Wolverine & Captain America (& Ms. Marvel, but she is a girl and doesn't deserve billing)

Wolverine & Captain America by Tom Derenick
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

This was a throw away plot with horrible art. My 9 and 12 year olds where even making fun of it. I mean look at that lady's poor baby. The artist also needs to think about consistancy. For example: One panel shows Wolverine taking fire from multiple different angles and the next panel shows the people shooting him were very close to each other. The panels also didn't tell the story very well, it jumps from action pose to action pose but a lot of the time you are left wondering how you got from one place to the next. I don't know who signed off on this or the leather jacket open at the top exposing wolverine's chest costume, but they need to work on quality control a bit more.

Oh, and so the writer doesn't feel left out. Why on Earth would you send a very important myster chip from the X-Mansion to the Avenger's Mansion on foot, by forge, unescorted? Nevermind how anyone other than the X-men even knew of its existance and no one even knew what the thing did so why would they want to steal it. You think something is important and others are actively seaking it do you A.) fly it over in the blackbird, B.) Gather up whatever strong mutants you have lying around and have them take it over, likely using vehicles, or C.) Give it to the mutant whose ability is to understand technology and have him walk from Westchester to Manhattan. I mean forge could have built a car out of a discarded walkman and a roller skate; why the heck is he walking?

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Weapon X

Wolverine: Weapon X by Barry Windsor-Smith
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is the adamantium origin story. It is kind of a sacred cow, but I just thought it pretty good. Wolverine spends most of the story in a tank and is actually never referred to as Wolverine in the story. What really detracts from the book is the layout. It is sometimes hard to tell which panels are supposed to be read first. Also, the dialague moves in a U shape in those panels. It took me a few panels to actually figure that out. The art was pretty good, but was somewhat inconsistant. One panel towards the front sticks out where Logan is in his car and he is just way too huge, unless it was a go cart. Logan himself seems to be the runt he is in some panels and hugely massive in others.

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The Wolverine- Spoiler free movie review

Hugh Jackman brought the Wolverine to the screen this weekend with his 5th film playing the character. I guess you could say 6th if you count his cameo in First Class. This take was much better than the last outing, X-Men origins: Wolverine. I know, how could it get worse? The good news is that the trailer is right; this is the Wolverine movie that fans have been waiting for. It isn't as light as Avengers and it isn't as dark as Dark Knight. It falls somewhere in the middle where I think it should. I can say that it was a more entertaining film than Man of Steel. Acting: Jackman was able to make the character seem somewhat fresh. After all these outings, that is fairly remarkable. The Japanese cast were very good as well. I thought the portrayal of viper was a bit over the top, but everything about that character was over the top. It was a contrast to the more human wolverine and not a different mutant every scene. The story borrows heavily from The Ronin storyline from the 80s, this is not a bad thing. It isn't 100% faithful, no where near, but you can tell they were trying and it was closer than anything else the Fox/X-Men franchise has put out. They even had the iconic image from the comics of Logan filled with arrows. The smaller scale fits the Wolverine character as a man that heals well and has claws can't really be expected to save the universe by his lonesome. Thankfully, this one isn't a cameo filled extravaganza where you have to try and figure out how Emma Frost is Silver Fox's little sister that somehow is deaged from the first class movie. It did manage to surprise me in a few spots. The movie was a lot of fun and you should stay for the stinger.

Hisako/Armor - NCCW

X-Men First Class, Why I am Leary



Fake First Class

 No, it isn't because the last two installments of the X-universe have been sub par and the first two only really par, trying to force more movie into the movie than they could possibly hold.  No, I am leary because the story isn't cannon.  I have heard the arguement that comics discard cannon at will and that no one really knows what is cannon anymore.  While that is somewhat true it is also a lie. 

Origin stories are generally well established and not ignored or rewritten (unless there Crisis is in the title somewhere).  People who read comics that tell an alternate universe version or retelling of a story, usually understand what is being undone and sometimes they even get why.  Movie audiences who, by the number of comics marvel sells every month, are not buying comics, may not know the "real" or "going" history of the characters.  The movie then becomes the established origin and the comics, in order to sell to the newly interested movie goers, have to change so that the new readers won't get confused.  We saw it when the original X-Men came out and all of a sudden Wolverine's claws started popping out at a different spot and all the costumes got changed (that happened to be one of the times that I threw down comics vowing never to read them again).

real first class

The Wolverine movie was an especially hard slap in the face.  Marvel had done the Wolverine Origin specifically so it wouldn't be done in movie form first.  The Origins story was excellent and lead into a history of both Wolverine and Sabretooth.  Then the Wolverine movie comes out and covers this awesome work, poorly, with a 5 minute montage.  The name of the movie by the way was X-Men Origins: Wolverine.  It could have been excused if the movie would have just been the origin of how he joined the X-Men, but that was done in the first movie and this was just a vehicle to introduce about a million additional mutants.

Let me put it to you this way.  Say they remade Superman (I know, a stretch).  In this remake they decided that Lex Luthor was also from Krypton and that no one knew Lana Lang so they made Lois his high school sweet heart.   It completely changes the story. 

Well, X-Men: First Class doesn't involve the first class as was written.  Although 20 some odd years younger than Superman, the X-Men origin is firmly grounded in the psyche of the comic reader.  Why do screen writers think that they need to rewrite this.  If you are going to rewrite the origin, why would you do it with seemingly random characters from all over the X-Men continuity.  Why not just make up mutants specifically for the movie.  Why not tell the classic stories in a way that does them honor. 

Yes, I am sceptical of first class.  It is getting positive reviews, but I don't know that these reviewers read comics.  It being a good movie is completely different than it being a good comic book movie based on a franchise that I grew up with and love.  I am not asking for a recreation of the source material, I only want it shown respect.  Stop irresponsibly milking my youth for money. 

Wolverine and Jubilee - A to Z- New Comic Content Wednesday

It was destiny.  I had no idea that two of my favorite characters were doing a team up.  I knew that Jubilee was one of the mutants depowered by the events of house of M.  I had heard she was now a vampire, but I hadn't read any recent X-Men storylines.  I stopped by the comic shop to just burn some time, and there it was. 

Wolverine and Jubilee #1.  The cover is pretty awesome, even if it would confuse a new reader as to which one is wolverine and which is Jubilee. 
The first issue is really good.  The writers capture that great dynamic between the two characters and bring them together in a unique way.  The second issue is still pretty good, but I was getting tired of emo Jubilee. The third issue starts the adventure and is okay.  The fourth issue ends the adventure and could have been better. 

Overall, the series was a bit rushed.  They had four issues to tell a story.  The key dynamic is the realtionship between Jubes and Logan.  As the series gets away from that it becomes less fun.  If they would have done a six or twelve issue arc with the same story, they could have told it better and actually had, I don't know, Wolverine and Jubilee actually together for more than a few panels in the third and fourth books.  The series starts strong and ends weaker.  It may read different in trade form and I may have to go back and read it all at once to see. 

10 Science Fiction/Fantasy/Comic movies that should be made

This is a blogfest post for Ellie Garrett's Top 10 films they should have made. 

1. I will start with the ubsurd-Yeast Lords.  They were already filming scenes for this in the movie Gentleman Broncos, so why didn't they just film it to completion to be released as a two disc set on DVD.  Sure it would have been horrible, but in an Ed Wood, we totally know that it is horrible type way. 

2.  In 1985 Clint Eastwood should have played Wolverine.  Sure he is too tall, but so is Hugh.  Special effects sucked back then but they could have done it better than the origins movie. 




3.  Armor-  This little known John Steakley novel is Awesome military sci-fi.  I love this book.  After watching Terminator TSCC I will say that you cast Bryan Austin Green as the lead. 

4.  The Wheel of time-  Hey Hollywood, you sick of trilogies, then try out this on going series that will keep you filming for 10 years.  Great thing about these books is that you can cut away at them (especially in the later books) and the fans won't care in the least.  In fact, cut everyone but the top 10 characters. 

5.  Ender's Game-  Uncle Orson is very protective of his baby and has full creative control over the rights.  Hollywood, just do the movie the way he wants it done, it will be successful.

6.  I Am Legend-  Don't tell me that they have made this movie three times, because they haven't.  I would give this to a Japanese psych horror director, maybe the guy that did Audition. 

7.  Mists of Avalon-This would have to be a trilogy but the story is just so epic.  Not sure who could play the actors, but I am sure that Gary Oldman would make a great Kevin Harper.

8.  Predator:  Permanent Midnight- This is a great installment in the predator series and would work well as a stand alone movie. 

9.  Spiderman 2099-  Why remake/reboot the same old spiderman.  This future take on spederman is pretty awesome and could reinvigerate the franchize.  I pick Wilmer Valderrama to play Miguel.

10. Terminator:  TSCC-  Bring back the cast of this show and finish up the story line in one humdinger of a movie.