GeekMom: Comic Book Corner — July 10th, 2013

Happy Comic Release Day! Welcome to another installment of GeekMom Comic Book Corner, where we recap our adventures in comics for the week. This week I explore a new take on Wolverine’s origin and Sophie looks at the X-Files and checks up on Applejack in the latest My Little Pony micro-series. Meanwhile, Corrina revisits a comic legend now recounting some great stories on Twitter.

Dakster Sullivan — Wolverine Season One
Wolverine Season One , written by Ben Acker and Ben Blacker, with art by Salvador Espin, is the third Wolverine origin story I’ve read, and while I enjoyed the pacing from one plot point to the next, it didn’t do much for me in terms of the storyline.

Don’t get me wrong. The story was okay. The art was beautiful. The overall book though was more “meh” than “wow”. Other than watching Wolverine get his signature yellow and blue uniform, I felt the story was too simple for such a complex character. In addition, some of the plot points were too coincidental for my taste.

After doing some research, I found out the writers wanted to take Wolverine back to his first appearance in The Incredible Hulk #181, more specifically, Logan’s struggle between his human side and animal side.

I wish the writers hadn’t taken us back to Wolverine’s first appearance in The Incredible Hulk from 1974. Unless you want to spend over $200 on eBay or subscribe to Marvel’s Unlimited service, (an online digital comic book service that gives you access to over 13,000 comics for a monthly fee), the issue is not readily available for those who’ve never read the story. In my opinion, this hinders the reading experience for Wolverine Season One because you don’t see the whole picture.

The part of the book I enjoyed the most was the single issue of Wolverine and the X-Men included in the back. Watching Wolverine drop the students off in a jungle full of dinosaurs to give them a “learning experience” was just what I needed on a Friday afternoon, because it had all the elements I love in a comic book. There was action, adventure, and a touch of comedy relief and the cliff hanger at the end made me want to rush off to the comic book store to find out what happens next.

Overall, I’d recommend Wolverine Season One to anyone who wants to read a more laid back version of Wolverine with very little slicing and dicing in the mix. Of all the origin stories out there, it’s the only story I can comfortably recommend for anyone as young as ten-years old.

If you’re looking for a great Wolverine Origin story with more of an animalistic approach to the character, I’d pick up Wolverine: Origin or First X-Men. Both stories give an interesting look at the character and show us the real man behind the animal. If you’re looking for a great current Wolverine story, Wolverine and the X-Men will give you what you’re looking for in terms of action and excitement with a side of comic relief.

Curious to know what I’m pulling this week? Check out my pull list on Comixology.

Sophie Brown — My Little Pony Micro-Series #6 — Applejack

Applejack continues the My Little Pony micro-series with its sixth issue. Each micro-series issue focuses on one of the main characters and Applejack’s story sees her and the rest of the family preparing for Hearth’s Warming Eve until a mysterious creature begins to ruin their apple crop. Granny Smith identifies the damage as coming from a Sass Squash and soon Applejack has set out to hunt it down, but she might well have bitten off more than she can chew.

This was my first time reading one of the My Little Pony comics and I really enjoyed it. The story followed a similar plot to a standard episode of the TV show, right down to a big musical number in the middle and a letter to Princess Celestia to wrap it all up. I’m definitely going to be picking up some more of the micro-series issues to read with my pony-loving son. Another thing that really stood out for me was the quilt-effect cover art which was spot on for Applejack.

The X-Files Classics Vol. One
Along with the brand new season 10, IDW is releasing a set of graphic novels gathering up the original Topps X-Files comics from the mid 90s. The first of these sets, X-Files Classics Volume One, releases today and comprises issues #1-9 which make up “Not To Be Opened Until X-Mas”, “Firebird”, “Trepanning Opera”, “Silent Cities of The Mind”, “A Dismembrance of Things Past” and “A Little Dream of Me”. The issues have all had previous graphic novel releases as collections by Topps and Titan so for most X-Files collectors purchasing these new books will be nothing more than a completest exercise. However, for the new generation of fans beginning to emerge thanks to Tumblr and other social networks it’s an opportunity to pick up these older issues without having to resort to eBay.

Corrina–Jim Steranko’s Twitter Feed

Yes, that’s right. For today’s comic book corner, I’m recommending the tweets of a comic legend who has joined today’s internet with a great deal to say.

Twitter has been an extremely cool place to catch up on comic creators, even ones who have mostly moved on, such as Gerry Conway, who became a producer with the Law & Order franchise.

But for sheer entertainment value, nothing beats Jim Steranko’s Twitter feed (@iamsteranko) this week. It includes tales of how he afforded a fur coat for his girlfriend at a time when he was very young and broke (hint: his art talent and counterfeiting of money is involved) and his rant against Bob Kane for taking far too much credit for the creation of Batman and instead stating that Bill Finger is largely responsible for all the great elements of the Caped Crusader.

Give the twitter feed a read and get lost for awhile. It’s as fascinating as any comic you might read this week. If you’ve never read his comic work, move on to that when you’re done because Steranko is one of those artists who redefined the medium, particular with Nick Fury: Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.The complete collection of Steranko’s work with Fury is available on Amazon and other book sites, as is Marvel Visionaries Jim Steranko.

For a sample of his art, check out this gallery of his most innovative comic pages on the Drawings of Steranko site.

And don’t forget to look at these pre-production paintings for Raiders of the Lost Ark, too.

Looking for something else, readers? Check out this week’s listed books:

Absolute Blackest Night HC Astro City #2 Batgirl #22 Batman #22 CP Batman Arkham Unhinged #16 Batman Lil Gotham #4 Before Watchmen Comedian Rorschach Deluxe HC Before Watchmen Nite Owl Manhattan Deluxe HC Demon Knights #22 Diablo Sword Of Justice TP Green Lantern Corps #22 Green Lantern The Animated Series #14 Harlan Ellisons 7 Against Chaos HC He Man And The Masters Otu Vol. 1 TP Justice League #22 CP Justice League Dark TP Vol. 2 Books Magic Katana #6 Nightwing #22 Saga Of The Swamp Thing Vol.. 4 TP Smallville Season 11 #15 Suicide Squad #22 Supergirl TP Vol. 02 Girl In The World Superman Unchained #2 CP Threshold #7 Worlds Finest #14

Astonishing X-Men #64 Avengers Arena #12 Avengers Prem HC Vol. 02 Last White Event Daredevil #28 Dark Tower Gunslinger TP Way Station Disney Girls Presents #15 Essential Captain America Vol. 7 TP Fearless Defenders #6 Ff TP Vol. 01 Fantastic Faux Gambit TP Vol. 02 Tombstone Blues Hawkeye #12 Hawkeye TP Vol. 02 Little Hits Indestructible Hulk #10 Marvels Thor Dark World Prelude #2 (Of 2) Secret Avengers #6 Superior Spider-Man #13 Superior Spider-Man TP Superiority Complex Thor Gods And Guardians Of Galaxy TP Ultimate Comics Ultimates #27 Uncanny X-Men #8 Wolverine #6 Young Avengers #7

Acronym Key:  VC = Variant Cover  / HC = Hard Cover / TP = Trade Paperback  / CP = Combo Pack  / PE = Premier Edition

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