Wolverine #4 annotations
As always, this post contains spoilers, and page numbers go by the digital edition.
WOLVERINE vol 8 #4
“Lost and Found”
Writer: Saladin Ahmed
Artist: Martín Cóccolo
Colour artist: Bryan Valenza
Letterer: Cory Petit
Editor: Mark Basso
WOLVERINE:
Wolverine is trying to teach the Wendigo to hold on to its humanity, with moderate success. For fairly obvious reasons, he sees parallels between his own situation in Weapon X and Leonard’s transformation into a monster. They’ve sneaked across the border into the US, and Logan has rented a cabin to live in. (Logan’s dialogue says they crossed the border “two days ago” and a “few days” ago within the space of a page, but you get the idea.)
He shows up in costume to investigate an explosion in the area, even though he doesn’t regard himself as a superhero that anyone would want to be rescued by.
He gets a bit animalistic while fighting the Constrictor, but doesn’t cross any lines and recovers his composure soon enough. He attributes this to the length of time that he was living in the wilds.
X-Force #6 annotations
As always, this post contains spoilers, and page numbers go by the digital edition.
X-FORCE vol 7 #6
“The Devil is a Liar”
Writer: Geoffrey Thorne
Artist: Jim Towe
Colour artist: Erick Arciniega
Letterer: Joe Caramagna
Editor: Mark Basso
X-FORCE:
It’s been nearly a month since issue #5. With Surge dead and Sage having quit, X-Force has continued as a team of Forge, Tank, Captain Britain and Askani, and have been continuing to deal with more seemingly random threats.
Forge is dwelling on the loss of Surge and Sage by retreating into a virtual reality environment where he’s being “advised” by avatars of Storm and Mystique, apparently representing the “angel and devil on the shoulder” trope. Essentially Forge is trusting to ChatGPT for guidance, which is bound to work out well. Ultimately, though, he claims to be reconciled to his relationship with Storm being in the past.
“Storm” makes Sage’s argument from last issue that Forge is paying insufficient attention to the members of X-Force as people, while Mystique makes the argument that Forge himself has been advancing throughout the series about the overriding importance of carrying out the “mission” and trusting to his powers to guide them as to what needs done.
NYX #6 annotations
As always, this post contains spoilers, and page numbers go by the digital edition.
NYX vol 2 #6
Writers: Jackson Lanzing & Collin Kelly
Penciller: Michael Shelfer
Inkers: Michael Shelfer & Elisabetta D’Amico
Colourist: Raúl Angulo
Editor: Annalise Bissa
This issue is an informal crossover with Dazzler #4, which takes place on Wednesday. However, the link seems to be just that both stories take place at Dazzler’s New York concert, so you don’t need to know anything about the plot of Dazzler for this book.
THE CORE CAST:
Kiden Nixon is the narrator for this issue, though that isn’t made clear until the end. Presumably, she joins the regular cast here. So far as I can see, she hasn’t appeared outside flasbacks since X-23 #1 (2010), but Laura did talk about her in issue #2 in order to set up her return here. Laura is delighted to be reunited with Kiden, her “first” and “best” friend.
Kiden’s narration indicates that she’s been living on the streets and using her time-stop powers to hide away from the world. She was living in a camp of homeless mutants until everyone else got lured away by Mojo; she’s come to the Dazzler concert because she’s investigating him.
The weird colouring effects on pages 3 and 10 are meant to be a version of the rainbow aura effect that appeared in the original NYX when she used her time-stop powers; the rainbow image in page 6 panel 4 is Kiden stopping time in order to walk past security.
X-Men #8 annotations
As always, this post contains spoilers, and page numbers go by the digital edition.
X-MEN vol 7 #8
“Raid on Graymalkin, part 1”
Writer: Jed MacKay
Penciller: Ryan Stegman
Inkers: JP Mayer, Livesay & Ryan Stegman
Colourist: Marte Gracia
Letterer: Clayton Cowles
Editor: Tom Brevoort
This is officially the first part of the “Raid on Graymalkin” crossover which runs between X-Men #8-9 and Uncanny X-Men #7-8. In practice, though, the story really began with Beast being abducted in the previous issue; this issue confirms that he was taken to Graymalkin. Jubilee and Calico were abducted in last week’s Uncanny X-Men #6.
THE X-MEN (ALASKA)
The Beast hasn’t been treated as a team member thus far, but Cyclops calls him an X-Man here, and he introduces himself to Calico as an X-Man. So let’s go with that.
He’s been abducted to Graymalkin so that he can be extradited to Terra Verde. This refers back to the Krakoan-era X-Force series, where Beast took over the minds of the entire country; this was supposed to be part of the Beast’s corruption. In X-Force vol 6 #20 and Wolverine vol 7 #13, Terra Verde was freed and X-Force did a deal to keep the whole thing quiet for a fairly paltry one billion dollars. The whole story is and always was ridiculous, because it expects us to believe that the entire population of the country – who were aware that they were under mind control – decided to keep quiet about it for no good reason. But taken at face value, it was a crime against humanity, making the Beast a rare case where the Graymalkin authorities actually have a point.
Daredevil Villains #41: Black Spectre
DAREDEVIL #108-112 (March to August 1974)
“Cry… Beetle!” / “Dying for Dollar$!” / “Birthright!” / “Sword of the Samurai!” / “Death of a Nation?”
Writer: Steve Gerber
Penciller: Bob Brown (#108-109, 111), Gene Colan (#110, 112)
Inker: Paul Gulacy (#108), Don Heck (#109), Frank Chiaramonte (#110), Jim Mooney (#111), Frank Giacoia (#112)
Letterer: John Costanza (#108), Artie Simek (#109-110), Tom Orzechowski (#111), Annette Kawecki (#112)
Colourist: Petra Goldberg (#108-109, 112), Linda Lessmann (#110-111)
Editor: Roy Thomas
There are several noteworthy things about the Black Spectre arc. On the most basic level, it takes the book back to New York. Foggy Nelson, who we haven’t seen since issue #87, has been shot by a sniper, and Matt Murdock returns to Manhattan to help out. At first, the story presents this as a brief visit. But Matt won’t go back to San Francisco until issue #116, and even then it’s just to tie up loose ends. The reality is that from issue #108 onwards, this is a New York book again.
As for Moondragon, who was introduced with great fanfare in the last story, she’s instantly written out.
But that’s not the most striking thing about the storyline. Until now, Steve Gerber’s Daredevil has been a fairly normal comic, at least by the standards of Steve Gerber. Sure, there’s Angar the Screamer and his LSD powers. But the book has mostly stayed within normal Marvel parameters. Even when it’s ventured into stranger territory, it’s drawn on Jim Starlin concepts.
The X-Axis – w/c 25 November 2024
X-MEN: FROM THE ASHES INFINITY COMIC #25. By Tim Seeley, Eric Koda, KJ Díaz & Clayton Cowles. Apparently this is the final issue, though that really just means that they’re changing the name of the book. You can’t keep naming it after the relaunch forever, after all. It’s the end of the Thanksgiving arc with Beak and his family, and it doesn’t do anything that will come as a huge surprise. At the end of the last issue, Beak was downcast and depressed to learn that the Beast hadn’t been working on a cure for his daughter after all. In this issue, a chance encounter restores his sense of hope. It’s very sentimental – it’s playing the dying child card, after all – but you can get away with that in a holiday story. And it does get away with it, through some gentle pacing and some nicely observed detail both in writing and art. It’s a lot better than a summary makes it sound.
UNCANNY X-MEN #6. (Annotations here.) This is a transition issue between the “Red Wave” arc and the “Raid on Graymalkin” crossover – although you could equally bill it as the first part of “Raid on Graymalkin”, since it sees two of the main cast get captured and carted off to jail. But it’s got a fill-in artist, Javier Garrón, which might explain why it’s being classed as something separate. Good art, though – closer to Nick Bradshaw than regular artist David Marquez, but a clean line and a storng sense of body language suit the book.
Uncanny X-Men #6 annotations
As always, this post contains spoilers, and page numbers go by the digital edition.
UNCANNY X-MEN vol 6 #6
“The Change in Ourselves”
Writer: Gail Simone
Artist: Javier Garrón
Colourist: Matthew Wilson
Letterer: Clayton Cowles
Editor: Tom Brevoort
THE X-MEN:
Wolverine still hasn’t regained his eyesight, even though some time has obviously passed since the last issue (as Marcus has had time to get the Outliers into school). This is unusual for Wolverine but nobody comments on it, so it may just be an editorial decision to drag Wolverine’s healing powers back into more sensible territory than it’s been pitched at in recent years.
He explains that he’s depressed because he recently acquired a bottle of tequila for outliving the last of a bunch of army friends. We saw Logan collect this bottle from a dying friend near the start of issue #1, but the criteria for him “winning” it weren’t explained. Rogue‘s conclusion is that Wolverine has PTSD which has never been properly treated, which seems reasonable enough – many stories over the years have suggested that Wolverine’s healing factor attempts to deal with psychiatric injury but only in rather unhelpful ways, such as suppressing painful memories. Wolverine isn’t convinced, ahd points out that she isn’t a therapist.
Gambit proves surprisingly effective at persuading Calico to accept that she’s a mutant – he ascribes it to her needing a new parent figure. Parenthood is a major theme of this series so far, and the basic premise of Sarah Gaunt’s character.
The X-Axis – w/c 18 November 2024
X-MEN: FROM THE ASHES INFINITY COMIC #24. By Tim Seeley, Eric Koda, KJ Díaz & Clayton Cowles. Well, we’ve done the Thanksgiving stuff, so it’s time for the plot. There’s a reason of sorts for the Bohusk family to show up at the Factory without anyone expecting them, though it doesn’t exactly work. One of the kids is seriously ill, and the Beast is meant to be finding them a solution. But it turns out that conversation was back on Krakoa, and the current version of the Beast doesn’t know anything about it. Now, on a mechanical level, this doesn’t really work – what, the Beast said “drop by wherever I happen to be at Thanksgiving next year”? And if you stop to think about it, would that version of the Beast have actually done anything about it anyway, or would he just have been fobbing Beak off? But even so, it’s a good moment as Beast tries to bluff his way through the conversation and the penny drops for Beak that nobody’s been looking at this problem at all. That works, and Koda’s art really sells Beak as a beleaguered everyman.
EXCEPTIONAL X-MEN #3. (Annotations here.) You might question billing the trainee book as an X-Men title, but the comic itself is working. Okay, yes, there are a few suggestions around the edges here that Eve Ewing has some odd ideas about the extent of Kate and Emma’s early relationship, and the kids are remarkably relaxed about mind control… but the three new mutants are well defined characters, with Carmen Carnero’s art really helping to get their personalities across through their body language. And we have a distinct hook on the trainee book, with Kate wanting to help them to live in the normal world, Emma wanting to draw them into the X-Men’s orbit, and the kids having their own views on matters. It’s basically a character driven title relying on the regular cast for conflict, but it’s making that work. One of the successes of the “From the Ashes” period.
Storm #2 annotations
As always, this post contains spoilers, and page numbers go by the digital edition.
STORM vol 5 #2
“Death by Voodoo”
Writer: Murewa Ayodele
Artist: Lucas Werneck
Colour artist: Alex Guimarães
Letterer: Travis Lanham
Editor: Tom Brevoort
STORM:
Storm is still sick from her exposure to radiation in the previous issue; she’s coughing up blood and losing some of her hair. Nonetheless, she has no trouble taking down a group of pirates off the coast of Nigeria. the captain isn’t especially grateful. She wears a white costume for this, rather than the black one from last issue, so apparently she’s going to be cycling through the wardrobe.
For treatment, Storm heads to the Night and Daye Hospital for the Extramundane in Arkansas (see below), which she’s apparently learned about from the Avengers. The X-Men are apparently the only major superhero group not to contribute to this facility, although they’ve evidently never used it either. Still, Storm decides she ought to be making a contribution and hands over what she describes as a ruby that belonged to her mother. If this is meant to be the ruby from her 1970s costume, then that’s a continuity error, because X-Men vol 2 #60 already established that she stole that jewel from Candra. But maybe she just has two really big rubies lying around. Anyway, Storm learns that she has “radiation syndrome” which is going to kill her in six hours, and is packed off to Dr Voodoo for help.
Phoenix #5 annotations
As always, this post contains spoilers, and page numbers go by the digital edition.
PHOENIX #5
Writer: Stephanie Phillips
Artists: Alessandro Miracolo & Marco Renna
Colour artist: David Curiel
Letterer: Cory Petit
Editor: Annalise Bissa
PHOENIX
Last issue, Phoenix fought Gorr and was seemingly killed by him. The final page showed her body stirring, Perrikus’ narration talked about how she always came back stronger from death, and the final panel showed her coming back to life surrounded by the Phoenix Force effect. But… no, this issue opens with her just dead again, and she comes back to life on page 11 in a way that looks different. So god knows what we were meant to take from the final page of the previous issue, but in practice we should apparently just ignore it.
While dead, Jean meets Eternity, who gives her a pep talk about needing to think like a cosmic entity instead of an overpowered human. A similar point was made in issue #1 when she let Perrikus escape the prison. Eternity is basically arguing that if Jean is going to be Phoenix, then that means transcending her humanity and ascending outright to the Marvel pantheon of cosmic beings – even saving the odd planet here and there is small scale stuff.
