Writer: Jason Aaron

Artist: Chris Bachalo

Inkers: Tim Townsend and Jaime Mendoza

Letterer: Rob Steen

Cover: Chris Bachalo and Tim Townsend

Publisher: Marvel Comics

Last week the second issue of Wolverine and the X-Men hit shelves. With a lackluster first issue behind it, I’m left to wonder how Aaron and Bachalo can recover. Let’s take a look at issue two of Wolverine and the X-Men.

The Road So Far…

With the X-Men split into two camps, Cyclops and Wolverine lead two very different teams of X-Men headquartered in San Francisco and Westchester respectively. With the latter believing the younger X-Men shouldn’t be thrown into the heat of battle to protect mutantkind, Wolverine reopens the Professor Xavier’s school and dedicates it to Jean Grey. They have little time to settle in though as Kade Kilgore and his new Hellfire Club attack the school to continue their mission to profit off the world’s hatred for mutantkind.

What’s The Story?

Iceman comes to the rescue in issue two.

Two weeks prior to the Kilgore attack, we find Bobby and Logan standing on the grounds of the as yet to rebuilt mansion, where Logan asks Bobby to more than he ever has before. Present day, we find Bobby fully transformed into Iceman as he attempts to take down Kilgore’s latest creations as a part of a collective attempt to save the school from further destruction. While many have been left unconscious, Wolverine asks Rachel Grey to get into the minds of every staff member and student and wake them up. While Kilgore and his friends watch from afar, the second phase of their attack begins as the members from the board of education begin to transform into monstrous fiends to add to Wolverine’s troubles. That is but a distraction, as the new Hellfire Club launch mortars which open to reveal entire platoons of miniature, genetically-engineered combat troops that grow upon contact with air. As the soldiers open their attack by using flamethrowers to scorch the earth, buildings and possibly students, Wolverine’s team joins the fray to fend off the Hellfire Club’s troops. Strangely it’s Iceman who helps them gain the upper-hand once he transcends popular conceptions of him and becomes something “more” in Wolverine’s words. Creating a regiment of Icemen, Bobby successfully helps the X-Men fend off their attackers much to the distress of the Hellfire Club. Although upset at the latest development, they regain their composure and unleash Krakoa on Wolverine and his X-Men.

Unlike the previous issue of of this book, I feel like it at least worked towards pushing the story forward. With the issue centered around Iceman, the tone of the story switched a little bit from the previous issue and was at least entertaining. I still can’t get into Aaron’s seemingly kid-friendly Wolverine story and it feels like there’s very little substantial story here to maintain a solid hold on readers’ attentions. Although a fun book, the plot feels awkward with Wolverine as headmaster of the school, while very much of the plot feels thrown together for the sake of compiling a blockbuster story. The end result though feels bloated without any resemblance of literary nutritional value.

The new Hellfire Club sits atop a hill as their soldiers lay siege to Wolverine's school.

The Pretty, Pretty Pictures

Bachalo returns in the second issue of Wolverine and the X-Men, and with him is his trademarked, love it or hate it cartoonish art style. I personally dislike his work, which upon second thought may have more do with his colours than the work itself. Although his pencil work is odd and misshapen, his dull colouring doesn’t do the artwork any favours in improving its presentation on the page. In fact, the most vibrant aspects of the  pages are Steen’s letter-art lettering work, which is much more complicated than you would think.  Bachalo’s very unrealistic characters take quite a bit away from the book as a whole, and although Aaron’s story is hardly compelling, a book can often be saved by fantastic artwork. This unfortunately isn’t one of those situations. As with the first issue, Bachalo’s strong points are his tremendous landscapes, monstrous creations, and to his credit, changing the colouring tone of the pages featuring Bobby and Logan’s conversation two weeks prior to the Kilgore attack. I thought his Krakoa page looked fantastic, as did his rendering of Quintin Quire sitting in a lazy-boy chair holding a soft drink. There are aspects of Bachalo’s work I do like, the army of Icemen as another example, but it’s not enough unfortunately to make up for the rest of the book.

Final Thoughts

Although better than the previous issue, Wolverine and the X-Men #2 still doesn’t succeed in hooking my interest any more than its predecessor. Much of the plot feels cobbled together, using many of the X-Men’s classic threats to hurl Wolverine and his team into a sense of urgency as they try to reopen their fabled school of higher learning. Aaron excels at Wolverine stories, and while this at its heart is one, I feel like he’s ill-equipped at this point to tell a broader X-Men story beyond that of everyone’s favourite canucklehead. Wolverine and the X-Men is a good, kid-friendly book, but is one where the central character is used completely out of context and beyond its element. The end result is a hokey story that aspires to be something it can’t be.

Writer: Jason Aaron

Penciller/Colourist: Chris Bachalo

Inkers: Tim Townsend, Jaime Mendoza and Al Vey

Letterer: Rob Steen

Cover: Chris Bachalo

Publisher: Marvel Comics

The X-Men’s re-genesis is upon us, and one of the first titles of the new X-Men era features one of the more popular mutants in the X-universe, Wolverine, moving many former Utopians back across the United States to Westchester to re-open “the school.” Read on to find out more about the first day of classes for Wolverine and his X-Men.

The Road So Far…

The X-Men have fractured, split into two factions along ideological lines. With Cyclops remaining on Utopia with many of mutantkind’s heavy hitters, Wolverine now leads the next generation into the unknown as the new headmaster at the Jean Grey School for Higher Learning.

What’s the Story?

Inside the halls of the rebuilt mansion at 1407 Graymalkin Lane in Westchester, Wolverine and Professor Xavier tour the grounds as the latter lectures the former about the difficulties of running a school for mutants. Despite his residual apprehensions and uncertainty about what he’s gotten himself into, he joins Kitty the next day as Headmaster and Headmistress as they greet representatives from the Department of Education for a final tour of the school before they can be certified.   Yet, as they travel from room to room, things go from bad to worse with Beast even unable to smooth things over for the department representatives. If that weren’t enough, Wolverine comes face-to-face with the child responsible for the X-Men’s split: the new leader of the Hellfire Club, Kade Kilgore. After reassuring Wolverine he intended to destroy everything he built, the entire school is enveloped and attacked by a large, stone-like creature.

Logan and Xavier stroll through the newly rebuilt mansion at Westchester.

The first issue’s story was a bit of a let down. It walks us through the final preparations before the new school is in full operation and is subsequently halted both legally and in actuality as the younger leader of the Hellfire Club, Kade Kilgore, launches another attack on the X-Men. Although Aaron’s writing is rather well paced and evenly tells the story successfully, the content itself is rather light. There’s very little in this issue that was surprising or interesting, although the irony in Wolverine building a school for young mutants, only to then be attacked by a child is ever present and not lost in the slightest. The book as a whole, however, feels very watered down and targeted towards a younger audience, evident both in the dialogue and tone of Aaron’s story.

The Pretty, Pretty Pictures

Logan needs a drink to help him through the Department of Education's certification tour.

There was not a page within this book where I enjoyed the artwork. Bachalo’s style is too cartoonish and over-the-top, in many respects creating characters with huge gaping mouths and over-sized body parts, most commonly with Wolverine. I dislike how he draws his characters in this issue, as many look weirdly misshapen and unrealistic to the point it’s distracting. At the same time, he excels in creating highly detailed landscapes, notably the final pages where the mansion begins its first bout with destruction. Much like the story, I feel like the artwork could have been much better than what was offered.

Final Thoughts

This was a very dull first issue, which is not a good sign for the series. The story felt too relaxed, while Aaron’s inherent love for the Wolverine character is on full display as he puts Wolverine in positions and situations we would not otherwise see him in, and it feels awkward. The art and story work well together, but both fall flat and together create a rather disappointing  first issue. With all the hype surrounding these post-Schism books, Wolverine and the X-Men couldn’t have sputtered any worse. The issue felt a little too light-hearted and Aaron didn’t focus as much on the gravity of the move as he should have, which considering how important it is to any X-Men story moving forward, it’s a fairly large omission.

Writer: Jason Aaron

Pencils: Alan Davis

Inks: Mark Farmer

Colours: Jason Keith

Letters: Jared K. Fletcher

Cover: Alan Davis, Mark Farmer and Javier Rodriguez; Frank Cho and Morry Hollowell (variant)

Publisher: Marvel Comics

Last week the fourth issue of the X-Men event of the year was released, with tensions rising to a fevered pitch in Jason Aaron’s Schism story. This week CBD takes a look at the penultimate issue of the mini-series as round one of Cyclops vs. Wolverine begins.

The Road So Far…

The schism between Cyclops and Wolverine is becoming increasingly pronounced as they quarrel over the role of the younger X-Men in mutantkind’s fight for survival. Deciding to battle the fallout of a near international incident with good PR, Cyclops’ plan walks the X-Men’s big guns right into the waiting hands of the young Kade Kilgore and his young upstarts who christen the new Hellfire Club. In the aftermath of a bomb’s detonation, we find that the young X-Man Idie has killed a number of Hellfire goons in order to save the lives of those who remained inside the museum. Wolverine and Cyclops continue to disagree over Idie’s actions as a large Sentinel begins to form from the debris around them.

What’s The Story?

Cyclops looks back on happier times

Cyclops and Idie return to Utopia in the aftermath of the Hellfire Club’s attack. Cyclops tries to assure her that what happened wasn’t her fault, taking the blame for having put her in that position at all. They walk into Hope and her young friends, who encourage Idie to come with them to get cleaned up. As they leave, Cyclops stares longingly at an old photograph of himself and the original X-Men team before walking off into the command centre for a status report. On the mainland, the fully formed Sentinel hurls Wolverine into the Pacific and slowly makes its way toward Utopia. Upon realizing this, Dr. Nemesis tells Scott of its movements, causing him to quickly run outside to the edge of the island where he fires a tremendously devastating optic blast at the Sentinel, scarcely slowing it down despite blowing a hole through it. Hope and her friends arrive behind him and offer their help, just as Wolverine finishes swimming back to Utopia’s shores. The two begin to argue over involving the younger X-Men in the battle, with Wolverine storming off to his living quarters where he changes into his uniform and wires Utopia with enough explosives to sink it. He returns to the shores and orders Hope and her young friends to tell Danger and Dr. Rao to evacuate the island, intending to blow up the mutant stronghold once the Sentinel arrives. Their disagreement boils over once the kids leave; they open up old fiery wounds and start fighting back and forth for control of the detonator as the Sentinel prepares its opening attack.

The new type of Sentinel forms

The fourth issue of the series finally gave us the showdown readers have been waiting for. As expected, the rift is centered upon the use of young mutants in the forthcoming battles. Cyclops believes they need to be part of the battle and that they can’t afford to let them sit on the sidelines, while Wolverine posits the perspective they should be kept away from the fight and allowed to be kids. This dynamic of the story injects an element of realism to the story, bringing the issue of child soldiers directly to the forefront. Despite being an obvious plot element, it throws the X-Men stories back to the classic aspects of the original comics, pitting the idealism of Xavier vs. the realism of Magneto, with Wolverine and Cyclops stepping into those roles respectively. With the two maintaining diametrically opposed positions, it serves to instigate the long-standing tensions between them, however I feel like Aaron did a poor, one-sided job of beginning the fight between the two X-Men mainstays. The transition from arguing about the Sentinel, Utopia and the children, to talking about Jean Grey was choppily written, placing that lovers triangle at the forefront as opposed to the story’s central themes. I feel like this was a poorly developed piece of the arc, and although the desired effect is achieved and the issue was altogether quite good, the execution of their fight was off. It felt more like Aaron, being a Wolverine fan, worked to make Wolverine look better than Scott instead of working to tell a balanced story.

The Pretty, Pretty Pictures

The artwork in the issue offered a wide array of nice, well-executed moments. Considering the story, the panels featuring Cyclops staring at the photograph of the original X-Men was especially well executed. It was preceded by panels where Cyclops and the young mutants speak to each other before they walk off, leaving Cyclops with the weight of his decisions bearing down on him. I liked the actual pencil work with the photo in the foreground as we peer over Cyclops’ shoulder, followed by a more focused drawing of the elder Scott looking at his smiley, younger self, contrasted by a more stoic expression on the face of mutantkind’s leader. The work featuring the new Sentinel is fantastic, with dozens of pieces flying throughout the pages with electricity enveloping the scenes as the X-Men try to fight this new Sentinel model.

Cyclops does what he can to defend Utopia

The artwork featuring Cyclops steals the show once more though, as Davis created an amazing sequence of panels where Scott attacks the Sentinel from Utopia’s shores with a defiant, angered, exhausting blast across the bay through the Sentinel’s chest. As good as it is, this hardly matches the final pages of the issue where Wolverine and Cyclops finally have their showdown, as tempers boil over with a thunderous blast of energy that embeds Wolverine into the Utopian soils. The two go back and forth as the page’s colours are showered in red energy, every kick, punch and dirty move captured brilliantly. The issue culminates with a great series of pages featuring the two mutant leaders fighting over the detonator, Wolverine’s drawn claws rapidly approaching Cyclops who blasts Wolverine’s arm. Beyond these great pages, the issue also featured some nice touches, such as altering the tone of Cyclops’ visor where his eyes would be. I was altogether impressed by the artwork, as it was a wonderfully drawn and beautifully coloured issue.

Final Thoughts

Tensions boil over as Scott and Logan once again argue over Jean Grey.

Nearing its conclusion, Schism is hitting its mark as a whole. The cause for the divide between Scott and Logan was very obvious from the beginning of the mini-series, which although detracting from the total experience, the connecting points of the plot maintain their attention grabbing qualities. In the end the major selling point of the series is not necessarily the schism itself, rather it’s the anticipation of the Wolverine and Cyclops showdown and all its historical tension over a wide range events. The intrigue rested within the inherent wonder of how they come to be at each other’s throats, rather than the story itself where the cause seems secondary. I feel this could be where Aaron failed in his execution in this issue, as it feels like the plot takes a back seat to those tensions, making it more about them than the kids. Although the issue of mutant child soldiers is the instigating factor, it doesn’t feel that way as they argue back and forth to the point where it’s Scott who brings up Jean, and after a Wolverine retort, the two engage in fisticuffs. Although the issue is very good and moves the series further to its completion handsomely, knowing Aaron is also the Wolverine writer, the dialogue and script feels very one-sided and it’s to the extent that the plot is distracted. Even still, with one issue left and part two of the Cyclops-Wolverine fight to come, the series is ready to finish on a strong note despite this issue’s hiccup.

A hush overwhelmed the crowd as Arune Singh, Marvel’s director of communications, asked that the room’s lights be dimmed, directing the crowd’s attention to the projector screen. After several anxious moments, two sets of claw slashes faded onto the screen, strongly indicating a new Wolverine project is potentially in development.

The panel, also consisting of Marvel editor-in-chief Axel Alonso, Senior Vice-President of Creative Development C.B. Cebulski, X-Men editor Jeanine Schaeffer, and Schism writer Jason Aaron, didn’t elaborate further on the reveal, other than confirming Brian Wood would be joining Marvel and would be writing the project in 2012.

Wood is best known for his work on DMZ and Northlanders, two of DC’s more notable titles under the Vertigo imprint.

Schism

Alonso confirmed the Schism storyline was to bring a new dynamic to the world of the X-Men, but noted that it wasn’t something where there was going to be a gray area.

“It’s not the kind of schism where you can do that,” Alonso said in response to a question asking whether any of the X-Men will switch allegiances between Cyclops’ vision and Wolverine’s vision. “You can’t just jump back and forth.”

While details are still scarce on where the story is heading, Marvel recently released a series of X-Men title covers post-schism featuring the title characters surrounded by silhouettes of other characters, some of which are more distinguished and recognizable than others. The teams are being split into two teams, similarly to the early-90s blue team-gold team dynamics, only now the divide is more philosophical than tactical.

“Every single character has chosen a side,” Alonso said.

"Schism" and "Wolverine" writer Jason Aaron fields a question from the audience at the X-Men panel at Fan Expo.

Jason Aaron, the series’ writer, said he enjoyed working on the new Hellfire club, adding it complements the story he’s trying to tell.

“Children are very much a part of what’s going on with both sides of the battle,” Aaron said.

While X-Men Regenesis will deal with the fallout of Schism, how we get to that point is the interesting part of the story as the mini-series develops. Singh promised a very a gritty battle between Wolverine and Cyclops in issue four of Schism, christening it as round one of their conflict.

“I don’t think Professor X ever stabbed Magneto,” Singh said, adding in the short-term and the long-term there will be conflicts, physical or otherwise, between the two sides that will reflect the decisions each has made.

C.B. Cebulski and Axel Alonso answer questions at the X-Men panel at Fan Expo on Aug. 27

Alonso believes though that neither Cyclops or Wolverine is necessarily wrong in their opinion of mutantkind’s state.

“They’re both defensible, they both hold water,” he said, “How do you deal when you’re an oppressed minority. The mutants are in even more of a crucible, they’re both defensible.”

Singh added that this is a story that is essentially about Scott Summers and Wolverine, two of the X-Men’s alpha males who have been at each other’s throats either on the battlefield or over the same woman (in Jean Grey), or have been at each other’s sides hinging on a stable hint of mutual respect. The end result of the story is a tale about what happens, considering the landscape for mutants, when they disagree on a point.

Cebulski said although little is still known about who is siding with whom, nothing is set in stone and the rest of the silhouettes may surprise fans.

“There will be surprises on both sides,” he said.

Cebulski also confirmed that Fear Itself and Schism ending simultaneously was not an accident, wishing to ensure that they line up all their ducks in a row so Marvel can move forward with its big plans for the X-Men in 2012.

Marvel's Arune Singh at Marvel's X-Men panel

Additional Notes

• Longtime X-Men Legacy writer Mike Carey will be leaving the title after Regenesis.
• Sebastian Shaw and Havok were confirmed to be on Wolverine’s side, while the version of Nightcrawler on the previewed cover of Uncanny X-Force is confirmed to be from the “Age of Apocalypse” dimension.
• A teaser image was shown of Cyclops kissing a mohawked Storm
• Daken will relocate to L.A. to step away from the shadow of his father, while Schaeffer confirmed he will have run-ins with both Moon Knight and the Runaways.
• A Magneto mini-series is forthcoming: “A story about Magneto that may take you to where you expect, and it might not.”
• Although no new news was confirmed for Jeph Loeb’s Cable Reborn series, fans were assured it would do his death justice and enhance the father-daughter dynamic between Hope and Cable that was entrenched at the end of Second Coming. They promise Loeb has a really great story planned.
• X-Force will still be Black-Ops, although Schism will have an effect on the team composition.
• The panel was asked which character they were most alike: Cebulski joked Moonstar, Alonso said Cyclops, Aaron said Wolverine and Schaeffer said Jubilee. The panel was also asked which character’s vision they side with between Wolverine and Cyclops, with Cebulski and Aaron choosing Wolverine, while Alonso and Schaeffer chose Cyclops. Singh was on the fence.
• Aaron joked that Marvel creators have no say in how stories are told on other platforms: “Creators have no say in movies, because otherwise Wolverine Origins wouldn’t have happened.”

All photos courtesy of Andrew Ardizzi.

Writer: Jason Aaron

Artist: Daniel Acuna

Letterer: Jared K. Fletcher

Covers: Daniel Acuna; Frank Cho and Morry Hollowell (variant)

Publisher: Marvel Comics

A great divide looms for the X-Men, and its impacts are expected to be felt throughout the mutant ranks leading to a definitive split into separate factions. The question is, considering we know the outcome, what happens such that the X-Men fracture right down the middle? Schism chronicles the journey towards the split, and with the release of the third issue last week, we’re one step closer to understanding the beginning of the X-Men’s collective future.

The Road So Far…

The new Hellfire Club has arrived, and they’ve not yet hit puberty. Lead by Kade Kilgore, a group of young children well-versed in how to defeat the X-Men has emerged from the shadows and are intent on the systematic destruction of the mutant race. With a museum intended to celebrate mutant history on the verge of being unveiled, the new Hellfire Club prepares to make its move against the mutants, in what may be their last stand.

Cyclops and Emma psychically communicate

What’s the Story?

Despite an ongoing threat from a new enemy, the X-Men continue with their plans to attend the grand-opening of a museum dedicated to mutantkind. With Ice Man, Emma Frost, Magneto, Colossus and Namor serving as the public face of mutantkind for the night, Cyclops believed his best and most capable to be suitable to ensure everyone is safe for the occasion. That’s hardly the case as the young upstarts quickly overtake the present X-Men through superior tactics and strategy. As Cyclops and Wolverine rush to the scene, the new Hellfire Club tries to make their exit with their new captives in tow, leaving behind a bomb without realizing that Idie, one of the younger X-Men, was in attendance. Wolverine and Cyclops argue over what she should do, with Cyclops leaving the decision up to her. She successfully defeats the remaining guards and prevents the X-Men from being taken. As the elder X-Men arrive, they warn everyone to get away from the museum just as the bomb explodes. Wolverine and Cyclops continue their argument, with Logan taking exception to Idie having to kill a dozen Hellfire troops. The two go back and forth, with Cyclops pointing out that there were no civilian casualties and that she saved more than a hundred lives. Logan’s claws pop, but not of his own accord as a large, Sentinel like magnet takes shapes from the building’s wreckage.

Cyclops leaps into action after a communications breakdown between Utopia and Emma

For everything this story is billed to be, I don’t feel like the quality and pacing of the story is quite matching the hype. After three issues the story hasn’t seen much movement. The inclusion of the young Kilgore and his new Hellfire club seems thrown in as I’m not quite sure what their motivation is towards attacking the mutants; it seems to have come out of left field without a sufficient contextual set-up and we’re expected as readers to go along with that. As for the “schism” between Cyclops and Wolverine, we’re only starting to see the break down in their relationship now, albeit in a very early stage. Although it’s unlikely the treatment of young mutants as soldiers will be the sole catalyst in the break-up, it seems to be a likely contributor in the story’s larger context. Even then, considering the scope of this story and what it will mean for the X-Men going forward, I don’t feel the immensity of that scope in the storytelling. Aaron’s story has an inkling of heart, but it isn’t quite coming through yet.

The Pretty, Pretty Pictures

The X-Men ready for action

Acuna’s work in the issue is very polarized, with sections that I think are marvelous contributions while I truly don’t think the detail of his characters is up to par in others. Where the latter is concerned, although he does well in drawing the characters in close-up shots, the panels which require multiple characters on the page completely lack any definition or distinguishable features. As an example, inside the museum when Namor, Emma, Colossus, Ice Man and Magneto are standing around after she receives psychic feedback, none of the five characters appear to have musculature in their bodies. Acuna’s pencils are either completely masked by his colouring, or he simply decided to draw Magneto as though he were wearing a giant multi-coloured leotard. It’s very much the same with Ice Man, who considering he’s a naked walking man of ice, he should at least have some semblance of definition beyond what he’s drawn to have. I do think, however, that the shine on Magneto’s helmet and Colossus’ body is a nice touch. While there are glimpses of good character design it hardly makes up for the bland composition throughout much of the issue.

Magneto gets his just-desserts

Acuna’s stronger points appear sprinkled throughout the issue compared to his lesser ones. I liked the atmosphere he created deep in the Utopia War Room where Cyclops stands relatively alone in the dark with the three remaining Cuckoos. I liked the scant lighting on his costume contrasted against the near pitch-black room complemented by a slight hue of blue. Acuna further puts forth some great work once Magneto confronts the Hellfire children. The entire sequence of the page is fantastic from the firing of the Magnetars to Magneto’s collapsing to the floor. Acuna’s mastery of lighting and shading is exemplified again here, as the colouring of the gun’s blast envelopes the page and creates a reddish tone to the surrounding area and the face of the Hellfire child. The following panel takes a step further with Magneto completely immersed by the blast in a sphere of red electro-magnetic energy, causing him to fall; a red electric current still coursing through his body as he lays unconscious. The final notable work of the issue is the last page featuring the erection of the electro-magnetic Sentinel creature. There isn’t much to say about it beyond it being an awesome wonder.

Final Thoughts

I wouldn’t go so far as to classify Schism as a failure just yet, as I feel although the series hasn’t lived up to its hype, that we’re only scratching the surface of what the X-Men braintrust have planned. With that concession in mind, I don’t feel like the story is where it should be after three issues. The series has been altogether uneventful so far, aside from establishing the new pre-pubescent Hellfire Club to the clear dichotomy between the philosophies of Cyclops and Wolverine. I feel like the core of their differences which eventually lead to the split derived in part from the treatment of the younger mutant recruits, using Idie as an example in this book whom took matters into her hands and made a judgment call to save lives, one which Wolverine believes she shouldn’t have been in a position to make. Cyclops differs in his opinion, and despite their mutual respect that has developed, that distinction between their philosophies is apparent while the schism between them will grow from there. I still feel like the series can be a success as a whole, however the pace needs to quicken lest one of the “biggest events in the history of the X-Men” fall flat in its sputtering towards a conclusion.

Writer: Jason Aaron

Pencils: Carlos Pacheco

Inker: Cam Smith

Colourist: Frank D’Armata

Letterer: Jared K. Fletcher

Cover: Carlos Pacheco, Cam Smith and Frank D’Armata

Publisher: Marvel Comics

Mutantkind has been to the brink and back, and at least it would seem, have finally found some measure of peace for themselves. That all gets thrown out of the window as Schism promises to drive a wedge between their ranks, leaving Cyclops and Wolverine on opposite sides of the battlefield.

The Road So Far…

Since M-day the mutant race has been on the ropes as they simply try to survive. During Utopia, the X-Men constructed a large island-home for themselves and moved all of mutantkind to their new homestead. Now a new threat poses a risk to everything they’ve built and when the dust settles, the X-Men may never be the same again.

Cyclops gives a speech an international arms conference

What’s the Story?

After a long day at the office, an impaled, shuriken riddled Wolverine returns to Utopia for some rest and relaxation. He has little time to do so after visiting Hope and the other young mutants and flopping down on his bed, as Cyclops callously walks into his quarters and requests that he get up and come with him to an international arms control conference to discuss issues relating to mutantkind. He reluctantly tags along as Scott’s security detail, indirectly providing legit presence based from his association with the Avengers. Summers begins his speech, one requesting that all states shut down their Sentinel programs, but is eventually interrupted by Quintin Quire. Quire initiates a full-scale attack on the international delegation, prompting one state to commence a Sentinel assault. Wolverine and Cyclops fend off the attack, returning to Utopia shortly thereafter. During a meeting, Hope enters the company of Cyclops, Emma Frost and Magneto, with Summers allowing her to watch footage of the Sentinel attacks. They are shortly joined by Wolverine and Idie who together stand to face both an onslaught of Sentinels and potentially a new Black King of the Hellfire Club.

Schism kicks off with Wolverine and Cyclops at the fore of the issue, evidently placing the current nature of their relationship front and centre. This allows us to dissect and analyze the relationship to eventually set the context for how it will degrade. I feel like the story served highlighting the almost one-sided nature of their relationship, with Summers all but ordering Wolverine to get out of bed and escort him to the meeting of international delegates. The biggest move of note in the issue is the re-introduction of Quintin Quire from Grant Morrison’s infamous New X-Men run. His function as catalyst of the schism between the two eventual factions of X-Men is effective, christening a renewed fear and hatred of mutants and a consequent Sentinel onslaught from humankind. This first issue of Schism establishes a tone for the mini-series that hearkens back to the classic X-Men stories focusing on the inherent disdain humankind has for that which it doesn’t care to begin to understand.

Quintin Quire arrives at the conference

The Pretty, Pretty Pictures

I’ve always enjoyed Pacheco’s artwork and I feel his work in this issue was on par with his greatest works yet. I thought the first page with Wolverine and Ice Man was done in a way that captures the mood of Wolverine, contrasted against the relative ease and calm of Ice Man. The page’s panels gradually zoom in from a bird’s-eye view of Utopia into a closer shot of Ice Man sitting on the beach as Wolverine walks by him with shurikens and arrows in him, treating it as another day at the “office.” The later pages focusing on an exhausted Wolverine flopping on his bed complement this tone, amplified further by Cyclops’ beckoning no sooner does the stumpy Canadian lay down. Chronicling everything from sitting on the bed, laying face down, Cyclops appearing, Wolverine sitting up and then groggily putting his uniform back on are captured sequentially. I also thought, noting where the story is heading, that it was a nice touch to have Cyclops and Wolverine almost always standing side-by-side as they walk into the conference, interestingly offset by a flashback panel depicting Cyclops and Wolverine arguing. His finest work though was the two page splash featuring Cyke and Wolvie going to work on some Sentinels in a fantastically pencilled and coloured page. The nicest piece though, which characterizes the eventual split, are the final pages where after they dispatch the Sentinels the two visibly have a difference of opinion on how to deal with Quire. That point of view was emphasized by an actual split between a horizontal panel with one of the characters in each half. This becomes more blaring when the X-Men have a final meeting in the issue which doesn’t immediately include Wolverine, centred instead upon Cyclops, Emma, Magneto and Hope. There wasn’t a bad panel in the issue and I feel like the artwork matched up very well with the script.

Cyclops and Wolverine prepare for an old-school throwdown with some Sentinels

Final Thoughts

I feel like the issue served its function as stage-setter for what’s been heralded as a huge X-Men centric event. Knowing beforehand that there will be a definitive split within the group that creates two factions of mutants, the book operates as a leading story, taking us step-by-step through the processes of the group’s degradation. We can see the seeds in issue one, although I’m unclear how this ties into the Prelude to Schism or where it’s placed in the sequence of events. Regardless, the journey is infinitely more interesting than the destination and I believe this series will deliver an enjoyable reading experience that will divide mutants along militaristic and empathetic lines.

Hobbystar has really pulled out all the stops to make sure that the customers are getting the most out of the now 4 day convention. Announced earlier today, the guestline up is quite the who’s who of the comic world. Check out the list below:

FEATURED GUESTS

• JEFF SMITH (artist/creator – BONE)
• JOE KUBERT (Legendary Artist)
• ANDY KUBERT (artist – FLASHPOINT, BATMAN)
• ADAM KUBERT (artist – ASTONISHING SPIDER-MAN & WOLVERINE)
• TONY MOORE (artist – THE WALKING DEAD, VENOM)
• MATT FRACTION (writer- FEAR ITSELF, THOR, IRONMAN, UNCANNY X-MEN)
• STEVE EPTING (artist – FANTASTIC FOUR, CAPTAIN AMERICA)
• JONATHAN HICKMAN (writer – FANTASTIC FOUR, S.H.I.E.L.D, PAX ROMANA)
• STUART IMMONEN (artist – FEAR ITSELF)
• OLIVIER COIPEL (artist – THOR)
• JASON AARON (writer- ULTIMATE CAPTAIN AMERICA, WOLVERINE)
• JAMES ROBINSON (writer – SUPERMAN, JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA)
• STEVE McNIVEN (artist – CAPTAIN AMERICA, NEMESIS)
• SHANE DAVIS (artist – SUPERMAN EARTH ONE)
• RON GARNEY (artist – ULTIMATE CAPTAIN AMERICA)
• MARKO DJURDJEVIC (artist – THOR, FANTASTIC FOUR, SPIDER-MAN)
  
• JIMMY CHEUNG (artist- AVENGERS:THE CHILDREN’S CRUSADE)
• BRIAN AZZARELLO (writer – FIRST WAVE, 100 BULLETS, JOKER)
• ETHAN VAN SCIVER (artist – THE FLASH REBIRTH)
  
• MARK BROOKS (artist – UNCANNY X-FORCE)
  
• DAN SLOTT (writer – AMAZING SPIDER-MAN)
  
• ALEX MALEEV (artist – MOON KNIGHT, SCARLET)
  
• DALE EAGLESHAM (artist – ALPHA FLIGHT)
  
• FRANCIS MANAPUL (artist – THE FLASH)
  
• KATHRYN IMMONEN (writer – WOLVERINE & JUBILEE)
  
• DALE KEOWN (artist – HULK, PITT)
  
• JEFF LEMIRE (artist – SUPERBOY, SWEET TOOTH)
  
• KATIE COOK (artist – GRONK, STAR WARS, FRAGGLE ROCK)
  
• DOUG SNEYD(Legendary Playboy cartoonist)

Off the top of my head I’m beyond excited to see that Jeff Smith and Jason Aaron are going to be there. Jeff Smith has long been one of my cartooning heroes and Jason Aaron has yet to write something I didn’t like. (For more on Mr. Aaron check out Brent’s column about Scalped, probably one of the best series being written right now.)

More creators also attending are:

• Kei Acedara
• Attila Adorjany
• Sam Agro
• Adrian Alphona
• Kalman Andrasofszky
• Andy Belanger
• J. Bone
• Kent Burles
• Scott Chantler
• Bobby Chiu
• Michael Cho
• Charlene Chua
• Aaron Costain
• Wes Craig
• David J. Cutler
• Willow Dawson
• Valentine DeLandro
• Anthony Del Col
• Michael Del Mundo
• Jason Edmiston
• Nick Evans
• Ray Fawkes
• W. Scott Forbes
• Mike Gagnon
• Agnes Garbowska
• Holly Halftone
• Clayton Hanmer aka C-Ton
• Scott Hepburn
• Greg Hyland
• Raffaelle Ienco
• Jesse Jacobs
• Eric Kim
• Leonard Kirk
• Shane Kirshenblatt
• Scott Kowalchuk
• Annie Koyama
• Drazen Kozjan
• Jessie Lam
• Marvin Law
• Alvin Lee
• Kurt Lehner
• Leo Leibelman
• Nimit Malavia
• Steven Charles Manale
• Steve Mannion
• Marvin Mariano
• Nick Marinkovich
• John Martz
• Richard Maurizio
• Conor McCreery
• Brian McLachlan
• Kagan McLeod
• Diana McNally
• Alex Milne
• Vicki Nerino
• Richard Pace
• Dan Parent
• Ramon K. Perez
• Alex Perkins
• Nick Postic
• Gibson Quarter
• Peter Repovski
• Ethan Rilly
• Benjamin Rivers
• Hugh Rookwood
• Dave Ross
• Riley Rossmo
• Salgood Sam
• K.T. Smith
• Fiona Smyth
• Steve Sprayson
• Diana Tamblyn
• Ty Templeton
• Kelly Tindall
• Marcus To
• J. Torres
• James Turner
• Alina Urusov
• Eric Vedder
• Joe Vriens
• Tigh Walker
• Ken Wheaton
• Kurtis Wiebe
• Britt Wilson
• Steve Wolfhard
• Howard Wong
• Tory Woollcott
• Wowee Zonk (Patrick Kyle, Ginette Lapalme, Chris Kuzma)
• Craig Yeung
• Richard Zajac
• Jim Zubkavich

Some publishers and studios were also announced as attending, including:

• DC Comics
• Marvel Comics
• Image Comics
• Archie Comics
• Udon Entertainment
• DK Canada
• Koyama Press
• Imaginism Studios
• Transmission-X (TX Comics)

as well as

• The Joe Kubert School
• Toronto Cartoonists Workshop

We’ll keep you posted as more announcements are being made!

A year or two ago, it was Christmas time, I was in The Blue Beetle and I was looking for something new to try out.

“Have you read Criminal yet?”

“Well…no…”

Pete looked at me like one looks at a sad child.

“Dude… here.” He handed me the first trade, “Merry Christmas.”

Now while it was a kind Christmas gift on Pete’s part and in reality I believe he had no intention of doing this on purpose, but like many a good drug dealer, the first taste is free.

The rest you pay for.

I fell in love with Criminal and bought the rest of the series and the trades are automatically filed in by pull box when they come out.

Which brings us to two weeks ago.

I walk into the store and Pete already has a stack of trades at the desk waiting for me.

“Here ya go. These are mine. Read them. Bring them back when you are done.”

The trades were for the DC Vertigo series, Scalped.

Now I own the first trade previous to this but had a few issues with it (which I will detail later) and never bothered to follow-up with the subsequent trades.

Man did I miss out.

Scalped is the story of Dashiell Bad Horse, a man who can kick ass and uses nunchucks to get his point across. He has come back to the rez of his childhood and ends up working for local crime boss and tribal council leader Lincoln Red Crow. Red Crow is in the midst of opening up a casino on the rez and Dash has been hired on as the muscle.

Did I mention Dash’s mom, Gina, and Red Crow used to be part of the same protest group for Native rights?

Or the fact that Dash is actually an undercover FBI agent whose boss has a vendetta against both Red Crow and Gina?

Don’t worry about the spoiler’s, this is all in the first issue which if I’m not mistaken, can still be downloaded for free from DC.

Where the series runs the best is the added layers or story and plot that is going on.

But be warned, Scalped is definitely not a cheerful comic. There are moments of humor and laughter but by the end of the High Lonesome and The Gnawing story arcs, you might wonder how much deeper will the desperation of the characters sink.

And while elements of the story are obviously a bit on the fictional side, if you know anything about how life is for many Native’s in our country alone, you know a good chunk of it, sadly, isn’t that far-fetched.

Written by Jason Aaron with art mainly by R.M. Guera (there are some one shot stories here and there throughout the series), Scalped is incredibly well written and while the art took a little while for me to get used to, it fits perfectly the tone of the book.

Characters like Dash and Red Crow aren’t caricatures of Natives on a rez. They feel real. Red Crow for instance is a man who has most assuredly done a lot of horrible things over the years and knows that he will some day have to answer for those things but there is a bit of nobility to the character that despite the fact he’s murdered and destroyed lives and despite the fact that he has benefited from these acts, his greater goal is to help his people.

Dash too is multi faceted. We know he was forced to leave the rez at 13 by his mom sending him away. We know he was a solider in Kosovo and now works for the FBI. But we don’t know exactly why he’s undercover other than it involves his boss finding him in jail in Alabama.

Now what’s my one complaint.

The paper.

R.M. Guera’s style is very heavy on the blacks and on the inks. It fits perfectly for this type of story. Unfortunately the paper that the current run of Scalped trades is printed on is not particularly good and makes the art somewhat murky and at times hard to follow. A book this good deserves an up grade to a better printing. Maybe we will see that if a hard cover is ever announced.

If you’re a fan of crime comics or shows like The Wire or The Sopranos, Scalped is well worth your time to invest in. My only problem with it now is do I wait for better looking printings, do I just buy the next trade or do I buy the whole thing right now?

Comics… they can be as bad as crack I tell you.

*I will be around TCAF Saturday afternoon and will be checking out a number of the artists and panels. If you see me, please feel free to say hi.

I know I did.

Damn you Scalped – you find a new way to break my heart every time.

There’s a strange emotional weight tied to each and every issue of Scalped. I don’t know if I’ve put it there having grown attached to pretty much every character Jason Aaron and R.M Guera has introduced me to. (Yes, even Diesel.) Or rather is it because I feel some sort of guilt having derived so much pleasure from watching all these characters self-destruct.

This volume starts with a beautiful story of survival that shows that true love can exist in some of the most barren worlds, and then goes to show that sometimes it can’t. This volume focuses on what’s not said – making use of the caption boxes that really hasn’t been seen since Daredevil: Born Again.

Scalped has transcended from being a crime comic to being a character study of the highest caliber. This is something that happened with HBO’s The Wire, while it may have been a police procedural at the beginning The Wire quickly became a microcosm about living in a corrupt society. The same can be said of Scalped. There is so much more to Scalped then the ‘hook*’ of the series. It’s the best thing being put to paper right now.

The boys over at ComicTwart are giving their take on Preacher. Take a look at Declan Shalvey knock it out of the park:

I’m thinking that fellow twarter Nathan Fairbairn should do a quick pass with the color on that thing. It could easily be a print**.

And finally.. because it was brought to my attention when I was looking at Dennis Culver’s interpretation of the Batman Incorporation I realized that he took his basis for the Batman-From-Japan from Cliff Chiang’s version of the “Science Ninja Hero Batman” costume designed as part of a Justice League/manga amalgam:

Dennis Culver's Batman Of Japan

and Cliff Chiang's sketches

I’ve never wanted to read something so bad before.

Well, at least – this week.

And that’s it for me. See you next week!

*Spoiler: Think Departed meets Sopranos on an Indian Reservation.

**That I would buy.

And then the lovely Gail Simone lets us know just who the best father in the DC Universe is… and it’s not who you’d think it’d be.

Okay, so it’s definitely the Gail Simone answer. In my opinion the best father in the DCU is probably Darkseid. That guy knows how to get the best out of his kids. Seriously think about it – with the exception of Kalibak – his other two sons are pretty rad.

So what am I reading this week? Well, as I wrote yesterday I was totally blown away by The Sixth Gun. I started to re-read Naoki Urusawa’s Monster: this is something that I’ve been putting off for a while because I still remembered too much about the series, but now feel that I’ll have fresh enough eyes to re-experience it. And I re-read Jason Aaron’s Secret Invasion issues of Black Panther.

I’ve always liked the Black Panther. The costume design is one of Kirby’s better jobs – sleek and streamlined with cool gloves that stand out – add to the whole bad-ass mythos that he and Stan Lee created, to make a pretty awesome character. The Aaron issues are pretty amazing and coupled with what David Liss & Franco Francavilla were doing over on Daredevil – I figured I’d give Reginald Hudlin’s run a chance.

Meh.

It was okay. I guess it’s a reboot of sorts? Not really sure when it’s supposed to take place. It jumps around a lot and makes for a strange read. Hudlin tosses as many concepts as he can, but none of them really stick. Outside of the Fantastic Four what are some really good Black Panther runs?

Speaking of the Fantastic Four, can I just point out that I don’t give two shits about the big death? I appreciate that Hickman is trying to bring something new to the table – in fact I think that he’s at least attempting to do some world building which is really what the Fantastic Four is all about – but the hype around this death leaves me cold.

It seems too gimmicky. FF members die and come back more than X-Men. Give us something different. Keep creating new worlds. As an architect for the marvel universe, I’d appreciate it if you focused more on expanding the world. The FF has always been the people who discover the rest of the Marvel Universe – and you’ve already started that the new cities – but I just think it’d make the spirit of Stan and Jack a hell of a lot happier if you started building a new wing on the sandbox they built.

Have you guys watched Misfits? I wasn’t that sure of it, figured it’d be like SKINS with superpowers. But by the fourth episode I was completely and utterly sold on this series as being one of the best uses of superpowers on television – maybe ever.

It’s such a non issue – yes they have superpowers – but it only effects them tangibly. It’s more about the shit decisions they make and the consequences of it. It also helps that every actor on there is top-notch, making all these unlikeable characters extremely likable.

Okay, that’s it for Tuesday. I’ll be back on Thursday to talk about Casanova and poo-dipping!