WEAPON X or How a Wolverine Became a Killing Machine

Following up on my previous post, I wanted to highlight another comic book storyline that will be showcased in the upcoming X-MEN ORIGINS: WOLVERINE movie. It seems as if the people behind the movie cherry-picked the most intriguing eras from the character's colorful past and used that as elements for the plot in the film.

One of those phases in Wolverine's life happens to be the shadowy events surrounding the Weapon X program. Over the years, several writers and artists have tackled this time period and have attempted to add to the saga in their own way, but the original, definitive depiction of Logan's time in Weapon X is the one by Barry Windsor-Smith.

Windsor-Smith wrote and illustrated the entire 12-part series that run through "Marvel Comics Presents #72-84," a Marvel title that had different creators write and draw stories about various characters' adventures. Most stories found within this title are relatively forgettable and it's not a stretch to say that the Weapon X storyline is the single most important run within that long-running title, considering how it not only helped popularize Wolverine even more, but also represented an artistic and narrative high-point of the series.

Back to the content of the storyline itself, primarily it deals with the psychological and physical torture that Logan endures while undergoing the actual adamantium-bonding procedure. Through some really effective narrative devices (which I don't really want to give away), as well as the vivid artwork, Windsor-Smith manages to provide a full, painful display of Logan's treatment by the Weapon X scientists.

Beyond that, we also get to see the all-out massacre that occurs as Logan attempts to escape the lab. It's unbridled animalism as has been rarely depicted in Wolverine comics, mainly because this is the one, true moment when Logan lacks complete control. It's an important part of the Wolverine mythos, so if you're a fan, that should be enough of a draw to read this. But beyond that, it's also a great, dark read, so check it out: WEAPON X.

ORIGIN or The Birth of a Wolverine

First off, I'd like to apologize to you guys for being such an inadequate blogger. A month without an update? Weak sauce. Truthfully, there just hasn't been enough fodder in the mainstream press (aside for some small studio purchases) for me to use as a basis for a post, but that's still no excuse...I need to have a constant stream of new content and I promise you, in the future, I will be better about providing you all with such.

Now, onto more important things...the beloved summer movie season begins in less than two weeks, which also means countless geeky blockbusters coming are way and, as always, a solid number of these will be based on comic books. You've undoubtedly already seen plenty of ads for the first one of these: X-Men Origins: Wolverine.

I'm sure I don't have to explain to you guys who Wolverine is...after all, there's been three feature films and at least two animated series that have featured him as the most prominent member of the X-Men. He's badass in every way, from his ability to literally crawl out of a grave thanks to a healing factor to the indestructible skeleton and claws that pop out of his fists. Oh, and he also loves to smoke cigars, drink whiskey and bang red heads...not bad for a Canadian.

For a lot of people, knowing those attributes about "Wolverine," known as Logan by his friends, is enough...but for others, its the search for his past that intrigues them. You see, as depicted in the movies, the comic books pretty much only scratched the surface of Logan's background until recently, really. The most radical update on Wolverine's history was told in the 2001/2002 mini-series called ORIGIN.

Origin was a series written by Paul Jenkins (with a little help by the Marvel head-honchos at the time, president Bill Jemas and- current Marvel Editor-in-Chief- Joe Quesada) and drawn by the popular artist Andy Kubert (with some amazing digital coloring done by Richard Isanove). The result was a fantastic (if a bit odd) piece of comic book storytelling that combined deep emotional cues with striking visuals in order to give fans what they wanted: the early days of the man who would become Wolverine.

Before I go into the story, I want to briefly touch on the art of the six-part series. It's not often that you find a series of six back-to-back covers that become almost instantly iconic visuals for a decades-old character, but when Joe Quesada-artist-cum- editor-in-chief- is holding the pen, it's not hard to guess why. Between the high-contrast- color covers depicting specific moments in Wolverine's youth, along with Kubert's dynamic pencilling and Isanove's colors... the series immediately became more than just a story filled with "reveals" about Marvel's favorite mutant, it became an artistic high-point for the character.

As far as the story goes, I don't want to give away too much, because for those of you with even a passing familiarity of Wolverine are bound to get surprised by some of the revelations in this series. But just so you know what you're getting...it's basically Wolverine's youth. Specifically, where he grew up, how he grew up and the eventual series of events that transpired for him to become increasingly detached from humanity. Less of a man and more of an animal.

The series also gives you a couple great "firsts" in that you see the first time he pops his claws (believe it or not, those things were in him from the start), as well as the beginning of his life-long rivalry with the man/animal who becomes Sabretooth. Also, as mentioned above, we get to see the FIRST red-head that "Logan" attempts to bang...oh, and also why he's known as Logan in the first place, because if you think that's his REAL name, you'd be WRONG, my friends. This series reveals the true name of Wolverine.

It's a fun read that, despite lacking a true "impact" on the overall Wolverine story, really just adds a new emotional level to Wolverine. It's great for fans as well as for people looking for an interesting period piece- yep, it takes place over a century ago...that healing factor is like Botox- that incorporates the popular X-Men character. If you're interested in checking it out, here it is on Amazon at a very reasonable price.

I'll have a LOT more Wolverine-related posts coming up, specifically ones that relate to moments and characters in the movie. Stay Tuned!