Cinemusings - Rot Your Brain

WOLVERINE FIRST CLASS #5
Momar Van Der Camp

Published by Marvel Comics
Written by Fred Van Lente
Art by Clayton Henry

Wolverine and Alpha Flight bitches. That's right. A little background on why Wolverine left Alpha Flight in the first place, and it's so seamless it makes me think about the past and that first issue of Wolverine I ever bought. And it's a little heart wrenching too.

Commentary:
I'll just get it out of the way first. Fred Van Lente knocks the story out of the park. The original idea I had picking up this issue was, oh great, more info on Wolverine and his time in Alpha Flight. I never once thought that I'd get something like this.

The comic shows his last mission with Alpha Flight, as their leader. It shows him taking Shaman, Snowbird, and Aurora into the field to protect the Queen's assistant and protect foreign soil.

Only, the mission goes wrong when Wolverine finds out what happened to these 'terrorists.' They were infected with adamantium when they came back from fighting on foreign soil, and now they want to show the world when happened to them. And one of the dudes was named Weapon Y and knows what happened to him and why and he knows everything Wolverine is looking for.

But, Branch leader Kinney electro-shocks Weapon Y before Wolverine can get through his questioning, and the men are taken away to a safe location that Wolverine cannot find. All of this is being related to Kitty in the Blackbird while en route to Canada as the location of Weapon Y has been found and Wolverine needs to help him. And the only one that can help him, that can assist and get the medicine injected through his adamantium armor, is Kitty.

Of course, Kinney is the man who's tie Wolverine sliced when he resigned from Alpha Flight and joined the private sector and the X-Men. So that neat little tie-in was brought to you by Fred and is very deserving of this issue.

Most of the previous issues of this book have been fun. Fluff. Mostly there for show. Yes it opens doors for the newer fans of Wolverine to learn more about him that you can't gain from Wikipedia, but this issue is not all on the level. The fact that Weapon Y is the only one who knows what Wolverine needs to know, and he's dying of adamantium poisoning, you feel it when Wolvie decides he has to help him.

And when they get there too late, and the X-Men face the defeated Wolverine, you can tell it's too much for him to bear. You remember what it felt like each and every time something mysterious was dangled in front of Logan and he had the potential to learn something about himself. And then having it yanked away quickly.

Finally, Clayton Henry. Clayton Henry. What an artist. What a great visual stylist. What a great everything. Wolverine is short. Shaman is awesome looking. When Snowbird changed into various animals, it was just too cool. And Aurora's fury of punches were just plain kick-ass. It's no shame of mine, I love this artist and will buy anything his name is on. I just hope that I can see this guy on a more regular basis as that would just be the tits.

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