X-Men Origins: Deadpool

Following in the footsteps of Emma Frost, Beast, Gambit and Colossus for the one-shot 'Origins' treatment this week is none other than ... Deadpool.


X-Men Origins: Deadpool
Written by Duane Swierczynski, pencils by Leo Fernandez with a cover by Mark Brooks
'Deadpool: The Major Motion Picture' - You may have heard there's a Deadpool movie in the works. Anyway, Wade Wilson's heard the same thing - and he's determined to tell his own story before Hollywood screws it up. Deadpool even hires his own screenwriter, who manages to get the Merc With a Mouth to open up like never before-revealing not only his origin story, but shocking details you've never heard before. We're talking Oscar(TM)-worthy stuff here, people. That is, unless Hollywood manages to screw it up anyway ... One-Shot/

Published by Marvel Comics, 14 July 2010 $3.99 Parental Advisory

Could be great fun, could be a train-wreck - ultimately I guess it depends on whether you enjoy the way Deadpool is written - X-Men Origins: Deadpool is in shops this week.

X-Men Comments: The Return of Kitty Pryde and Origins: Nightcrawler

Albeit a little later than I'd planned - thanks to a prolonged spell of glorious spring weather, a new bicycle and the beautiful Somerset country-side - here's the second part of my X-Men feature - click here to read the first part if you missed it.


The Return of a Favourite Character
Back in January I reported that one of my favourite characters from the X-Men universe - Kitty Pryde - was returning to Uncanny X-Men with issue #522 and I suspected this would be a catalyst for me to start picking the book up again after a year or more.

The issue proved to be an excellent jumping-on point - as I'd hoped - and at times read, if not quite like a one-shot, then an appreciation from the writer and publisher that there'd be plenty of readers like myself that weren't current and up to date with events in Uncanny: from the 'Previously in ...' summary on page 1 to the descriptive dialogue throughout, this book made for a perfect reintroduction.

I enjoyed Matt Fractions writing throughout the two stories contained in the book - the main feature and a 'special bonus story' - and I particularly enjoyed Whilce Portacio's pencils, Ed Tadeo's inks and Justin Ponsor's bold colouring in the main feature, along with Terry Dobson's eye-catching cover.

As a result of this issue Uncanny is back on my pull-list - for how long I don't know but if this issue is anything to go by I could be on-board for quite a while.


The Next Installment of an Excellent Series of One-Shots
One of my very first posts for Escape from Tomorrow was in praise of X-Men Origins: Jean Grey - clearly 'Origins' books are nothing new but this one connected with me, maybe in part because of my on-off relationship with the X-Men but more so I suspect because of the quality of the writing from Sean McKeever and the breath-taking cover and interior art by Mike Meyhew.

I remember I picked up several copies of the Jean Grey issue and gave them away to friends who otherwise weren't getting the book because I felt it deserved as large an audience as possible.

The X-Men Origins series of one-shots has continued to include some great stories featuring Colossus, Wolverine and Gambit, to name just three, culminating late last year in a magnificent hardcover collection of the series so far.

The latest installment in the series X-Men Origins: Nightcrawler was published recently and, over thirty or so pages of story, we were introduced to a young Kurt Wagner, circus acrobat, and his pitiful early life, from the family that cared for him, those people that were frightened of him, to those in his life that simply wanted to exploit him.

Once again, the quality of writing from Adam Freeman and Marc Bernardin was top-notch: the dialogue felt authentic and I was genuinely touched by Kurt's story. The art throughout the book - Cary Nord and James Harren (pencils) and Chris Sotomayor (colours) with a striking cover from Cary Nord - was very, very nice and, as a reader, I appreciated the reprint of Nightcrawler's first appearance - Giant-Size X-Men #1 from 1975 - at the back of the book.

All in all, this book was a pleasure from cover to cover and I'm excited to expect further installments in this great 'series' and look forward to picking up another hardcover collection at some point in the future.

Out This Week

Here's a quick reminder that a couple of books I've recently posted about are scheduled to arrive in stores this Wednesday (or Thursday here in the UK):

X-Men Origins Collected Edition

First up is the X-Men Origins hardcover collected edition, which runs to 144 pages and features the origin stories of Colossus, Jean Grey, Beast, Wolverine, Sabretooth and Gambit.

I'm sure I've said before but I don't generally pick-up single issues and the collected edition but I'm making an exception for this book: it's one I want on the book shelf because I know I'll want to go back and reread the stories without trawling through comic boxes.






The Darkness/Pitt #2

Last week I mentioned that the first issue of Top Cow's The Darkness/Pitt was available to read free of charge courtesy of comixology.com.

This week sees the publication of issue #2: as I said previously, having initially planned to pick this story up as a trade I enjoyed reading the free first issue and will now be picking up the remaining two monthly issues.

Collected Editions

In this post I'm going to highlight a couple of collected editions that I've been waiting for: one very recently published and another scheduled for release in a couple of months time.

G.I. Joe Volume 1
When I blogged recently about the titles I picked up on Free Comic Book Day I mentioned how much I enjoyed G.I. Joe from IDW Publishing. The budgetary reasons I decided against picking up the monthlies and wait for the collected edition.

Now published in a softcover trade, G.I. Joe Volume 1 runs to 160 pages:

Destro, the twisted-yet-honorable arms dealer from Scotland is planning something big - a new weapon called the Mass Device that can - and will - change the face of warfare forever! Meanwhile, G.I. Joe is under attack in their own secret base of operations! But who could have found - much less attack - them! Where has Snake Eyes gone and what is his mysterious connection to G.I. Joe member Scarlett? And under the shadows, whispers of a terrible and powerful organization grow louder. Whispers that say one word over and over ... COBRA.

Written by: Chuck Dixon
Art by Robert Atkins & Clayton Brown

[Solicitation Source: IDW]

I thought the G.I Joe Free Comic Book Day issue was incredibly well written and very nicely illustrated and I'm look forward to reading this volume.

X-Men Origins
When I reviewedg the recently released X-Men Origins: Wolverine title I mentioned how much I'd enjoyed the series of origins one-shots and that I looked forward to the series being published in a collected edition.

Well, courtesy of the release schedule published over at the Collected Comics Library I see we now have a date for publication: 23 September 2009.

The hardcover X-Men Origins collected edition runs to 144 pages and features the origin stories of Colossus, Jean Grey, Beast, Wolverine, Sabretooth and Gambit:

Witness the very first adventures of your favorite mutants! From the moment Professor Xavier arrived on her doorstep, young Jean Grey knew things would change forever. But she was never prepared for how strange life at the Xavier Institute could be - or just how dangerous she truly was. Will she be able to harness her budding powers in time to prove herself a hero? Or will the ghosts of her past haunt her forever? Then, Hank McCoy never wanted to be different - and for a young mutant with a genius-level brain, camouflage comes easy. But only until a psychopathic terrorist with a god delusion kidnaps his father, and his life is brought into irrevocable confrontation with Charles Xavier and the X-Men. Also, the origin of fan-favorite X-Man Colossus is finally revealed. Deep in the wastes of Siberia, young Piotr Rasputin discovers his mutant abilities -- and becomes the newest target of the ruthless KGB! Plus, from the first time he popped his claws, to the moment he joined the X-Men, Wolverine has had a rough life. See every gruesome detail here!

Written by Sean Mckeever, Mike Carey, Christopher Yost, Craig Kyle, Kieron Gillen
Pencils by Mark Texeira, Mike Mayhew, J.K. Woodward, Trevor Hairsine, David Yardin, Dan Panosian

[Solicitation Source: Marvel]

As I say, I really enjoyed the X-Men Origins series and I'll certainly be picking up the hardcover edition.

X-Men Origns: Gambit

As I've said recently, I'm a big fan of the 'X-Men Origins' one-shots that Marvel have published over the past nine months or so, and I was particularly looking forward to reading Mike Carey's vision of Gambits origin: a character and a story that I'm not too familiar with.

This story is told over four chapters: Chapter 1 tells how the Remy LeBeau ('Gambit') meets, falls in love with and marries Bella Donna Boudreaux, daughter of Marius Boudreaux: a marriage that will join the Thieves and Assassins Guilds. Following the wedding ceremony Remy is challenged to a duel by Bella Donna's brother Julien, who considers the marriage an 'obscenity'. In the ensuing fight Remy kills Julien, leading the Assassins to demand recompense for their loss. Whilst Remy is receiving attention for his wounds, and in an attempt to spare his life, Bella Donna pleads with the Assassins to exile the two newlyweds.

Chapter 2 sees Remy high up in the snow-covered mountains seeking help from Mister Sinister. Remy explains that whilst he is able to build up charge inside his body, transfer it onto an object - a playing card for instance - and use this as a weapon he's no longer able to fully control his power. Sinister operates of Remy, modifying the power to allow Remy some control. In exchange for his help, Sinister employs Remy to recruit and lead a team of mercenaries - including Sabretooth and Scalphunter - he names The Marauders.

Chapter 3 sees the group on what Sinister tells Remy will be his last job: to guide The Marauders through the maze of sewers beneath the city. On reaching their destination the Marauders turn on Remy, leaving him for dead. Moments later, having recovered from the attack, Remy follows the Marauders only to discover them slaughtering mutants. Amongst the carnage Remy was able to rescue just one small child called Sarah, before escaping back through the sewers.

Bringing the story to a close, and using Remy's fathers pre-wedding words of advice as narration, the very short Chapter 4 sees Remy in Mississippi, coming to the rescue of a young, white-haired girl before fighting with her pursuers.

Overall, I thought this was a well-told, entertaining story complemented by some good artwork and with a very nice, eye-catching cover.

As well-told as it was the story did feel at times just a little rushed - after-all, there's a lot of ground covered over 30 pages - and I'd have been happy to see this story published over a two- or three-part mini-series.

I'm still not sure I've really learnt the Gambit origin story - I'd have liked to see Remy when he first discovered he was able to generate kinetic energy - but this book has given me the incentive to read more about the character's early life so, on that basis, it was a good buy and is most definitely recommended.

X-Men Origins: Gambit
Written by Mike Carey
Art by David Yardin, Ibraim Roberson, Nathan Fairbairn
Published by Marvel, 2009

X-Men Origins: Wolverine One-Shot

I've written a bit recently about 'weight of expectation' - that sometimes a good book or film can disappoint because of great expectations, and by the same token if I've got little or no expectation I'm often pleasantly surprised - take my recent experience of Criminal for instance.

I've been really enjoying this X-Men Origins occasional titles over the last 9 months or so - the Jean Grey title was my book of 2008 and the Colossus issue was in my Top 10 - so when I heard that Wolverine and Gambit* were next up for the 'Origins' treatment I couldn't wait to get hold of them. Having received and read it I was a little disappointed ... although through no fault of the book itself.

I think the X-Men Origins: Wolverine one-shot suffers as a result of the 'weight of expectation' factor: I've been enjoying all things Wolverine just lately as a result of the Hugh Jackman film and, having finished the book I was left with a feeling of 'is that it?'. It's not that it's a bad read - far from it, I enjoyed the story (to a point) and the Mark Texeira's artwork was good - it's just I felt that it was a tale that perhaps didn't need to be told - told again: at this time anyway. Afterall, is there anything about Wolverine's origin that we don't know?

The collector in me is glad I picked the book up and would recommend it on that basis. Otherwise, with a cover price of $3.99 it's possibly a bit of a luxury I could have lived without - for the moment at least. I hope that at some point Marvel will publish these 'Origins' titles in a collected edition and perhaps that'll be the ideal place to read Wolverine's origin.

X-Men Origins: Wolverine, published by Marvel 2009
Written by Christopher Yost, cover and interior art by Mark Texeira

[* I'm far less familiar with the character of Gambit so I'm expecting to read an origin story that's new to me. Consequently, it means I will have a greater expectations of the book ...]

X-Men Origins: Wolverine - Further Thoughts

A couple of weeks ago I received an email from regular blog reader 'SF' regarding continuity within the X-Men and Wolverine films of recent years. Having now seen the Wolverine film and undertaken just a little internet research I feel ready to respond.

Whilst I generally agree with SF's sentiments around rebooting film franchises, I think we need to establish whether indeed the Wolverine origin story has actually changed from the three X-Men films.

Key to this discussion it seems to me is a line in, I believe, X-Men 2 when Stryker says words to the effect of 'you were always an animal Logan, I just gave you the claws'.

I would suggest that the makers of X2 were refering specifically to the adamantium claws that we associate with Wolverine that were gained as a result of the Weapon X programme and I suspect they (the film makers) were neither acknowledging or denying that Logan had claws of bone as a youngster.

Personally I've always found the X-Men books are an enjoyable read but, in part due to the shear number of the books with their various spin-off series, I've always struggled to follow what's considered canon and what's not. That said, my very brief research on this to enable me to respond to your points suggests that the storyline from the Wolverine film does pretty closely follow the Wolverine origin set out in Marvel comics around 15 or so years ago.

On a more general note I think the 'reboot' approach is an acceptable direction to take - without it, wouldn't a film series be tied to - and possibly compound mistakes made in - an earlier film? Take Batman for instance, the two most recent films have widely be recogised as triumphs of comic book film-making and yet neither could be said to follow the continuity of the earlier films from the 80's and 90's. Although I've not seen the new Star Trek film yet I'm led to believe that at times it plays a little fast and lose with 'Trek' lore and in doing so they've produced an excellent film that's still respectful of the ground covered in previous films.

They are interesting and thought provoking points you raise SF - thank you.

X-Men Origins: Wolverine - 'Kicks 11 Kinds of Ass'*

At the weekend I went to the cinema to see X-Men Origins: Wolverine and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I'd heard one or two negative comments about the film - one commentator that I respect even said that he was 'embarrassed that was the best they could do' - and as much as I tend to ignore reviews before I see a film I was a little apprehensive going into the cinema.

I haven't read a lot of Wolverine so I won't be able to comment with any authority about how closely the story follows Wolverine/X-Men continuity but I thought it was generally pretty well written and well paced with a good blend of action-packed and light-hearted moments, and I don't think there was a bad performance from any of the cast although we were treated to some of the worst CGI I've seen in a long time in one scene!

In its hour and three quarters running time the film covers a lot of story - from Wolverine's childhood through to present day and his battles with assorted mutant-assasins. Along the way, we are introduced to a number of familiar characters from X-Men history and I'd like to see some of these explored in any future Origins films: Cyclops, Wraith, Emma Frost and particularly Gambit.

As I say, in some quarters the film has taken a bit of a knock but I can't help but feel that these people just have too high expectations. It must be a thankless task creating a film from a book or character that people really love, as is certainly the case with Wolverine and X-Men, and perhaps try as the creators will such people will never be satisfied (and I don't mean that to sound a criticism of either party you understand). It's not a film that will change your life ... but then would you expect it to be?

If I personally had any criticism of the film - aside from that one piece of CGI! - it would be that maybe too much was crammed into 100 or so minutes. Or, put another way, perhaps the film could have ran for longer: I guess that'll be the director's cut DVD then?

So would I recommend it - yes, definitely. Is it as good as Dark Knight or Iron Man - probably not. It was, however, a couple of hours of good entertainment, certainly best first seen at the cinema and then own on DVD. Let me know what you think.

*Skottie Young speaking on '11 o'Clock Comics' 09/05/09

X-Men Film Franchise Inconsistencies

No sooner had I launched this new blog that I received an email from one of my regular readers - known to me as SF - with comments around the film: X-Men Origins: Wolverine. The email reads as follows:

The new Wolverine film is said to show his early years as a child as he becomes the X-Man we now know as Wolverine and how we learnt to deal with his abilities, etc.

However, in the previous X-Men films they went to great pains to demonstrate that his adamantine skeleton was grafted to his skeleton as a fully grown man. Indeed they go further to imply that his mutant ability is the fact he can heal almost instantly and that the skeleton is a tehnological addition enabled due to his healing ability. In fact, I seem to remember at least one of the films the entire storyline revolved around his visit to the medical facility and his nemesis, all the time clutcthing his dog tags, which seemed to imply he was a soldier who was experimented on.

Now, I could live with the difference if it was say a different story arc. e.g. the comics have one version and the films take a different route, this is often the case and I have no problems with a different interpretation of the same story. What I do have a problem with is the same story arc changing stories half way through and trying to mash it together in a clumsy attempt to create a new film. I would say there is more than enough Wolverine lore around to create a number of gripping new films without destroying the established story lines of the films that we've been laid down.

Thanks for your contribution SF. As luck would have it I'm off to see the film tomorrow evening - I realise it's been out a couple of weeks now but I don't generally see a film on it's opening weekend as prefer to go when the cinema is a little quieter - and I'll post my thoughts on the film and comment on your observations shortly afterwards.

In the meantime, if any of our readers would like to post their own thoughts then please click on the 'comments' link below and post away. Thanks.

X-Men Origins: Wolverine

I'm really enjoying all things X-Men at the moment - as I've said previously one of the best titles I've read in recent months was the Jean Grey Origins title and I've just picked up a copy of Brian K. Vaughan's now out-of-print Mystique 'Drop Dead Gorgeous' trade.

Continuing the 'Origins' theme is the forthcoming X-Men Origins: Wolverine film due for release in May and from the look of this trailer it will be worth waiting for.