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Post by Jesse M. Huertas on Dec 29, 2006 18:27:00 GMT -5
Better than Life Itself: It must be in your collection for eternity
Definite Read!: A great read from front to finish
Not bad, but not great: A decent read worth the asking price
Well, it’s not the worst: Only for diehards…even then
Where’s my Pistol?: Titles like this make you question your hobby!
Review:
After a long delay between issues, we finally get issue #9. This issue focuses on the relationship of a young Black Widow and Wolverine. The flashbacks cover the period of about 1939-1942 assuming. This is an assumption since a date wasn't added and Wolverine met up with BW first in 1941 according to UXM 268. Anyways a bit of history is explored, not much with these two. All in all, the flashbacks end with a young Natasha (why is she called Natalia?) killing off bodyguards and escaping and Wolvie killing her foster father under the same orders of what looks like the same department.
This point bugs me a bit, could have been a great place to throw in who they could have been working for and why they enlist a 6 year old girl in some missions, anyways all you get is an emblem they both share which looks likes the emblem of the organization they belong to. It would be nice to know if these are the same folks that killed off Silver Fox etc etc. But those are questions for a later date.
The issue ends with Natasha telling Logan that she gave SHIELD Omega Red's coordinates instead of Logan's not knowing Jubilee is her prisoner. Jubilee is shown being crushed. The issue ends with Wolvie flashing a fake C-Synthesizer luring SHIELD and Omega Red.
Do not expect any cool Jubilee quirks with Omega Red, they are not shown until the last two pages. There was absolutely no reason for Jubilee to be apart of this arc, so lets hope she doesn't appear again. Way has shown how completely useless Jubilee is as a character now. That's too bad, I loved their adventures together and their interaction. If Wolverine doesn't care, neither should we, cause like he said 'she's dead anyways'. So I'm sure Jubs fans are quite dissappointed with her 'appearances'. Oh well.
Anyways nothing note-worthy happens in this issue so unless you are a collecting fanatic, you wouldn't miss this issue at all.
Grade: Well, it’s not the worst: Only for diehards…even then
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Post by Megalictis on Jan 2, 2007 14:01:03 GMT -5
The flashback seems inconsistent with UXM #268 and can't have taken place between 1939-42. Wolverine said this was his first mission after he was taken from Jasmine Falls. Logan spent five years at Jasmine falls - after he spent years training with Ogun. His training under Ogun began after WWII (so starting no earlier than 1945). The events depicted in W:O #9 can't fit into Logan's established timeline until at least 1952-54. Natasha's age in this story also doesn't fit. She looked to be about five in 1941 when she first met Logan. In this story (at least 11 years later) Natasha appears to be only ten or eleven. Refer to - loganfiles.proboards92.com/index.cgi?board=questions&action=display&thread=1167406023 "Natalia" is the familiar form of the name Natasha, like "Jack" is to John, or "Sally" is to Sarah. The ring Logan shows to Natasha isn't his - it belonged to Taras Romanov (you can see it when he first appears on page 6). Logan took it - and Natasha's pendant - to take them back to his "masters" to "prove" both were dead. As to who sent Natasha to train with Taras - that's not clear to me from this story. I can't figure out if whoever sent Logan intended for him to train Natasha (I got he impression from the story that it was her idea) or whether they wanted her dead too. If he was supposed to kill Taras and bring her back as a potential "super-soldier" then this mission parallels the early "grooming" of Nuke (around the late 1950's). The image on the ring appears to be a bird - possibly an eagle. Maybe the royal Russian crest? I suspect Natasha Romanov is the daughter or grand-daughter of Anastasia Romanov, and thus, last heir to the Czars, but that's just a guess. |
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Post by Jesse M. Huertas on Jan 2, 2007 23:16:57 GMT -5
Naturally Mega you always point out great points regarding Logan's history, thanks for giving me a heads up on Natalia/Natasha. All I know is that the UXM story is hella confusing with stuff and it really hasn't been cleared up, I guess we just have to fit this for ourselves cause I don't think much is being clarified. Hopefully it's cleared up one day...
Here's a question, what do you think Wolverine revealed to Bucky? You think maybe Brubaker will handle that?
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Post by Megalictis on Jan 3, 2007 13:41:39 GMT -5
Logan: Yer' little secret is out, bub. It's posted on the internet for everyone to see. The whole world knows what Steve made ya' do back in '41.Bucky: You mean - - Logan: That's right, 'Buster Brown!' Bucky: No! it's not true! I - I was just a kid! Oh God! What was I supposed to do?! He's Captain America for Chrissakes... I - - (Bucky breaks down and bawls like a baby for a moment. Logan waits.) Bucky: Where? I have to see...Logan: Right here, bub...community.livejournal.com/scans_daily/1414177.html |
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Post by Jesse M. Huertas on Jan 4, 2007 18:23:29 GMT -5
Ok Mega, I just re-read UXM268 again just now...I was thinking that the period with Taras occured BEFORE UXM 268 because she started calling him 'Lil Uncle' then and by UXM 268 (1941) she was already calling him Little Uncle, ah I don't know, Dan's just throwing these in there making us piece them together, what other stories should I read up on to help get a better understanding of these events and just place them in order myself
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Post by Megalictis on Jan 5, 2007 16:00:55 GMT -5
I remember the adult Black Widow calling Logan "little uncle" in that issue, but did she call him that as a child in the flashbacks? In any case, Way stated that W:O #9's flashback was his first mission after Itzu died at Jasmine Falls, which took place after he left Ogun's dojo, which was after WWII. And Natasha looked younger in UXM #268 than she did in W:O #9, and Wolverine hadn't met her before that. As for bibliographic references to this time period, Logan meets Ogun before the war in China in Wolverine #113 (I think). At that time Ogun was an officer in the occupying Japanese army. Impressed by Logan's courage and fighting skill, Ogun ofers to train him someday. Ogun would not have been available to train Wolverine until after the war was over, and Logan enlisted after Canada joined the war so he wouldn't have been available to train. Way himself established that Jasmine Falls was after Logan's time with Ogun In Wolverine (vol 3) #40. For additional information, check out Mark's history of Wolverine. A more detailed (but more speculative) account of Logan's past can be found here - www.typingmonkeys.com/wolverine.htmlOne caveat: typingmonkey includes non-canon company crossovers (like Wolverine/Shi, and X-Men/Wildcats) in his history, and the chronological order in which he places some events is debatable. |
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Post by Jesse M. Huertas on Jan 5, 2007 18:00:40 GMT -5
Yeah she called him little uncle as a kid, after Logan rescues her and Captain America. Before Logan and Cap depart the scene goes as:
Natasha: You told me to be Brave, little uncle. I fought the wizard as hard as I could.
Logan: Did fine Princess. Made me proud.
So in any case, she meets Logan in 1941, then meets her about 7 years later? I guess that can be plausible that she might have forgot about the earlier encounter, I'd say she was about 13 in WO 9. So I can accept that she might have forgot about the earlier encounter
268 occured in 1941, the war ended in 1945, we'll say Logan caught up with Ogun in 1946, stayed there until 1948, left for Jasmine falls and stayed there for 5 years per Wolverine #40 until 1953. So he had his first mission in 1953 catching up with Natasha she could have been around 17 years old during WO9 right? Or am I off a bit? I'm confused a bit now, has Way said anything to clear this up?
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Post by Megalictis on Jan 5, 2007 19:52:52 GMT -5
Well, there's nothing in W:O #9 that says she didn't remember him from before, or that they weren't travelling together on the train. Perhaps he was escorting Natasha to Taras Romanov because she knew him, and he had protected her before?
As for the timeline:
1897 James Howlett is born.
1936? Natasha Romanov is born. (Logan now 39).
1941 Natasha (5-6) meets Logan in Madripoor.
1942? Logan joins the army (at age 45).
Winter, 1942 Logan is at the Nazi death camp located in Sobibor, Poland (Wolverine (Vol. 3) #32)
1943 Logan is in Arnhem Land, Australia (New X-Men #142)
June 6, 1944 Corporal Logan of the 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion, parachutes as an element of the 6th British Airborne Division during the D-Day invasion over Ranville, Normandy (Wolverine (Vol. 2) #34)
1944-45 Logan is in Greece with Elektra's father (Wolverine (Vol.2) #106)
1945 WWII ends. Logan begins training with Ogun? (Natasha now 9-10)
1947? Logan goes to Jasmine falls (Natasha 11-12)
1952? After 5 years Itzu is killed and Logan captured. (55-year- old Logan's son is born by c-section and stolen). Events of W:O flashback begin (Natasha 16?)
1954? After 2 years Logan kills Taras & covers Natasha's disappearance - and that'd make her 18! (Except she looks about 13). (And Logan is 57).
Way's timeline is very tight during the post WWII period, and it doesn't account for Logan's first meeting with Chang of LL&L (Logan: Path of the Warlord) or Black Crane saying he met Logan in China at the founding of the communist government (which was 1949) in Uncanny X-Men #363.
And as far as I know, Way hasn't said anything that clarifies this.
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Post by Jesse M. Huertas on Jan 7, 2007 19:02:41 GMT -5
very interesting indeed, that Logan is one busy character that's for sure
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Post by Jesse M. Huertas on Jan 7, 2007 19:03:10 GMT -5
I wonder if Way is reading these
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Post by Jesse M. Huertas on Jan 9, 2007 18:40:08 GMT -5
One thing I wanted to point out, in issue #40 (vol 3) when the mountain explodes, Wolverine unleashes his claws in reaction, and they were coated in adamantium (looks like) anyways, was this just a gaffe or what? The adamantium was bonded in the 60's, and judging from earlier Wolverine had no recollection of the claws until the 60s, unless the brain frys made him forget about the claws. You think that was a editorial/writer oversight or what?
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Post by Megalictis on Jan 9, 2007 19:04:51 GMT -5
Since this took place well before Weapon X I assumed it was a colouring error. I was more surprised by the fact that Logan wore his eyepatch throughout the whole five years that he was at Jasmine Falls. Why the disguise? Did he lose his eye again? If so, did it take five years to grow back this time?
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Post by Jesse M. Huertas on Jan 10, 2007 19:06:55 GMT -5
So...was Wolverine under the guise of 'Patch' before his Siege Perilous route? Since Bucky's mission was to take him to Madripoor...is that new then?
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Post by Megalictis on Jan 11, 2007 16:21:12 GMT -5
My understanding of the events of Logan's past (and this may be conjecture that I've accepted as fact) suggest that Logan first assumed the identity of Patch in Madripoor at some point after WW I. Sgt. Silas Burr had gouged his eye out after killing Logan's girlfriend. Believing himself maimed, Logan adopted the patch. At some point thereafter his eye grew back, but having already established a reputation in Madripoor as "Patch" he continued to use the disguise there. He abandoned the disguise prior to WWII. I don't recall Logan wearing the patch when he first met Ogun in China prior to WWII or at any time during his training with Ogun afterward, so why did he wear the patch during the 4½ years at Jasmine falls? Even If Way has decided to move Logan's first encounter with Cyber to WWII it still makes no sense for Logan to abandon the eyepatch when he trained with Ogun, then re-adopt it afterward.
I don't know how Bucky and another trip to Madripoor figure into this. And what does the Seige Perilouds have to do with it - Logan didn't encounter that until he was an X-Man?
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