Friday, April 5, 2013

Wolverine & the X-Men #27


Well, Jason Aaron tricked me. When we got so much time with Dog last month, I totally misread his motivation. Dog Logan basically wants to be a better version of Wolverine. That includes being a better teacher and hero! That’s a great twist on the normal revenge-seeking sibling. I had Dog labeled as a Sabretooth-clone, but he’s actually more interesting than that. Seeing him take Wolverine’s class of troubled students under his wing totally flips the expectations.

Aaron gives us a few moments with each of the students, giving us more of a glimpse into each of their motivations. Apocalypse-clone Genesis is so darn likeable; it’s easy to root for him. I also love Shark Girl and Eye Boy. The visual powers and easy high concepts give them a classic feel after only a few months of comic appearances. I’m not sure how I feel about a new mutant getting Kitty Pryde’s old codename “Sprite.” I suppose a diamond form with wings is appropriate, though.

Aaron doesn’t get to give us much Wolverine action in the present, but through flashbacks we get a nice look at how Wolverine is connecting with these kids. Personal codenames, stories and common ground are proving to be a real asset for Headmaster Logan. Now let’s just hope Dog doesn’t screw things up too badly!

Ramon Perez must be having a good time. I thought these villains were generic stereotypes, but again, things aren’t what they seem. The evil robots from the future are genital-measuring Roxxon killers. The mud-people are not generic cavemen. And the rough-riding cowboys are actually thugs led by an old-timey super-villain. Perez has a whole lot of characters and a whole lot battle to get through, and it looks great.

Good

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