Thoughts

First things first – I love this cover. I miss speech bubbles on comic book covers. Tantalising words are a great hook just as much as the image. The look of Vindicator is striking, but the text pulls me in. Alongside the “WANTED: WOLVERINE DEAD or ALIVE” box*, you get everything you need to know to want to read the issue.

And it is absolutely an issue worth reading. I mentioned at the end of the last issue how rushed the conclusion of the Cosmic plot was. By contrast the opening of this issue takes its time with the X-men returning home. And its absolutely glorious. Claremont does this downtime beautifully well, the characters all getting their moments that just make us like them more.

Of course, the storytelling feels relaxed as the characters are enjoying this downtime, but the writing is economical and razor sharp. Just take in the pages where Nightcrawler bamfs from Colossus to Cyclops. Not a word is wasted, and so much story and character in conveyed.

Even when they go on the picnic, the mutants letting their hair down is scope for more of this excellent storytelling. Storm and Colossus have their own conversation, subtly different to his one with Nightcrawler, the contrast illuminating more about their characters. And then the action kicks in.

You would think “Canadian government sends hero to recover their wayward agent at a picnic” would be the sort of plot from a parody, a dig at what an underwhelming storyline might be. Except its not. Its original and gripping. We learn more of Wolverine’s backstory and we get an antagonist who clearly isn’t a bad guy. It’s a quick, but as ever visually interesting, fight and the unresolved nature of it at the end doesn’t feel like a cheat. It feels like a promise of great things to come.

*I mean that box is not strictly accurate. They don’t want Wolverine dead at all. Still, it works so well as a hook.

Fun Panel

Sometimes going the basics right is all you need! Glorious.

None More Claremont

“We are what we are Scott — wishing won’t change a thing. Nor will feeling sorry for yourself. I learned very early on that I must either accept what I am, or go mad and though I am now occasionally crazy I am not insane.”

It’s a great issue for Nightcrawler’s character this, alongside preaching a very Claremontian holmily

It was a Product of its Time

Oh look. Storm gets naked again.

Mutant Mailbag Mayhem

The arrival of Phoenix gets lashings of praise, but the biggest revelation here is that Claremont is just twenty-six years old. Why, Chris, you’re just a whippersnapper! Realising that with all the great issues coming up we’re dealing with someone in their twenties is pretty humbling.

And keeping with the page’s admirable dedication to honesty and transparency, they finish by warning us all that the next issue is going to be another fill-in.