Wednesday, August 18, 2010

Wolverine Omnibus Review

How many times do you buy the same comics??

I must admit that sometimes, I foolishly buy the same comic multiple times.

I bought Crisis on infinite Earths in single issues. Then I got the HC that came out in the late 90s with the beautifull wraparound cover by George Perez and Alex Ross. And then I got the Absolute Edition. Although I gave away the single issues to someone, and I sold the HC to someone else... I still bought the darn thing 3 times.

I often find it very tempting to replace an older copy with a newer edition.... especially when that newer edition has some extras that the previous edition did not have.

A great example of that is the Wolverine Omnibus.

Although I already owned one of the Weapon X TPB, the TPB of the Claremont/Miller Wolverine, and about half a dozen of the other comics we find in the Wolverine Omnibus edition, still I HAD to get mysefl a copy and essentially buy some of them comics once more.

Although I have a Weapon X TPB... the TPB did not include the Marvel Comics Presents covers.

Other short stories were also missing from my collection.

And of course... it includes the Wolverine mini-series by Chris Claremont and Frank Miller... and the follow-up of that tale in a couple of issues of the uncanny X-Men.

And the "second" Wolverine limited series... although that one also includes Kitty Pryde. I had been one of the many foolish fools who passed on the Kitty Pryde and Wolverine series. There are a few reasons why I first passed on that comic when it first came out. Like many... I was not too crazy of Al Milgrom's work at the time. Although I could have said the same at the time of the work of Walter Simonson and Mike Mignola.

Only now am I able to really appreciate Milgrom's work.

But also at the time... I did not really know the character of Kitty Pride.

The X-men published here at the time were around the last issues of Cockrum or the early Byrne issues... so I had not been introduced to Kitty Pride yet. Kitty Pride meant nothing to me at the time. It would take a while until I could grow attached to her character.

So now was a good time to finally read that tale.... and I loved it.

Then you have some of the tales in which Wolverine guest starred... my favorite being the one by Mike Zeck. Loved it... especially the cover. I had a poster of that cover... sadly it was lost or damaged throught the years in one of the times that I moved.

Although I was suprised that it did not included Daredevil issue 249. It essentially features a tale where Wolverine plays a major part... but is missing from this Omnibus. I expected this tale to be included since the Omnibus does include Hulk issue 182 where Wolverine appears for just a single page.

Oh well.

It does not really matter since I own a copy of the DD comic.

And then we have the John Buscema era of Wolverine. I used to own them comics.... but again... one time that I moved... a box of comics seemed to have "mysteriously" dissapeared. I was planning to buy them once more... either as back issues or in TPB. But thanks to this edition... I got them comics once more.

As fate would have it... I was missing the Wolverine comics up to and including issue 10. And as fate would have it... the Omnibus includes the Buscema Wolverine up to and including issue 10.

Coincidence?? or cosmic destiny??

You decide. ;)

And to end the book... we got the Jim Lee Punisher featuring Wolverine. Loved that run of the Punisher.

And then we get various extras, sketches, covers for various editions of reprints or TPBs.... and even the pencilled version and the inked version of Captain America Annual #8. Love that.

Overall... the quality of this edition is great. It is a wonderfull edition that any Wolverine fan would love to own... assuming that you can read older comics that is.

I will probably sound like an old man... but people from the generations after me seem incapable to watch/read/appreciate anything that was done before their time. Whether it is to read some older comics, or watch some older movies... or even reading books.

Although when it comes to reading books... they seem unable to read books period... even current books.

But with movies... don't bother asking them to watch a black and white movie. Or even a movie from an era close to the stone age... like the 80s. The closest you can get to having them watch an "old film" is to have them watch Jurassic Park... or Terminator 2. Anything earlier then that is just too "ancient looking" for them.

And the same goes with comics. Trying to get them to read... and even more... appreciate comics dating from before the age of digital coloring is very difficult. 

Oh well.

So if you can appreciate some older comics... with some older coloring technique. Comics using a color palette from before the "Image Age"... the Wolverine Omnibus is perfect for you.

 It is an edition of great quality with some tales of the past by some of the greats of their time. So if you have a bit of an historian in you... or if you simply like well made comics...

...this book is for you.

- Pierre

9 comments:

Luke H said...

I enjoy these thorough trade reviews: it's something different and I can tell you are really passionate about the topic.

Pierre Villeneuve said...

Thanks.

Well I really enjoyed them Omnibus editions.

Some fun comics in a very nice format.

Love them. ;)

RKB said...

The whole 'how many times can you buy the same comics' is something I'm struggling with right now Pierre: When I first started getting into Marvel Acts of vengeance was the cross-over going on (New Mutants #86, and Quasar #5 are two of the titles I still remember being so happy I found at the local Bookland) I went on to get most of the single issues. Come December here comes the Omnibus... On the one hand I already own them, on the other it would be nice to have them in a collected edition, and save me the trouble of searching through boxes looking for them to read...
I'm not as tempted to replace older comics I have with collections, but still those Omnibus's are so damn sweet....

Jim Shelley said...

@RKB - yeah, I'm sort of on the fence about that Omnibus as well. At the time it was coming out, I completely ignored it (must have been going through one of my economic downturns) so I'm intrigued with it.

On the flipside - I don't know much about it. I've never heard it mentioned as one of those really great storylines --- just a really long one.

Pierre Villeneuve said...

RKB; Do you have all the Acts of Vengeance tie-ins?? odd are you are missing a few.

I had the Secret Wars II... but not all the ite-ins.... and I was really glad to have all the tie-ins in the Omnibus. Now I know the whole story.

It was worth it.

I am sure that it will be the same if you get the Acts of vengeance one.

Just sayin". ;)

And yes.... them Omnibus book are REALLY SWEET.

So if you see one of a series you really liked... it would be worth it to pick it up.

Jim; Yes... when the bucks aren't there... it is hard to cough up the cash to get them collections.

I guess that is when you realise that rent and groceries come first... and comics are a luxury.

Luke H said...

I like these volumes for the oversized art and glossy paper. That paper just really makes the older art pop!

RKB said...

I have most of them, but not all of them, I might just fill out my original set depending on how the prices match up, (and buy the collection anyway ;) )Thanks Pierre!
@Jim Acts of Vengeance is IMO very good for a couple of reasons Jim: Mostly it's not SUPER GREAT writing, but GOOD writing with the occasional GREAT moment, the best thing about it is it's honest. A large part of it is hero vs. a villain they've never faced before, FIGHT! Which is fun, but not serious reading. You do have some great fights (Cap vs. Submariner, Thor vs, Juggernaut, Absorbing Man vs. Quasar etc; It was also used for some major set-ups like the first appearance of the new Warriors, and Rusty and Skids leave the new Mutants, Cosmic Spiderman,...
I also liked the premise, sort of a reworking of Strangers on a train. Instead of a perfect murder because your a total stranger, you had a villain might win a fight if the hero had never faced him. It wasn't all fun action filled battles; check out Captain America #367 for Red Skull vs. Magneto. Magneto a holocaust survivor finally gets his revenge on the Nazi Red Skull, one of Mark Gruenwald's best stories. The MIA Red Skull would also be a major plot point in further issues of Cap, but the way Magneto took out Red Skull was excellent writing. Mainly a fun action story that knows what it is, with a few really excellent moments is the way I would sum it up.

Pierre Villeneuve said...

Damn YOU RKB!!!

Now I am tempted to get the Acts of Vengeance Omnibus. ;)

RKB said...

HA!HA! HA! ;)
The Absorbing Man/Quasar fight had a surprising level of emotion as well, but really teenage me cheered out for Magneto's revenge!
I don't want to down play the humor either: spider-Man vs. the Trapster (a lot of paste pot pete jokes) Impossible Man vs. The Silver Surfer, and a tie-in (only a page or two) of Hydro-Man vs. Water Wizard to see who got to fight the FF, -while the FF just laughed at them!

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