Anne Nocenti explores Cold War politics, Free Speech, unthinking patriotism, combative ideology and family dynamics as the Russian mutant Peter Rasputin goes walkabout in America’s heartland.

Bruce fought in Viet Nam but now lives a precarious existence in a ramshackle house with his wife, father-in-law and young son Zackery. Life is tough, the neighbours are snide and unfriendly, but at least they all live free in a proud country…

They’re on a picnic when Zackery stumbles into an execution by cyborg warriors. Luckily Colossus is on hand to prevent the witnesses from becoming collateral damage, but the danger is not over. The killers belong to a clandestine group of US Government “patriots”, agents who defend their country by ignoring its laws, ethics and morals. They can’t afford public scrutiny – especially from the kind of citizens they’re sworn to protect…

Now all Bruce can rely on to save his family is a monstrous commie agent from the “Empire of Evil”…

Action packed and thought-provoking this slim tome (64 pages) is engaging enough mind-candy but as illustrated by the brilliant pairing of grand art stylists Rick Leonardi and P Craig Russell it’s also a visual wonder that few other X-Yarns can touch. Still available from numerous online retailers, and it’s worth every penny…

© 1984 Marvel Entertainment Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

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Wolverine Battles the Incredible Hulk


By Len Wein, Herb Trimpe, Jack Abel & various (Marvel Comics)
ISBN: 0-87135-612-0

A little while ago I reviewed Marvel Platinum: the Definitive Wolverine (ISBN: 978-1-84653-409-6), and I rather went off on one about incomplete stories. In a spirit of placatory fairness I feel I should mention this lovely little compilation from 1989 which reproduced the full first adventure of the manic mutant with the unbreakable bones.

It all starts with ‘And the Wind Howls… Wendigo!’ (from Incredible Hulk #180, October 1974) wherein the Jade Giant bounces across the Canadian Border to encounter a witch attempting to cure her lover of a bestial curse which has transformed him into a rampaging cannibalistic monster. Unfortunately that cure meant the Hulk had to become the Wendigo in his stead…

It was while the big Green and Giant White monsters were fighting that Wolverine first appeared – in the very last panel – and that’s what leads into the savage fist, fang and claw fest that follows. ‘And Now… the Wolverine!’ (from Incredible Hulk #181 November 1974) by Len Wein, Herb Trimpe & Jack Abel, captivatingly concluded the tragic saga of both Canadian monsters, and there’s even room for the obligatory behind-the-scenes featurette. But that’s not all…

Also included is a rarely seen and wonderfully light-hearted meeting between the off-duty mutant Logan and the fun-loving godling Hercules which originally appeared in Marvel Treasury Edition #26. ‘At the Sign of the Lion’ is by Mary Jo Duffy, Ken Landgraf and a young George Perez, and shows exactly why most pubs and bars reserve the right to refuse admission…

This is a cracking little read, and shows why sometimes a little forethought is better than a big budget…
© 1986, 1989 Marvel Entertainment Group. All Rights Reserved.

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Marvel Platinum: the Definitive Wolverine – UK Edition


By various (Marvel/Panini Publishing UK)
ISBN:  978-1-84653-409-6

Perhaps it’s my advanced age or possibly my surly, intractable nature, but I’m finding fault in a lot of places where minor annoyance too easily becomes major grievance. A perfect example is this large and lavish compendium of adventures culled from the publishing history of major motion picture star and everybody’s favourite man-on-the-edge Wolverine.

Debuting as an antagonist for the Incredible Hulk as a tantalising glimpse at the end of issue #180 (Oct 1974) before having a full-length scrap with the Jade Giant in #181, the semi-feral Canadian mutant with the fearsome claws and killer attitude rode – or perhaps caused – the meteoric rise of the All–New, All Different X-Men before gaining his own series and super-star status; a tragic, brutal, misunderstood hero cloaked in mysteries and contradictions.

And as a primer or introductory collection for readers unfamiliar with the diminutive mutant this book has a lot to recommend it. I’m also keenly aware of the need for newcomers to have his centuries-long life presented in some form of chronological order: but as so much of that convoluted chronicle has been collected elsewhere in full, wouldn’t a bibliography page of other available collections and trade paperbacks be less confusing than the extracted snippets from longer sagas that make up so much of this book?

For each chapter from a longer saga printed here, another lesser known piece had to be ignored. For example there’s nothing of the fascinatingly insightful little vignettes that Christopher Claremont and John Bolton produced for the back-up slot in Classic X-Men, no solo one-shots or Annual stories and only one-eight page instalment from the character’s well-nigh one hundred appearances as the lead in the fortnightly anthology Marvel Comics Presents – yet the first Wolverine mini-series, already collected numerous times (and as recently as a Premiere Hardback in 2007) appears in it’s entirety. I realise the title is “Marvel Platinum”, but what a wasted opportunity…

However, I cannot deny that what does appear is of great quality, beginning with the second part of his long-awaited secret origin. Taken from the landmark 2001/2002 miniseries (available as Origin: the True Story of Wolverine, ISBN 978-1-904159-07-0) by Paul Jenkins and Andy Kubert & Robert Isanove, it depicts the tragic and horrific events that led to sickly boy James Howlett first “popping his claws” on a 19th century Canadian estate. Good dialogue, entrancing pictures but very little sense can be gleaned from this extract, so we should be grateful at least that the untitled chapter of the Weapon X Saga – part 8 of 13 (written and illustrated by Barry Windsor-Smith) is so short and pretty to look upon, because it’s utterly bewildering seen out of context – and I’ve just read the latest complete compilation of the tale (Wolverine: Weapon X, ISBN: 978-0-7851-3726-9) when it was re-released in March 2009.

At least ‘And Now… the Wolverine!’ from Incredible Hulk #181 (November 1974) by Len Wein, Herb Trimpe & Jack Abel is a complete tale wherein Canada’s top-secret super-agent is unleashed upon both the Emerald Goliath and the man-eating Wendigo in an 18 page romp stuffed with triumph, tragedy and lots of slashing and hitting. It’s followed by ‘Home Are the Heroes’ (Uncanny X-Men #109, February 1978); a superb one-off tale from Claremont, John Byrne & Terry Austin, who were fast approaching their collaborative peak.

Returning home from saving the entire universe for the first time the X-Men are attacked by Weapon Alpha (James Hudson, latterly Vindicator of Alpha Flight) determined to reclaim Canada’s “property”; i.e. Agent Logan A.K.A. Wolverine. Amidst the frantic action the first intriguing hints of the story behind the team’s “resident psycho” were tantalisingly presented, but never at the expense of clarity and entertainment.

Following that is the aforementioned four part miniseries from September – December 1982, by Claremont, Frank Miller & Joe Rubinstein. Undoubtedly one of the best Wolverine tales ever created, it reveals the mutant adventurer’s savage clash with both Japanese royalty and their criminal underworld (apparently almost the same thing) to secure the love of the tragic princess Lady Mariko. This leads into the one-shot Spider-Man versus Wolverine (February 1987) wherein the Web-Spinner’s arch foe Hobgoblin meets his fate, almost as collateral damage, in an extended clash with Soviet spies and treacherous friends which brings the globe-trotting X-Man and the Wall-Crawler to Cold War Berlin. ‘High Tide’ is by James C. Owsley, Mark Bright and Al Williamson.

The next two tales are again chapters from an extended story-line: namely the all-out war between the X-Men and Magneto termed Fatal Attractions (ISBN: 978-0-7851-0065-2), but at least there’s enough expository dialogue to inform readers of what’s going on. Beginning with ‘Dreams Fade’ (X-Men #25, October 1993, by Fabian Nicieza, Andy Kubert & Matt Ryan) and continuing in ‘Nightmares Persist’ (Wolverine #75, November 1993, by Larry Hama, Adam Kubert, Mark Farmer, Dan Green & Mark Pennington) Charles Xavier’s prodigies clash with the master of Magnetism terrorist Acolytes, resulting in the traumatic removal and unexpected after-effects of the super-metal Adamantium which had for so long augmented Logan’s skeleton.

The story part of the book ends (although there’s still a superbly informative text feature from comics savant Mike Conroy and an extended 10-page data file at the back) with the beautiful and utterly bewildering contents of Wolverine #145 (December 1999), by Erik Larsen, Leinil Francis Yu & Dexter Vines. Again drawn from an extended storyline this impenetrable mish-mash has our hero lost in time, replaced by a Skrull who became the Wolverine of many of our favourite past classics, whilst the other, real, hero became one of the Four Horseman of mutant Darwinist Apocalypse.

I think…

There’s lots of chaotic, brutal action; savage duels with the Hulk and Sabretooth before the entire thing ends on a cliffhanger. It isn’t even the last part!

One of the most frustrating and poorly conceived books I’ve ever reviewed, the true gems in here – which every comics fan should read – are practically cancelled out by impressive yet infuriatingly incomplete fragments that are no more than a catalogue of other books you should buy. Caveat Emptor, fans, because this is not Marvel’s finest moment.

© 1974, 1978, 1982, 1987, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1999, 2001, 2009 Marvel Entertainment Inc. and its subsidiaries. All Rights Reserved.

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Essential Uncanny X-Men volume 1


By Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, Roy Thomas, Werner Roth, Dick Ayers & various (Marvel)
ISBN: 978-1-90415-963-6

In 1963 things really took off for the budding Marvel Comics as Stan Lee and Jack Kirby expanded their diminutive line of action titles, putting a bunch of relatively new super-heroes (including hot off the presses Iron Man) together as the Avengers, launching a decidedly different war comic in Sgt Fury and his Howling Commandos and creating a group of alienated heroic teenagers who were gathered together to fight a rather specific threat to humanity.

The eponymously entitled X-Men #1 (September 1963) introduced Cyclops, Iceman, Angel and the Beast: very special students of Professor Charles Xavier, a wheelchair-bound telepath dedicated to brokering peace and integration between the masses of humanity and the gradually emerging race of mutant Homo Superior. The story opens as the students welcome their newest classmate, Jean Grey, a beautiful young woman with the ability to move objects with her mind.

No sooner has the Professor explained their mission than an actual Evil Mutant, Magneto, single-handedly takes over the American missile base Cape Citadel. A seemingly unstoppable threat, the master of magnetism is nonetheless driven off by the young heroes on their first mission.

It doesn’t sound like much, but the gritty power of Kirby’s art, solidly inked by Golden Age veteran Paul Reinman, imparted a raw dynamism to the tale which carried the bi-monthly book irresistibly forward. ‘No One Can Stop the Vanisher!’ introduced a federal government connection in FBI agent Fred Duncan, who requested the teens’ assistance in capturing a teleporting mutant who threatened to steal US military secrets.

Issue #3’s ‘Beware of the Blob!’ featured a rare lapse of judgement as Professor X invited a sideshow freak into the team only to be rebuffed by the felonious mutant. Impervious to harm the Blob used his carnival cronies to attack the team, before they could come after him…

With X-Men #4 (March 1964) a thematic sea-change occurred as Magneto returned with ‘The Brotherhood of Evil Mutants!’ intent on conquering a South American country to establish a global powerbase. Mastermind, Toad, Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch were very much his unwilling thralls in the bombastic struggle that followed, but from then on the heroes were the hunted prey of the malevolent mutants. ‘Trapped: One X-Man!’ in issue #5 saw early results in that secret war as Angel was abducted to Magneto’s orbiting satellite base Asteroid M, and only a desperate battle at the edge of space could save him…

‘Sub-Mariner Joins the Evil Mutants!’ is a self-explanatory tale of gripping intensity elevated to magical levels of artistic quality as the superb Chic Stone replaced Reinman as inker for the rest of Kirby’s tenure, and genuine progress occurred in ‘The Return of the Blob!’ as their mentor left on a secret mission, but not before appointing Cyclops acting team leader. Comedy relief was provided as Lee and Kirby introduced Beast and Iceman to the Beatnik inspired “youth scene” but the high action quotient came courtesy of the troubled teaming of the Blob and Magneto’s brotherhood.

Another invulnerable mutant debuted in ‘Unus the Untouchable!’ a wrestler with an invisible force field who tried to join the Brotherhood by offering to bring them an X-Man. Also notable is the first real incident of “anti-mutant hysteria” when a mob attacked the Beast, a theme that would become a cornerstone of the X-Men mythos.

X-Men #9 is the first true masterpiece of this celebrated title. ‘Enter, the Avengers!’ reunited the mutants with Professor X in the wilds of Europe, as the deadly Lucifer attempted to destroy the world with a super-bomb, subsequently manipulating the teens into an all-out battle with the awesome Avengers. This is still a perfect Marvel comic story today, as is its follow-up ‘The Coming of Ka-Zar!’ a wild excursion to Antarctica, featuring the discovery of the Antediluvian Savage Land and the modern incarnation of one of Marvel/Timely’s oldest heroes (Kazar the Great originated in Marvel Comics #1 November 1939). Dinosaurs, lost cities, spectacular locations, mystery and all-out action: it doesn’t get better than this…

Another turning point occurred in #11 with ‘The Triumph of Magneto!’ as X-Men and Brotherhood both searched for a fantastically powered being called The Stranger. None are aware of his true identity and purpose, but when the Evil mutants found him it spelt the end of their war…

With Magneto gone and the Brotherhood broken Kirby relinquished the pencilling to other hands, although he provided layouts and design for a few more issues. Alex Toth and Vince Colletta proved an uncomfortable mix for #12’s tense drama ‘The Origin of Professor X!’ a two-part saga that introduced Xavier’s half brother Cain Marko and revealed his mystic transformation into an unstoppable human engine of destruction.

The story concluded with ‘Where Walks the Juggernaut’, a compelling tension-drenched tale guest-starring the Human Torch, but most notable for the introduction of penciller Werner Roth (using the name Jay Gavin) who would be associated with the mutants for the next half decade. His inker for this first outing was the infallible Joe Sinnott. Roth was an unsung veteran of the industry, working for the company in the 1950s on such star features as Apache Kid and the inexplicably durable Kid Colt, Outlaw, as well as Mandrake the Magician for King Features Comics and Man from U.N.C.L.E. for Gold Key. As with many pseudonymous creators it was his DC commitments (mostly romance stories) that forced him to disguise his moonlighting until Marvel grew big enough to offer him full-time work.

‘Among us Stalk the Sentinels!’ from issue #14 (inked by Colletta), celebrated the team’s elevation to monthly publication with the first chapter of a three-part saga that introduced anthropologist Bolivar Trask’s solution to the threat of Mutant takeover: super scientific robots that would protect humanity. Sadly their definition of “protect” varied wildly from the expected, but what can you expect when a social scientist dabbles in high-energy physics and engineering?

The X-Men took the battle to the Sentinels secret base and became ‘Prisoners of the Mysterious Master Mold!’ before wrapping up their ferrous foes with ‘The Supreme Sacrifice!’. Veteran Dick Ayers joined as inker with the second chapter and his clean line blended perfectly with Roth’s clean, classicist pencils. They remained a team for years, adding vital continuity to this quirky but never top-selling series.

X-Men #17 dealt with the aftermath of the battle, probably the last time the US Army and government openly approved of the team’s efforts, and the sedate nature of ‘…And None Shall Survive!’ enabled the story to generate a genuine air of apprehension as the Xavier Mansion was taken over by an old foe who picked them off one by one until only the youngest was left to battle alone in the climactic conclusion ‘If Iceman Should Fail..!’

‘Lo! Now Shall Appear… The Mimic!’ in #19 was Stan Lee’s last script, a punchy tale of a troubled teen with the power to copy the knowledge, powers and abilities of anyone in close proximity, before the writing reins were turned over to Roy Thomas in #20, who promptly jumped in guns blazing with ‘I, Lucifer…’ an alien invasion yarn that returned Xavier’s arch-nemesis as well as Unus the Untouchable and the Blob, revealed how Professor X lost the use of his legs, and, with the concluding part ‘From Whence Comes Dominus?’, completely made the book his own.

At this time Marvel Comics had a vast and growing following among older teens and college kids, and the youthful Thomas spoke and wrote as they did. Coupled with his easy delight in large casts this made X-Men a very welcoming read for we adolescents…

The next two-parter resurrected the old Avengers villain Count Nefaria, who used illusion casting technology and a band of other heroes’ second-string foes (Unicorn, Porcupine, Plantman, Scarecrow and the Eel, if you’re wondering) to hold Washington DC hostage and frame the X-Men for the entire scheme. ‘Divided… We Fall!’ and ‘To Save a City!’ comprise a fast-paced, old-fashioned goodies vs. baddies epic with a decided sting in the tail, and this excellent black and white compendium concludes with another standard plot – Evil Scientist Grows Giant Bugs…

‘The Plague of… the Locust!’ from X-Men #24 isn’t the most memorable tale in the canon but reads well enough and has the added drama of Marvel Girl being forced to leave the team to go to college; another deft sop to the audience as it enabled many future epics to include Campus life in the action-packed, fun-filled mix…

These quirky tales are a million miles removed from the angst-ridden, breast-beating, cripplingly convoluted X-brand of today’s Marvel, and in many ways are all the better for it. Well drawn, highly readable stories are never unwelcome or out of favour though, and it should be remembered that everything here informs so very much of the mutant monolith. These are stories for the dedicated fan and newest convert, and never better packaged than in this economical tome. Everyone should have this book.
© 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1999 Marvel Characters, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

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X-CAMPUS


By Francesco Artibani, Michele Medda, Denis Medri, Roberto Di Salvo & Marco Failla; translated by Luigi Mutti (Marvel/Panini UK)
ISBN: 978-1-90523-998-6

Here’s an intriguing re-imagining of the key elements that have made the X-Men a global phenomenon, courtesy of the company’s international connections. Created by European creators and published under the Marvel Transatlantique imprint this oddly numbered miniseries (1A&B – 4A&B) is set on the sprawling campus of the Worthington Foundation in Greenwich, Connecticut. This unique academy draws special students from all over the world…

The guy in charge is Professor Magnus whilst Charles Xavier is a biology teacher with an assistant named Jean Grey. The student body is highly polarised: First year students Hank McCoy, Scott Summers, Bobby Drake, Ororo Munroe, Warren Worthington III and the unruly Logan are all good kids. Magnus’s favoured group (all analogues of the Hellfire Club, led by the telepathic jailbait wild-child Emma Frost) – not to mention his school caretakers Mesmero, Pyro, Toad and Blob – clearly have a hidden agenda and turn all their dubious charms to getting new girl Anna Raven (you’ll know her as Rogue) to join their clique.

Magnus/Magneto is using the school to recruit a mutant army and Xavier’s plan is to covertly rescue impressionable mutants before it’s too late. Foiling the villain’s plan to acquire both the teleporter Kurt Wagner and Russian Man of Steel Peter Rasputin only leads to greater conflict and the maturing kids must decide once and for all whether they’ll be friends or foes of humanity…

Compacting all the elements of X-lore into a school divided between “goodies” and “baddies” works surprisingly well, as does making all the heroes troubled teenagers. This oddly engaging blend of The Demon Headmaster and Roswell High is written with great charm by Artibani and Medda, and whilst the manga style art (reminiscent of many modern animation shows for kids) is a little jarring to my old eyes, it does carry the tale with clarity and effectiveness, aimed as it is at drawing in a more contemporary audience, not cranky old gits like me.

Probably not welcomed by die-hard fans, this is nonetheless a refreshing take on the merry mutants and I’d honestly welcome more of the same. If you’re not too wedded to continuity and could stand a breezy change of pace, why not give this intriguing experiment a go?

© 2008 Marvel Entertainment, Inc. and its subsidiaries. All Rights Reserved. (A BRITISH EDITION BY PANINI UK LTD)

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Marvel Masterworks: The Uncanny X-Men 1977-78

Marvel Masterworks: The Uncanny X-Men 1977-78 

By Various (Marvel/Panini UK)
ISBN 978-1-84653-009-8

This second volume of these cheap’n’cheerful UK editions featuring early landmarks of Marvel’s most popular characters starts with the conclusion of a tale wherein the team visit Banshee’s ancestral castle in Ireland but run afoul of the ultra-powerful Juggernaut and Banshee’s cousin Black Tom Cassidy. There’s lots of action and much background on the newly minted mutant heroes. And Leprechauns. No, really. That one was originally printed in Uncanny X-Men #103.

Following on in swift and wonderful succession are the contents of issues #104-116, which once again leaves the reader with a bit of a cliff-hanger situation — although, in fairness, it would be hard to find an episode that didn’t end with some kind of unresolved plot thread.

Throughout those early stories a mysterious enemy calling himself Eric the Red was sending villains to attack the team. His next ploy was to restore Magneto to full power (he’d been turned into a baby – a very common fate for villains in those faraway days) and the arch villain’s subsequent attack nearly destroyed the team. After that he orchestrated an attack by the Firelord, an alien flamethrower, then a slight digression as overstretched artist Dave Cockrum was given a breather by a fill-in tale featuring psychic clones of the original X-men from Bill Mantlo and Bob Brown.

The regular story resumes with Eric revealed as an alien spy and the heroes catapulted to another galaxy to save the universe. This marks the beginning of the cosmic nature of the X-Teams. They meet The Shi’ar Imperial Guard (an in-joke version of DC’s Legion of Super Heroes), the heroic space pirates the Star Jammers, and uncover a plot to unmake the fabric of space-time. This tale (from issue 107) was also the last drawn by Cockrum for many years. He would return to replace the man who replaced him.

The final part of the cosmic saga was drawn by John Byrne, whose work was to become an industry bench-mark as the X-Men grew in popularity and complexity. The bravura high-octane thrills of “Armageddon Now” seemed a high-point, but Claremont and Byrne just got better each issue. Weapon Alpha attacked in an attempt to force Wolverine to rejoin the Canadian Secret Service. He would later return, renamed Vindicator, with Alpha Flight — a Canadian team that would eventually star in their own comic.

Another fill-in, by artist Tony Dezuniga, featuring the assassin Warhawk and best forgotten, is followed by a thrilling mystery when the heroes vanish. X-Men graduate the Beast tracks them to a carnival where mutant hypnotist Mesmero has enslaved them. No sooner have they escaped that trap when Magneto returns, and after a titanic struggle is defeated. The battle, in Antarctica, seemingly claims the lives of all but Beast and Phoenix, who return to civilisation and try to pick up their lives. This ‘tragedy’ directly leads into the justly famed “Dark Phoenix Saga” but that’s a tale for another volume.

In actual fact, the X-Men survived by tunnelling into the subterranean paradise known as the Savage Land, a Pellucidarian tropical jungle beneath the ice where dinosaurs and cavemen still live. Here the team recuperate until they encounter an old foe, Sauron, and become embroiled in a war instigated by a Zaladane and Garokk, a mad queen and reincarnated God, respectively. After defeating them the team try to return home but get caught in a major typhoon…

And that’s where this volume closes, but don’t let that dissuade you from this book. It’s a bright and breezy introduction (or even reintroduction) to these characters, and irrespective of your views on the current series it serves as a reminder of just how good comic book adventure can be.

© 1977, 1978, 2007 Marvel Characters, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

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Wolverine: Wizard Masterpiece Edition

Wolverine: Wizard Masterpiece Edition

By various

(Marvel/Panini UK)  ISBN 1-905239-42-4

(A BRITISH EDITION RELEASED BY PANINI UK LTD)

Here is a great big book of mutant mayhem to introduce new readers to the world of Wolverine. Although not what I’d call masterpieces, and certainly not a section of the choicest cuts, this volume has good, solid action, lots of great art and many big name creators on board. If you are new to the X-scene this is a handy package to bring you up to speed without breaking the bank.

The first tale comes from Uncanny X-Men #139 and 140 (1980), with Chris Claremont and John Byrne at their creative peak, telling a gripping story of a reconciliation with Wolvie’s previous team, Alpha Flight that turns into a hunt for a carnivorous monster called Wendigo. This is followed by Shattered Vows (Uncanny X-Men #172-173, 1983), as the diminutive mutant prepares to marry a Japanese princess but runs afoul of prejudice, evil mutants, and the Yakuza. The excellent Paul Smith deftly underplays the art to superb effect and Claremont once again supplies the script.

Vicious Circle by Peter David and Todd McFarlane, comes from Hulk #340 (1988), and is fondly regarded by fans as one of the few times both characters truly lived up to their savage reputations, and this is followed by Ann Nocenti and John Bolton’s Hunter and Prey, originally published as a back-up strip in Classic X-Men #25 in 1988. It highlights the primitive side of Logan in a primal triangle involving a bear, an obsessive hunter, and our hero, in an arctic wilderness.

Next up is a classic tale from Uncanny X-Men #268 (1990), Madripoor Knights, a contemporary tale which also flashes back to World War II. Here a pre-claws and adamantium skeleton-ed Logan teams with Captain America and the Black Widow (sort of), whilst beating the stuffings out of arch-Nazi Baron Strucker and the ever insidious ninja gang, The Hand. Claremont’s story is illustrated by the then rising star Jim Lee.

The longest story in the book is taken from Wolverine’s own comic (vol. 1. issues # 150-153, published in 2000) as writer/artist Steve Skroce constructs an epic confrontation against insurmountable ninja odds when Wolverine has to rescue his adopted daughter from the clutches of a Yakuza gang-lord or become the unwilling weapon in a battle for underworld supremacy of Japan. Blood Debt is seventy-seven action-packed, gore filled pages that nevertheless manages to maintain enough decorum to keep an all-ages rating, something of a mutant miracle in itself.

Accompanying these tales are featurettes and commentary culled from the pages of the fan magazine Wizard, covering such diverse topics as Wolverines Greatest Foes, blueprints for his skeleton, the best and worst costumes of the last thirty years, and even “what if Wolverine had been a woman?”

© 1980, 1983, 1988, 1990, 2000, 2006 Marvel Characters, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

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Uncanny X-Men: Alan Davis Omnibus

Uncanny X-Men: Alan Davis Omnibus

By Chris Claremont and Alan Davis

(Marvel/Panini UK)  ISBN 1-905239-40-8

(A BRITISH EDITION RELEASED BY PANINI UK LTD)

Alan Davis has been a feature of the US comics scene — and a source of pride to his fellow Brits — for over twenty years now, so a compendium of his work is probably long overdue. It is, then, with mixed feelings that I have to say this is a joy and a disappointment as a package.

As always, his beautiful and influential picture-making is well worth the price of admission, especially when inked by his long-term collaborator, the masterful Mark Farmer, but the editors, by selecting such recent material (Uncanny X-Men issues #444-447, 450-451 and 455-459, – all from the last three years) have deprived newer readers of some wonderful tales. Not to mention ignoring the fact that Mr Davis is a writer of no mean ability himself.

Still, what is here is pretty good, as Chris Claremont scripts some rip-roaring tales featuring time-warps, Sentinels, an unstoppable robot Fury, a teenaged girl Wolverinette, and an all-out Battle Royale in the antediluvian Savage Land against the dinosaur counterparts of the Mutant superheroes for the fate of humanity on Earth, all of which show the range and versatility of the artist. Now if we can just work on a second volume…

© 2004, 2005, 2006 Marvel Characters, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

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Marvel Masters: The Art of Jim Lee

Marvel Masters: The Art of Jim Lee 

By various & Jim Lee

(Marvel/Panini UK)  ISBN 1-905239-41-6

(A BRITISH EDITION RELEASED BY PANINI UK LTD)

Since Jim Lee launched himself into the comics arena a lot has changed – and he’s been responsible for a large part of it. So a retrospective volume makes sense for any publisher which owns a large portion of his output. This thick tome contains some of his earliest work for Marvel (Alpha Flight issues #58-60, written by Bill Mantlo and inked by Al Milgrom) wherein he learned the trick to drawing huge casts of characters, and his first real successes (Punisher War Journal #6-7, written by Carl Potts), a visceral team-up of the Punisher and Wolverine, before concentrating on the X-Men runs that made his name and prompted his bid for independence.

From Uncanny X-Men #256-258 (scripted by Chris Claremont) comes a hi-octane, turbulent and perhaps over-blown battle with arch “Yellow Peril” stereotype The Mandarin, whose part in a super-villain pact has him attempt to destroy the misunderstood mutants as part of the “Acts of Vengeance” comic event. Don’t worry about it. There’s lots of semi-naked, exotic women, ninjas, big guns and shouting and hitting – just what every fan at the end of the 1980s demanded. And there’s plenty more where that came from in the last story-arc, reprinting X-Men #4-7, scripted by John Byrne and Scott Lobdell from Lee’s plots. This one features a glimpse into Wolverine’s past as a spy and the menace of Omega Red, a commie mutant whose touch can kill. Have no fear, though, the levels of angsty, hyper-tense testosterone remain at critical levels through-out.

Jim Lee’s work at Marvel shaped a generation of artists and his popularity directly led to the artist breakaway that resulted in Image Comics and a revolution in the industry. Although the work is a little unrelenting in tone, these stories are important and should be seen by a newer, wider audience. They’re quite well drawn, after all.

© 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 2006 Marvel Characters, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

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Captain Britain Vol 1: Birth of a Legend

Captain Britain Vol 1: Birth of a Legend
Captain Britain

 

By Claremont, Friedrich, Trimpe & Kida

(Marvel/Panini UK) ISBN 1-905239-30-0

(A BRITISH EDITION RELEASED BY PANINI UK LTD)

Marvel UK set up shop in 1972, reprinting their earliest successes in the traditional weekly papers format, swiftly carving out a corner of the market – although the works of Lee, Kirby et al had been appearing in other British comics (Smash!, Wham!, Pow!, Eagle, Fantastic!, Terrific!, and the anthologies of Alan Class Publications) since their inception.

In 1976 they decided to augment their output with an original British hero – albeit in a parochial, US style and manner – in a new weekly, although fan favourites Fantastic Four and Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. reprints filled out the issues. One bold departure was the addition of full colour printing up front for the new hero, and the equivalent back quarter of each issue.

Unremarkable even by its own standards at the time, this first compilation volume (featuring issues #1 through 23) of Captain Britain’s adventures reads quite well in the hyper-tense 21st century. There is a matter-of-fact charm and simplicity to the adventures that is sorely missed in these multi-part, multi-issue crossover days, and the necessity to keep attentions riveted and hungry for more in eight page instalments sweeps the willing reader along. Chris Claremont was given the original writing assignment apparently due to his being born here, Herb Trimpe the pencilling chores because he was actually resident here for awhile. Gary Friedrich eventually replaced the unhappy Claremont, but the artist, inked by golden age legend Fred Kida (Airboy, The Heap) provided rip-roaring art for this entire first volume. Future artists will include John Buscema, Alan Davis, and, if the publishers include the Black Knight strips from Hulk Weekly, John Stokes.

As for content, if you like old fashioned Marvel-style comics you’re in for a treat, as young Brian Braddock learns how to be a hero with help from the likes of Nick Fury and Captain America, not to mention Prime Minister James Callaghan, against the likes of Hurricane, The Vixen, Doctor Synne, Mastermind and even the Red Skull. The only possible quibble to endure is the petty annoyance of the volume ending mid-story, although the next volume is not too far away, apparently. If this sort of stuff doesn’t appeal, you might consider that these stories are pivotal to understanding the Alan Moore, X-Men and Excalibur tales of the last twenty years. Or the fact that there’s a free Captain Britain mask with the book. Not so easy to resist now, huh?

© 1977, 2007 Marvel Characters, Inc. All Rights Reserved.