Up and Atom

X-Men: Battle of the Atom #1

I just finished reading all ten chapters of the X-Men crossover story "Battle of the Atom."  It was a nod to Chris Claremont and John Byrne's "Days of Future Past" storyline that ran in Uncanny X-Men #141 and #142 in 1981, just in time to give some more attention to the upcoming 2014 X-Men: Days of Future Past film.  There's a lot of time-traveling in "Battle of the Atom."  The original five teenage X-Men have already come from the past into present day (the concept for the All-New X-Men comic), and now the X-Men from the future travel back to present day in an effort to send them back to their original time period.  Got all that?  At one point, there are three different Icemen and three different Beasts.  What this has to do with atoms is anyone's guess.  But it's a pretty cool title (and logo) nonetheless.

Marvel did a good job of labeling each chapter in the story so readers wouldn't have to figure out what order to read the comics in.  The downside was that if you didn't currently read all of the X-titles, you were pretty much forced to buy all of them to fully understand what's going on.  There was little to no distinction with the characters from book to book.  For example, if you currently only read Wolverine and the X-Men, you didn't get a story featuring the title's regular characters.  You got the next chapter of the "Battle of the Atom" storyline, most likely featuring the original five teenage X-Men and/or their future counterparts.  Bookending the storyline was a two-issue X-Men: Battle of the Atom limited series.

X-Men #5

The most confusing aspect was figuring out which title you were reading at any given moment.  All of the X-titles use the same font for their logos, and they all had the same yellow border.  There was little to distinguish them from one another.  It was especially confusing when it came to the regular monthly simply titled X-Men comic vs. the limited series X-Men: Battle of the Atom comic.  (See images above and to the right.  One is the regular X-Men title and the other is the limited series, but they both have "X-Men" and "Battle of the Atom" on their covers.  Splitting up the words doesn't really make it less confusing.) 

Like most of Marvel's major "events" of late, nothing really dramatic or drastic occurs at the conclusion of "Battle of the Atom."  Some may disagree, but to me it's nothing when compared to crossover events like Marvel's Secret Wars in 1984 that gave us Spider-Man's new black costume or the She-Hulk replacing long-time Fantastic Four member The Thing while he stays on Battleworld in his own monthly series.  Or even when compared to House of M when the Scarlet Witch declared "No More Mutants."  And it's certainly nothing like DC's Crisis on Infinite Earths or Flashpoint that changed things "forever" in the DC Universe.  

Uncanny X-Men #139

Was it good, though?  Sure. It was actually much better than the X-Men crossover stories over the past several years (e.g., "Nation X," "Necrosha," "Second Coming," or "Age of X," just to name a few).   It would just be nice that when an X-Men or Avengers crossover arc is said and done, everyone goes back to ONE team/book.  Wolverine does not need to appear in every X-book.  Iron Man and Thor don't need to appear in every Avengers title. Mr. Fantastic shouldn't be both an Avenger and a member of the Fantastic Four.  There.  I said it.  I couldn't even tell you who's on what team because everyone just appears everywhere in the Marvel Universe.  I don't know when they even have time to poop.  It would make me more excited about purchasing a certain comic if I knew particular characters were going to appear in there every month.  For example, where can I read about Kitty Pryde?  Who knows?  Uncanny X-Men?  X-Men?  All-New X-Men?  Wolverine and the X-Men?  The answer would be:  YES. And NO. It just depends.  When we do see glimpses of her, is it anything like her character development in the 1980s in the ONE X-title of the day, Uncanny X-Men?  NO.  She's just another (intangible) warm body.  I really miss good storytelling and character development/interaction.   Some may think that Scott Summers and Jean Grey are the Ross and Rachel of the X-Men world.  To me, it will always be Kitty Pryde and Peter Rasputin.  He'll always be her lobster.  

Santa Claws

Let's face it:  Wolverine is everywhere.  Not only does he have two of his own solo comic book series (Wolverine and Savage Wolverine) but he's also a member of several X-teams and Avengers teams, plus appears in the other self-titled Wolverine and the X-Men (and these don't even include the alternate versions of him in the Ultimate Universe or Wolverine: MAX).  It's especially -- for lack of a better word -- interesting when the storylines don't even intersect.  He can be in outer space with the Avengers, fighting solo in Madripoor, taking on Sentinels with the X-Men in New York, or just sometimes...DEAD in hell.  ALL AT THE SAME TIME.  Now, one man cannot seriously be in all of these places at once.  So, naturally, I've come to the conclusion that, like Santa Claus, there must be several actors playing the Wolverine character (or, as I like to call him, Santa Claws) in order to make this a reality.  I'm waiting for the day when Marvel comes out with Wolverine, Inc. with all of the Wolverines from around the world and across the galaxy and puts them all in one double-sized, bi-monthly comic. 

I hate to sound like that grumpy old man in the corner that people talk about, but I remember when there was ONE Wolverine and he appeared in Uncanny X-Men.  Period.  And we liked it.  Then in 1982 he got his very own mini-series.  And we loved it.  Then he finally got his very own monthly series in 1988.  And there was a collective "Meh."  I read it for a few issues, got bored, and removed it from my pull list.  

In 2013, we now have his fourth solo self-titled series, so I decided to give him another try.  I enjoyed Paul Cornell's take on Lex Luthor in Action Comics, so I looked forward to what he was going to do scripting Wolverine.  After reading several issues of the new series, I've been less than impressed.  There's little characterization.  It's just Wolverine doing what he does best: fighting.  There's no emotion in the comics.  The storylines are otherworldly.  And there's no personal connection for the reader.  Maybe Cornell had a ghost writer for Lex Luthor?  Frankly, any generic writer who has no background in comic book characters could have written the first several issues of the latest incarnation of Wolverine.  And what's with all of the guest stars, from Nick Fury to S.H.I.E.L.D. to Black Panther to other X-Men?  If Marvel is worried that Wolverine can't carry his own series, then why give him a series?   I already see Wolverine interacting with several different characters in several different monthly comic books.  Shouldn't a solo title be focused on his experiences exclusive of others in the Marvel Universe, a la Hawkeye?

I haven't even picked up an issue of Savage Wolverine.  Why?  I'm already oversaturated with Wolverine in EVERY comic book and, to be honest, with that much exposure he just becomes boring.  Yes, I said it.  Wolverine now bores me.  How about getting back to basics with Wolverine?  Giving him stories that really bring out and develop his personality?  There's so much depth to him, but all anyone wants to use him for is being the angry guy and slicing up people and things.  He's Marvel's cash cow, so they figure that just by throwing him in every comic he'll generate increased revenue.  

Wolverine deserves better.  He deserves to be properly explored with excellent written stories, and he deserves to be illustrated with excellent artwork, neither of which he's gotten in a long, long time.  Most of all, he deserves to be given to readers in smaller, natural quality doses, not shoved down our throats like gallons of artificial High Fructose Corn Syrup. 

The Silly X-Men

I've been reading the new Wolverine and the X-Men comic that resulted from the team "Schism."  Now, it doesn't take a marketing genius to know that the split of the 500+ issue series Uncanny X-Men into two new series (a new Uncanny X-Men series and a Wolverine and the X-Men series) was just an excuse to increase sales because X-Men-related comics are the biggest sellers.  I guess DC was offering more Batman monthly titles and Marvel had to find a way to compete.  

Naturally, I'm one of the gullible souls who was reading only the original Uncanny X-Men (no X-Men Legacy, Astonishing X-Men, or even just X-Men) but now have been purchasing Uncanny X-Men and Wolverine and the X-Men at $3.99 each, so they got me for an extra $4 per month.  And lately, they've been releasing each comic twice monthly, so they're making an extra $12 from me every month. 

The extra money spent wouldn't be so bad if it weren't for the awful product I'm getting in return.  I'm speaking specifically of Wolverine and the X-Men, which should really be retitled as The Silly X-Men.  Yes, Wolverine does appear in the comic (although seriously, what comic doesn't Wolverine currently appear in?).  However, it's primarily about a bunch of young silly mutants that I don't even know or care to know.  Quentin Quire?  Who the hell is he?  Isn't he the oversexed dude on Family Guy?  Oh, no, wait.  My bad.  He's a stupid punk-ass kid with pink hair, a la Perez Hilton.  Or, as I like to refer to him, the Danny Chase of the X-Men.  (See: When the New Teen Titans Went South.) 

I liked the concept of the "Schism" storyline wherein Cyclops would lead a team of X-Men off the coast of San Francisco on Utopia and Wolverine would start up a new school in Westchester, NY.  I also liked that Wolverine and the X-Men promised to feature Wolverine, Kitty Pryde, and the Beast teaching at the new Jean Grey School.  Sadly, we barely get glimpses of Kitty Pryde, Beast, or even Wolverine (!).  We mostly see these younger X-Men in training.  And they're not even the good Young X-Men.  Where are the characters from the Young X-Men short-lived series?  Dust?  Anole?  Graymalkin?  These characters had depth and personality.  The current motley crew consist of a bunch of whiny, annoying brats whose names I don't even know.

So, Marvel, I'm taking my $4 (or $8) and putting it toward the new Astonishing X-Men.  With Marjorie Liu scripting and Northstar making headlines, it's bound to be the better pick.