Wolverine and the X-Men Vol. 1
Writer: Jason Aaron
Artists: Chris Bachalo and Nick Bradshaw
While silly at times, Jason Aaron’s take on the X-Men is an absolutely fun ride!!!
Ranking: 4 stars
If there’s one thing that comics (particularly superhero comics) are notable for, is that they’re often dominated by silly or ludicrous ideas. Although many attempt to ground themselves in realism nowadays, ideas like a man being the last son of a dying planet, a man dressing up as a bat to scare criminals, or people born with special powers as the next stage in human evolution are logically ridiculous. If these concepts seem so silly, then why do they continue to draw readers? It’s primarily due to the fact that despite being logically implausible, writers are able to make superhero comics compelling through balancing the fantasy elements with realism, as well as creating compelling story lines with relatable characters. However, sometimes writers can go overboard with gimmicky plot elements, which was the main reason I didn’t care for Grant Morrison’s ALL-STAR SUPERMAN that much. It was hard for me to find a compelling and believable story about Superman while it seemed focused on making him god-like and doing implausible feats. Despite that, I actually really enjoy most of Morrison’s other works as he usually embraces the ludicrous parts of comics, but is able to create innovating and unique story lines while not going overboard with those silly elements (BATMAN R.I.P. and NEW X-MEN for instance). Jason Aaron’s run on WOLVERINE AND THE X-MEN (not to be confused with the popular animated TV series; check that out on Netflix by the way) is a prime example of a story that consists of ridiculous concepts, but is made highly enjoyable through its story and characters. As I mentioned in my WOLVERINE: GET MYSTIQUE review, Jason Aaron was responsible for a critically acclaimed run on Wolverine that I’m currently reading. His stories so far fully understand the core themes of Wolverine’s character, and have created story arcs from them that further emphasizes the pain he endures and lives with. Hearing that he had written a series that featured Wolverine as the headmaster for a new Xavier school for mutants, I was curious to see if Aaron was capable of providing the rest of the team the same respect that he’s given for the famous beserker-killer mutant. Not only were his first two volumes well written, but WOLVERINE AND THE X-MEN may be the next series that has given me a fun ride alongside the runs of Chris Claremont and Joss Whedon (I love Morrison’s run on NEW X-MEN, but he did go overboard with the confusing elements). Set after the events of SCHISM, the X-Men have divided into two separate factions, one led by Cyclops, and the other led by Wolverine. While Scott and his X-Men have established the mutant nation Utopia on the west coast, Logan has decided to rebuild the Xavier institute back in Weschester as the Jean Grey School for Higher Learning. With him as the headmaster, and Shadowcat as the headmistress, the new institute promises a safe haven for young mutants where they can be safe from oppression, and learn to control their powers. But the institute may not survive it’s first day as the school faces a threat far scarier than Magneto, the sentinels, or even Cassandra Nova; the New York board of education, who believe that the school posses a potential threat to the human population. Desprate to ensure that the school receives a stamp of approval, Kitty and Logan must do everything they can to impress the board’s ambassadors. But that may not be easy when not only is the school home to mutants with unorthodox powers and practices, but is also under siege by the new Hellfire club whose leader is a kid that wants to lay waste to the institute. I saw varying responses about this series from reviewers on Amazon. While many have praised it for its writing and characterization, others found it too weird and ridiculous to take seriously. For me, I really enjoyed this first volume. While I will definitely admit that some of the elements in this book are over the top silly, it never goes to far as to insult the reader’s intelligence. It doesn’t try shove ludicrous idea after ludicrous idea in your face as I personally feel that ALL-STAR SUPERMAN did (I know most people loved that story, and that’s fine, but it just wasn’t for me), but rather keeps them in the background to create a bizarre but unique environment that works with the X-Men’s mythos. While the idea of the school being built on top of Krakoa the “living land mass” may seem stupid (for those who don’t know, Krakoa was originally a living island that was the first enemy fought by the new X-Men) the idea of it being welcomed as a student later on works because Krakoa is a mutation, and has been feared and hated by others. Yeah it’s silly, but it follows the theme that the institute is a sanctuary for people who are viewed with suspicion and distrust, and the X-Men are about the dangers of racism and prejudice. Another weird idea that I really liked was the new character Broo. Broo is an alien mutant from the Brood species, a hostile race that is infamous for reproducing by implanting eggs inside living beings that will transform the host into a brood themselves (an inspiration from the ALIEN franchise; minus the bursting from the stomach aspect). Unlike most of his race however, Broo is able to resist his specie’s animalistic nature, and is an intelligent student at the institute. He does come across as a stereotypical nerd, but I found his character fascinating as he had an admirable hunger for knowledge, as well as a friendly demeanor (and it’s both cute and funny to see an alien in a role that doesn’t have him killing or eating humans). So while WOLVERINE AND THE X-MEN does have elements that are indeed silly, they never go overboard and are there to create an interesting atmosphere that can only exist in comics. Sometimes comics exist to exploit this kind of silliness, and there’s nothing wrong with that. What truly made WOLVERINE AND THE X-MEN a good read for me was its story and characters. It wasn’t complex or deep like other comics I’ve read, but it was simply fun and enjoyable, and sometimes that’s all you need to create an good story. Aaron does not fail here, as like Claremont and Whedon, he decides to drive the plot solely through the dialogue and interactions between characters. Their lines felt realistic and believable, but also provided banter and humor as well. This is the type of atmosphere that the X-Men should live in, a balance of realism and fantasy, but with deep themes, as well as characters that feel like real people. Aaron’s decision to make Wolverine and Kitty Pryde the headmasters of the school was a dream come true to me. These two are hands down my favorite X-Men (Shadowcat being number one; no disrespect Wolvie), and to see both of them continuing Xavier’s legacy and running a school together is a brilliant concept (you could not have chosen a better pairing than this). I really enjoyed reading their attempts to please the school board, yet fail miserably because of unfortunate events going on around them. It was both funny and dramatic, as I wanted to see their school survive, but I also got some laughs out of their efforts horribly backfire. I also liked the student body of the school, and how they were represented in this story. I already went over Wolverine and Kitty, as well as Broo and Krakoa, but I also enjoyed having Beast as the vice-principal and engineer, Iceman, Gambit, and Husk as teachers, Toad as a janitor, as well as Armor, Glob Herman, and the Shiar Kid Gladiator among the students. One character choice I had mixed feelings about at first though was having Kid Omega (aka Quentin Quire) as a probationary student. Quentin was infamous for causing a riot at the original institute in Grant Morrison’s NEW X-MEN. He did so because he felt that Xavier’s ideals for human and mutant relations were ineffective, and that the new generation of mutants should voice their own ideals. In here, Quinten is reduced to being a stereotypical troublemaker who wants to cause more school riots. I was unsure of how I felt about this at first, as I felt it robbed him of his status as a legitimate villain, but Aaron makes up for this with moments such as him connecting with Krakoa because of the prejudice mutants face, as well as helping Wolverine earn funding for the school through an intergalactic casino in the second volume (weird, but just comedy gold). Overall, the characters in Aaron’s WOLVERINE AND THE X-MEN are well-grounded in their characterization while providing fun and humorous banter and dialogue. As for the story itself, I have no words to describe it other than that it’s just fun. That’s all I can say about it. It’s simply a fun read. So while Jason Aaron’s run on WOLVERINE AND THE X-MEN does embrace the more ludicrous side of comics, it’s still made compelling through it’s respect to the core mythos of the X-Men, and is simply a fun storyline with fun characters. There’s not much else for me to say about the comic other than that it’s simply a fun and relaxing read. Comics like these prove that a book doesn’t necessarily need to be deep or complex in order to be good, but that simply being enjoyable and relaxing are enough to make a quality story. And in my opinion, if you’re having fun with a story, that’s all that really matters. “The unreal is more powerful than the real, because nothing is as perfect as you can imagine it, because it's only intangible ideas, concepts, beliefs, fantasies that last.” -Chuck Palahniuk
