This is it. This is the volume of Wolverine and the X-men I was waiting for. Volume 8 collects Wolverine
and the X-men Annual #1 and issues #38-42. This is the last volume of the
series before it got rebooted and it’s the best volume of the series since the
first two volumes. With this final volume the Jason Aaron and the artists
demonstrate once again what the series is about. It’s also nice to be able to
look at the series as a whole. After concluding my reading of Wolverine and the X-men it is clear to
me that the series is yet another example of how the modern climate of
superhero comics negatively affected the quality of this and other comics.
Wolverine and the
X-men has been disrupted by event storylines on three occasions. Several issues
where spent telling tie-in issues to Avengers
vs. X-men, two issues completed wasted as part of the X-men: Battle of the Atom event, and finally the annual issue was
linked to the events of Infinity. Thankfully
for two of these events (Avengers vs.
X-men and Infinity) Aaron was
able to tell engaging stories despite editorial requirements to make his story
work in tandem with the larger story of the Marvel Universe. The downside is that
it completely undermines any momentum the series had built at the time the
event storylines intruded.
The annual issue is a good example of how Aaron tells a well-crafted
story while also meeting the requirements of a tie-in issue. The issue is set
during the time of the event comic Infinity.
I haven’t read it but it appears as though there was an intergalactic conflict
of some sort between ancient beings who allied themselves (I think) to Thanos.
Their goal, naturally, is the destruction of Earth or some such thing. Instead
of focusing on the larger story of Infinity,
Aaron uses the galactic conflict as a backdrop to tell an engaging and
heartfelt story about Kid Gladiator, son of Gladiator of the Shi’ar Empire. The
story develops his character while also solidifying it since his behaviour remains
consistent with how he’s been portrayed since the beginning of the series.
Aaron gives you just enough information regarding the plot of Infinity to help you understand what is
going on in the comic but, in the end, it doesn’t really have to do anything
with that series. It’s simply a story about Kid Gladiator (real name Kubark)
and how attending the Jean Grey School for Higher learning has changed him.
The annual issue also reinforces one of the themes of
Aaron’s run which is that mutants aren’t specific to humans or to Earth. He
broadens the idea of what a mutant is or can be. Aaron even goes so far as to
demonstrate the idea of what mutantkind by focusing on the element of being
significantly different than other people in your social surrounding or being
completely unique. By comparing the social and political structure of the
Shi’ar Empire and that of Earth, specifically Wolverine’s school, Kid Gladiator
realizes that mutants’ celebration of individual and collective differences is
what makes them better people. It’s personal growth through mutual
understanding and appreciation. I can’t remember the last time I read an annual
issue that worked so well on its own and also skilfully developed the series’
themes. It’s a stellar issue and Nick Bradshaw kills it on the art. It’s
bombastic, as befits a story focusing on Kid Gladiator smashing enemy
spaceships in space. There are tons of explosions and space battles while also
having quite a bit of uniquely designed characters which Bradshaw illustrates
very well using his signature style.
The second story is titled “The Wolverine School for
Gifted Youngsters”. It is pencilled by Pepe Larraz and it’s quite good. The first
issue of this three-part story does two things. It set-ups the new story while
also re-contextualizing the series, its characters and the setting of the
school. The last storyline before the annual, “The Hellfire Saga”, did a poor
job of using some of the main students and new characters from throughout the
series. Aaron fixes that mistake by giving most of the characters a couple
panels in which to shine. It’s a good way to reacquaint the reader after the
interruption of the two tie-in issues of Battle
of the Atom. As for the rest of the story, Aaron uses a minor plot element
of Uncanny X-men (Mystique has
infiltrated S.H.E.I.L.D. by impersonating mutant liaison and former X-men
Dazzler) to setup his conflict between the Jean Grey School and the superhuman
policing force of the Marvel Universe, S.H.I.E.L.D.. It’s a quick and efficient
way to setup conflict.
These issues, much like the annual before it, do a great
job of bringing back some much needed thematic relevance to the series. Aaron
is in top form with these issues and he brings forth the idea that the X-men’s
inclusiveness and willingness to forgive and offer second chances results in a
grouping of rather dangerous, albeit very friendly individuals. However, as
Maria Hill, Commander of S.H.E.I.L.D., points out it’s difficult to tell who is
dangerous and who isn’t when looking at the X-men from an outside perspective.
Aaron shows us this dichotomy in perception during the covert conversations of
two new students at the Jean Grey School: Tri-Joey and Squidface. They’re
undercover operatives working for agent Dazzler. They’re using Mutant Growth
Hormone to give them mutant abilities in order to disguise themselves from
students and faculty. While Tri-Joey is reeling from the beauty and the
overwhelming positive feeling of the school Squidface is reacting more
negatively. She’s buying into her preconceived notion of mutants and the Jean
Grey School and she’s refuting all evidence that the school is actually a great
place and a safe haven for mutants and anyone who agrees with their values of
acceptance and celebration of differences.
While the students are defending their way of life inside
the school, Wolverine is destroying warehouses full of Sentinels after being
informed by Maria Hill that S.H.I.E.L.D. is stockpiling sentinels in case
mutantkind should ever get out of hand again, like they recently did during Battle of the Atom.
The third story is illustrated by by Pepe Larraz and Todd
Nauck and is called “The Heart of a Toad”. As the title suggest it focuses on
one of the background characters: Toad, the school’s janitor. For having
contributed to the events of “The Hellfire Saga” Toad is fired from his
position at the school. We follow him briefly as he attempts to make good with
the second chance Husk gives him only to fail and fall back on more sinister
lifestyle; a lifestyle he’s more familiar with. It’s a sad story but it fits
well in this volume. It provides the flip side of a lot of the themes in the
other stories which focused on the students. Many of the students have done
terrible things in the past (Idie, Quentin, Broo) but they’re all given the
opportunity and the encouragement to better themselves and try again. There is
an element of hope and unfulfilled potential that the adult characters attribute
to the young students. Unfortunately, the same kind of treatment isn’t given to
Toad and without encouragement or a support group (other than Husk’s attempt)
he quickly falls back on hard times. This story does a good job of wrapping up
Toad’s arc and it solidifies his link to the rest of the series.
The fourth story is made up of the final issue of the series
before it got rebooted. Tons of people contributed to the art: Nick Bradshaw,
Pepe Larraz, Ràmon Pérez, Shawn Crystal, Steven Sanders, Nuno Alves, Tim
Townsend and Chris Bachalo. Titled “Congratulations, You Survived the
Experience”, this is more of an epilogue as there isn’t much in the way of
conflict. We’re given a look at a possible future for some of the main
students. These futures are intercut with scenes in the present day where Aaron
gives us nice character moments. It’s a quiet story but it’s well executed and
it adds weight to the final issue of a much loved run on an X-title. It is
bittersweet, that’s certain, and I hope that Aaron gets the opportunity to
write another ongoing X-men title later in his career since I found him to be
really good.
Appropriately, the final volume of Wolverine and the X-men is about ending the series and wrapping up
plot threads. It’s surprising how much emotion and fun Aaron instils in these
issues. The series has focused on growing up, learning to accept your
responsibilities (most often seen through Wolverine’s viewpoint as a surrogate
parent and a role model), accepting who you are and creating a space where you
belong. Every single story in this volume reflects that and while it feels like
an ending, it also feels like a continuation of what’s come before (as it
should) and I also provides a glimpse at potential future stories.
Kid Gladiator’s story in Annual #1 is about accepting his
love for the Jean Grey School. The second story is about the students
collectively acknowledging the same thing but also putting in practice the most
important lessons they learned at the school: accepting others and celebrating
their differences. They fight the villains in this story not with their fists
but with open arms. The third story focused on Toad and second chances. Most of
the characters in this story have had more than one second chance but
unfortunately not everybody gets to prove their worth after screwing up. It’s a
slightly darker story than the rest in this volume but its inclusion
strengthens the series’ themes by providing an example of a life that has been
marred by continual hatred and abuse. The final issue tops it all off by
demonstrating that you can indeed learn, grow, and change for the better and in
some cases (like Quentin) you’ll become a better person without even realizing it’s
what you wanted to be all along.
I’m sad to see this series go, especially after such a
great volume. This is what superhero comics should aspire to be and we get so
few of them now because superhero publishers are busy pretending to tell
meaningful crossover event stories while being blind to the storytelling
potential of regular serialized ongoing series.
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