The Best There Is: Wolverine appreciation

[nnelg]

yet again marvel lets me down. There is only one wolverine and this is logan (not even old man logan whose concept and storyline, in my opinion, is highly idiotic)

this.........

[Jackraow21]

Don't know how long it lasts but I hope OML is the only alternate Logan staying around. There doesn't need to be more.

Agreed. And he's the best version of Logan anyway IMO. And from the reactions at other places online and on Twitter, I'm certainly not alone in thinking that.

[Bl00dwerK]

Will we ever see the REAL Wolverine again?

[sfgiantsfanmike]

Will we ever see the REAL Wolverine again?

wolverine3.jpg

Here you go

(sorry, couldn't resist!)

[Bl00dwerK]

wolverine3.jpg

Here you go

(sorry, couldn't resist!)

He's cute!

[berserkerclaw]

I'm sure we will see him eventually. When marvel desiderate to milk an event and bring him back to life. But there gonna try this and see if it sells. Mainly cause a lot of people think old man Logan is better then as, they, put it the sellout wolverine lol. I do wonder when exactly they knew they planned for Laura and old man.

[Tunasammiches]

Marvel wants us to miss wolverine. Heck I think it's working because I don't think I've ever seen the wolverine appreciation thread until now.

[RLAAMJR.]

Will 616 Wolverine's return be delayed if X-23's ongoing solo as the new Wolverine will keep on selling well?

[Bl00dwerK]

Marvel wants us to miss wolverine. Heck I think it's working because I don't think I've ever seen the wolverine appreciation thread until now.

I have a great appreciation for Claremont's Wolverine, just not what he became afterwards. He could be awesme again if written the correct way and not just AAAARRRRRRR CYCLOPS!

[Jackraow21]

OML to me feels very much like the Claremont version. I think that's why I like him so much. That, and I love Unforgiven. Such an awesome movie.

[Bl00dwerK]

OML to me feels very much like the Claremont version. I think that's why I like him so much. That, and I love Unforgiven. Such an awesome movie.

I will admit the one issue of Old Man Logan I've read, the Secret Wars one, is the best I've seen him since Zeb Wells stint on Savage Wolverine...

[Jumbo]

Poor Old Man Logan...

[berserkerclaw]

Yeah. Like the issue. Though it could have been better

[a0040pc]

Issue Information
Title- Alpha Flight (Volume 1) #33
Release Date- April 1986
Writer- Bill Mantlo
Artist- Sal Buscema

Major Notes
First appearance of Yuriko Oyama as Lady Deathstrike. Features the X-Men

Brief Summary

A Friend In Need

Heather Hudson in her new Guardian outfit flies through the Canadian skies and she is noticed by many people. She thinks about her late husband the original Guardian and also how his suit was recreated after his death. She wanted her teammates to tutor her into using her powers but they refused so she is flying to a place where she thinks that she can find help.

She flies over the ocean and doesn’t realise that former Alpha Flight member Marrina who has taken on a more monstrous form. After her alien origins were revealed to her teammates she has fled. She is being followed by a submarine that she recognises as being Atlantian technology. He tries to flee by diving and she swims quicker than the submarine can keep up with. Inside the submarine it is being commanded by the villainous Attuma. He orders the crew to follow her as he intends to use her as bait against her former lover Namor. Marrina swims down to the dar depths and when she thinks that she is safe she suddenly feels pain in her adoman and she screams in pain.

Thousands of miles away Snowbird is suffering a similar affliction. Her boyfriend Thompson is by her side and he has called in a doctor to try and help her. He isn’t happy that he has been kept in the dark about this but he does try to help her. He gives her an injection but suddenly warns them not to touch her in an inhuman voice. She transforms into an owl, then a polar bear and then reverts to normal. Neither men know what just happened but they begin to fear the worse.

At the Alpha Flight headquarters the team are trying to figure out where Heather might have gone. Puck feels guilty since she came to him for guidance and he turned her down because he was afraid that she would die like her husband. Some of his teammates see his point of view while others believe that he was being selfish. They argue about this for a few moments and they all come to the conclusion that she must be found. Box heads over to the computers while Puck sneaks off. He has figured out where she is heading and goes there to help her. He is in love with her and it is known by many of his teammates.

Heather has reached the United States and more importantly to Upstate New York. She is trying to find the X-Mansion and all she has to go with is a picture sent to her by Wolverine. She is able to spot the mansion and as she flies in the X-Men see her and at first think that it is some kind of attack. Wolverine recognises the suit and tells the team to stand down. Magneto does blast her with a magneto pulse much to Wolverine’s anger. The team recognise the suit and Nightcrawler teleports up to Heather to try and save her but the suit repulses him. It is up to Rogue who flies up and catches her before she returns to the ground. The team realises that it is Heather and not James MacDonald in the suit. Wolverine carries her away since this a personal matter. The X-Men allow him to go about this by himself.
Miles away on a Japanese ship the crew notice their target. The woman in charge is Yuriko Oyama who is now calling herself Lady Deathstrike.

Later Wolverine is driving in the car with the still unconscious Heather next to him. She wakes up and she remembers that the X-Men attacked her. She asks him to teach her how to use her power but Wolverine calls her nits. In anger Heather steps out of the car and walks into the woods. She is upset and she wishes to be alone but he follows and states that he didn’t say that he wouldn’t help her. He agrees to help her no questions asked just like she once helped him.

It was long ago in the Canadian wilderness that the recently married James and Heather are trekking through the frozen landscape. They are talking and they don’t see a man tracking them. It is Wolverine who pounces on James and attacks him, Heather has no choice but to shoot him and as the couple recover they see Wolverine’s wounds are healing. They know that he will die of exposure if they leave him and with some reluctance they take him back to their cabin.

Wolverine is tied down to a bed while James tries to contact Department H. He can’t get through so he has to leave so that he can get a medevac helicopter. Heather doesn’t want to be left alone with this wild man but he convinces her that it is for the best. She is scared when he has gone and she tends to Wolverine all night. Unfortunately in the morning there is a strong blizzard and Heather knows that her husband can’t get though that. She begins to cry but at that point Wolverine wakes up. He extends his claws and cuts off the rope which is keeping him tied down. At first Heather doesn’t notice this and gets angry at him over what has happened. They are both shocked to see the claws and rather than attacking her Wolverine retreats into himself, Heather realises that someone has done this to him and she tends to him.

In the present day Wolverine finishes off his flashback and he reveals that he can’t remember anything before then. They both remember how James helped Wolverine with the beast inside him but he states that it was Heather who truly helped. He did love her but he knew that she would never leave James and Heather realises that he left Department H because he couldn’t have her. He respected James too much to ruin his marriage so he kept his distance from them and eventually joined the X-Men. He states that he is still there to protect her but she becomes angry and states that she doesn’t need protecting. She uses her suit to fire a couple of energy blasts to vent her anger.

Wolverine agrees to help her and strips down to his costume. He explains what keeps a hero going and how Heather has enough guts to make it through. He still asks if he should train her as he knows that if he doesn’t she will hate him but if he does she could get killed. Reluctantly he agrees but before he can start they are confronted by Lady Deathstrike and her soldiers. She demands that Wolverine returns what has been stolen from her.

My Thoughts

And now we come to the first (and probably only) issue of Alpha Flight in this blog. From the ending of it I wish I had the following issue so that I can continue this story but alas that is one issue that I don’t possess.

The most important thing about this issue is that it is the first appearance of Yuriko Oyama as Lady Deathstrike. Before this she appeared in a few issues of Daredevil a couple of years ago and I believe that this is the first time that we have seen her since then. She has changed a lot although from this appearance she looks to be like a samurai type character and not the claw wielding cyborg that she is most remembered for. I don’t think I’ve seen such a change in a character like this. Going from a one-time ally for a superhero to becoming a genuine threat and recurring villain to an even more popular superhero. Either way it is impressive.

The issue does feature the X-Men although as you read Wolverine is the one who was featured the most and more importantly we got the first snippet of his past. To my knowledge this is the first time that we have ever had any kind of flashback of Wolverine before his tussle with the Incredible Hulk. All we know at this point was that he once lived in the Canadian wilderness and that he was shocked to see his claws for the first time after losing his memories. The flashback does leave a lot of questions which will be answered over a long period of time.

For Alpha Flight there were a lot of little things going on with each of the members. Marrina is being targeted to be used as bait against Namor. I wonder if that will involve the Avengers since he is currently a member. Snowbird has what seems to be a deity within her and Puck loves Heather Hudson dearly. I did think that Box was a bit of an ass but since I don’t read Alpha Flight I don’t have the full picture.

Heather was obviously the most important member of Alpha Flight in this issue. I gather from the comments in this issue is that she has been able to recreate the suit that her husband Guardian wore. She has felt powerless as the leader of Alpha Flight and the fact that she doesn’t have any powers. This is her way of being on their level and I think she first turned to Puck for help but because he is afraid that she will die like her husband he turned her down. That is why she turned to the X-Men and more importantly Wolverine. I guess if anyone wants to learn to use superpowers the X-Men is the best place to go.

In conclusion I’m giving the issue an 8 out of 10. It was a good read and it was interesting to see some of Wolverine’s past.

Next Issue
X-Factor (Volume 1) #3

[a0040pc]

Issue Information
Title- Uncanny X-Men (Volume 1) #205
Release Date- May 1986
Writer- Chris Claremont
Artist- Barry Windsor-Smith

Major Notes
Wolverine centred issue. Features Energizer.

Brief Summary

Wounded Wolf

In a place called the Body Shop Lady Deathstrike is being reconstructed into a cyborg. The one responsible for this is Spiral who has also reconstructed three former Hellfire Club guards into cyborgs. Lady Deathstrike extends the claws on her hands for the first time and swears that she is now ready for Wolverine. She does wish to become her original self again once Wolverine is dead and Spiral agrees to this. The group prepare themselves for Wolverine who each of them hate passionately.

It is a winter’s night in New York City as Power Pack member Energizer is in a washroom with Miss Randolph. She washes her hands and secretly uses her powers to instantly dry them. They go outside to try and rejoin the Choir but they are surprised with how the weather has turned. They hear someone yelling and through the thick snowfall and Energizer sees one of Lady Deathstrike’s men shooting. In the confusion she loses Miss Randolph but comes face to face with an injured Wolverine. Energizer has no idea what is happening but a police car arrives and Wolverine is forced to grab her and make a retreat. She is still very confused and all of her efforts to make him release her fail so she is forced to use her powers. This does the trick and she suits up to protect herself from the elements and she sees Wolverine getting up. She doesn’t know whether he wishes to help or harm her. She tries to talk to him but he can’t speak and she can see that there is blood all over him.

Energizer still doesn’t have that much of an idea what is truly gotten on but she has gotten lost but Wolverine growls when his attackers are close. She tries to help him get away and she even tries to find a telephone so that she can contact someone for help. They are still being tracked and they eventually run into a taxi. They hurry inside where Energizer pretends that Wolverine is her uncle and that he has been beaten up by a gang. Before they can drive away Wolverine’s attacks fire at the car destroying it. Wolverine is able to get Energizer and the driver out but it causes him even more damage. He walks out but he is on fire and almost collapses. He grabs her and runs away as the shooting continues but they fall into a construction site. Energizer is annoyed by what happened but she soon apologises for her outburst. She hears Wolverine muttering in Japanese as he extends his claws and states that he knows her. He cries out and she even tries to keep him warm but they notice that the attackers will soon be upon them. Wolverine is more stable than he was as his powers are healing his mind as well and they quickly move away.

The attackers do spot Wolverine but Lady Deathstrike wants the honours of killing him herself. Energizer offers to help Wolverine take them down but he declines as she has already helped him enough. He knows that this is a grudge match and simply tells her to trust him.

Wolverine hides under some flooring and when one of the attackers walks onto it he strikes. His attack is fatal for a normal human being but the cyborg survives as Lady Deathstrike and the last attacker approach. The final attacker does find himself face to face with Wolverine and shoots him. It seemingly kills him but as he approaches Wolverine’s body the X-Man stabs him right in the chest and is seemingly killed.

All that is left now is Wolverine and Lady Deathstrike although he doesn’t recognise her. She extends her claws and the two engage in combat. He does recognise her eventually as Yuriko Oyama and she claims to be there to take revenge for her deceased father. He knows that her father’s dreams were that of a fool but she doesn’t listen to him as she slashes him. She is close to victory but Wolverine gains the upper hand and takes her down with a flurry of attacks. He sees what she has truly done to herself so that she can try and take her revenge and he can’t believe that someone would do that t themselves. After everything that Lady Deathstrike has put him through he refuses to kill her and walks away. She begs for him to give her a fitting end but he ignores her.

Wolverine walks back to Energizer who has kept her eyes shut the entire time. He tells her that it is safe to open her eyes again. When she asks what happens he explains how he has developed over time from animal back into a man and how some people can’t change their old ways. She knows that he is talking about Lady Deathstrike and she admits that she is a little scared of him. They then walk together as the weather improves and he states that he is taking her home.

My Thoughts
Now we come to a very interesting issue of the Uncanny X-Men which highlighted Wolverine in one of his toughest battles to date. Never before has he faced such odds against such opponents who have sacrificed their own humanity just to get one over on him. Although they were promised to be restored when the job was done I don’t think that happens since Lady Deathstrike and her cronies have popped up several times over the last three decades.

Once again we have the art of Barry Windsor Smith who illustrated the two Lifedeath issues (which featured Storm) and he definitely brings something to the issue that is beautiful. I have only read this issue in B&W but I think I would have appreciated the art more if I had seen it in colour like the majority of readers have. Even from my reprinted version I can see why it is held in high regard and the cover itself is one of the most famous in the entire series. Not as much as say #137 or #141 but you get what I’m going for here.

This issue also features Energizer from Power Pack who has met Wolverine on two occasions before this issue. The first in an issue of the Uncanny X-Men when she and her siblings were kidnapped by the Morlocks and an issue of Power Pack where he and Kitty Pryde went to her house for Thanksgiving. This is definitely her most significant encounter with him as she helped him through a difficult time and he made sure that she didn’t see anything that would mentally scar her.

This is the third story to feature Lady Deathstrike. Her first was when she was just plain Yuriko Osama in a plot in the Daredevil series, the second was the last couple of issues of Alpha Flight (which sadly I only have the first part) and finally this one. This is also the issue where she gets turned into the adamantium laced cyborg that we all know and love today. I still somewhat don’t get her grudge against Wolverine since in the Daredevil story she was against her father and I believe she even had a hand in his death. Now she acts as if he was the best dad in the world and that somehow Wolverine stole his work of bonding adamantium to bone (even though it was Department H and the Weapon X program who did the deed). It is almost like blaming the survivor of a car crash when they were not the one responsible for what happened.

The setting of the issue was interesting, having it all take place in a snow storm is something that we haven’t seen too often and the fact that it was in a populated area rather than an arctic wilderness was something to take note of. It did help progress the story and give Wolverine and Energizer time to move without really being spotted.
In conclusion I’m giving the issue an 8 out of 10. It was a really good read that all X-Men fans should pick up.

Next Issue
X-Factor (Volume 1) #4