Wolverine & the X-Men #1-8

Wow. Just, wow. I’ve been a fan of Jason Aaron’s writing for awhile now. I knew he could do heartbreaking crime like Scalped, and I knew he had a great angle on straight up action, like Wolverine. But I find myself shocked at this first arc of Wolverine & the X-Men. I started picking up the title during AvX, and it is still a good comic. But the opening chapters introducing the location, staff, and students at the Jean Grey Academy are simply brilliant.

The weakest aspect of these opening issues is the new Hellfire Club. I appreciate what Aaron is trying to do, but I don’t love the idea of a group of kids taking over for big time villains like Sebastian Shaw. That said, the Club’s plans have been great fodder for stories. I’m shocked that Aaron can actually make the following plots flow naturally: Krakoa’s attack on the school, Sabretooth (I thought he was dead?) going after Abigail Brand to upset the Beast, and best of all, Kitty’s pregnancy, and Wolverine and Quentin Quire doing some intergalactic gambling to raise school funds. That’s just crazy!

Of the many plots, I think the combo of the Brood attack and the gambling for funds is my favorite run. Kid Gladiator has some great dialogue, and Warbird’s attraction to Iceman is a great twist. I also remain stunned at the strange attraction between Iceman and Kitty Pryde. I never would have predicted that either, but it actually works.

Chris Bachalo is a known quantity. His pages dealing Krakoa’s attack on the school can be a bit murky, but the sense of design and action is always strong. His Bamf’s are hilarious, and his hunched over Wolverine looks tired even when he first appears. I think Bachalo does better work in costume, so some characters like Kitty Pryde or Iceman sometimes get lost on the page. (That never happens to Beast, though!)

Nick Bradshaw, however, is shiny and new. I was impressed when I first saw his art, and I remain stunned. Kid Gladiator and Warbird look wonderful. I love the design of the traveling space professor, and Bradshaw’s Brood are spooky, even when microscopic. Bradshaw brings the comedy to life in Aaron’s scripts. Plus, Broo actually looks cute! That’s hard to do!

Excellent