Brandon Borzelli's Geek Goggle Reviews

Wolverine #300
Marvel Comics
Aaron, Kubert, Mounts, Garney, Keith, Sanders & Soto Colors

Wolverine reaches its giant anniversary issue through re-numbered and some creative math with another good issue in what has been a terrific run for writer Jason Aaron. The issue is set almost entirely in Japan as Wolverine takes a road trip to settle a conflict and find his lost, adoptive daughter. The book plays with a lot of the classic Wolverine stereotypes (such as ninjas) very well as Jason Aaron continues to poke fun at the absurd continuity that this overexposed character has over the past couple of decades. There is a good story in here and this is the kick-off issue for larger arc. The five dollar price tag isn't terrible when you consider you get thirty pages of main story, a five page preview of a Jeph Loeb Wolverine story, cover gallery and sketches. It's a good package for your comic book dollars.

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Brandon Borzelli's Geek Goggle Reviews

Wolverine #19
Marvel Comics
Aaron, Garney & Keith

Wolverine #19 brings an abrupt end to the "Goodbye Chinatown" storyline with another fun issue. The book raced along at such a fast pace I was taken aback that this was the end of the arc. Overall, I liked the issue and found the swift ending to be refreshing compared to the normal six-part arcs these days. I'm not sure this is the kind of Wolverine story that the masses like to see but it was good fun all around from my perspective.

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Brandon Borzelli's Geek Goggle Reviews

Wolverine #18
Marvel Comics
Aaron, Garney & Keith

Jason Aaron continues a very light-hearted story that is throwing so many odd components into one book you can't help but enjoy the ride. The second part of the "Goodbye, Chinatown" arc has the irrelevant Regenesis banner on the cover but the book is really a continuation of a previous mini-series from a few years ago that had to do with the Manifest Destiny crossover. This book is supposed to be Wolverine cleaning up loose ends in San Francisco but Wolverine gets sidetracked and teams up with a bizarre mix of characters. The book has action, good dialogue, it's funny and it contains a surprise or two. I'm not sure I am looking for much more in a comic book.

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Brandon Borzelli's Geek Goggle Reviews

Wolverine #17
Marvel Comics
Aaron, Garney & Keith

Billed as the perfect jumping on point I found this issue of Wolverine to be fun, accessible and provide an interesting enough story to continue reading future issues. The book picks up from some major events in Wolverine's life but before he can begin to deal with the fallout or start anew he's sidetracked into some old problems that he seems to have ignored for too long. This issue may not be Wolverine fighting Omega Red or Sabretooth but it sure has enough in it to keep me entertained throughout. This was a good read.

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Brandon Borzelli's Geek Goggle Reviews

Marvel Universe Vs Wolverine #2
Marvel Comics
Maberry, Campbell & Loughridge

Wolverine teams up with another hero out on the street as the scientists try figure out a way to cure the problem. While this is going on the book shows more and more Marvel heroes falling victim to the plague. This book doesn’t contain nearly as much killing as the first issue but it has a great cliffhanger to put the whole epidemic into perspective. The artwork continues to put forth a gruesome visual story as the known world slowly falls apart. Once again, this is an apocalyptic book that should not be missed.

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Brandon Borzelli's Geek Goggle Reviews

Marvel Universe vs Wolverine #1 of 4
Marvel Comics
Maberry, Campbell & Loughridge

The sequel to one of the best mini-series of 2010 starts things off with a jam-packed first issue that is as entertaining as it is intelligently plotted out. Maberry ties this series in nicely with the previous one, Marvel Universe vs Punisher, but allows this story the room it needs to stand on its own. To be fair, if you didn't read the first mini series and picked this one up you probably wouldn't even know the other existed because this issue barely lets on that some of these events transpired in another book. Overall, the first issue kicks this series into overdrive by the end while giving enough back-story along the way so the reader is in on the goings on. No doubt about it, this was a fun read cover to cover.

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Brandon Borzelli's Geek Goggle Reviews

Astonishing Spider-man & Wolverine #1 of 6
Marvel Comics
Aaron & Kubert

Just when you thought these two characters weren't in enough comic books on a monthly basis they pop up in their own team-up title. Marvel managed to put on some A-list creators to help build some interest in the title and help justify the $4 price tag, but is it any good? Well, the comic book is in fact a good start to a mini series. However, the story finds itself in a difficult spot because a) it could easily be an elseworld's-like story and b) it could appear anywhere in either character's continuity creating a label that could easily be "for the completists". I enjoyed the story but I am going to have a tough time selling the idea that this is for people that aren't either a fan of the creators or characters.

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Brandon Borzelli's Geek Goggle Reviews

Wolverine: Weapon X #11
Marvel Comics
Aaron, Garney & Keith

A new arc for Wolverine Weapon X brings in some new, but familiar, characters. The story is at its strength in how it handles Wolverine and his dialogue. The comic, as it has in this whole series, doesn't pigeon-hole Wolverine into any one of his usual stereotypes. This particular story shows the softer side of Wolverine as he interacts with other heroes. It's a good issue as it introduces the next threat for Wolverine while not bogging the issue down in plot setup or dumbing down the book with page after page of violence. I liked this issue as much as all of the others in this series, which is to say I liked it a lot.

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