Post by Mark Caringer on Dec 12, 2006 20:00:32 GMT -5
Tis the season to be… killing?!
In a special double-sized X-Mas special in this week’s Wolverine #49, the guest team of writer Rob Williams, penciler Laurence Campbell and inker Kris Justice aims to present the best Christmas gift to everyone’s favorite mutant by sending him on a shopping, er…killing spree.
As the original solicitation copy goes, “It’s Christmas Eve, and a heavily armed suicide cult–clad in elf outfits--has taken hostage a mid-Manhattan department store and is threatening to blow the place sky high. Among the shoppers: Logan, who’s just itching to sink his (Santa) claws into someone after enduring the Yuletide rush. Should be easy for a damn-near invulnerable force of nature to save the day, right? Think again. All is not as it seems, as a spoiled billionaire’s daughter is about to find out, and the true meaning of Christmas will be spelt out... in blood.”
We spoke with Rob Williams for all the joyous…um…messy details and ended up with a new version of 12 Days of Christmas instead?!
Newsarama: Going as far back as 19th Century, long before he became known as Wolverine, James Howlett/Logan was a sickly youth who required round-the-clock care. What's his personal take on faiths and beliefs around this time of year?
Rob Williams: I’d say he believes as far as his claws and senses can reach. I can only speak for my own take here, but I don’t see Logan as the organised religions type. He’s seen too much bad over the years, come across too many twisted people, and been part of that along the way. Every time he goes berserk he sees the bad in all of us. And let’s not forget that, during his X-life, he’s met and fought with and against gods, and they’ve all been cut by his claws. I’d describe him as a humanist. But what with his connection with nature, there’s certainly a spiritual element to him.
NRAMA: I remember a special Christmas issue from 2001, specifically X-Men #109, where Wolverine paid a visit to Mariko Yashida, his deceased love's grave in Japan and he encountered his ex-wife, Viper, there as well. Correct me if I'm wrong but that was the last time we ever saw Wolverine "celebrate" Christmas, right? So, in your opinion, does he celebrate Christmas at all?
RW: I think he cracks open a few brews and raises a toast to those lost along the way. Maybe he gives his healing factor the afternoon off and, after way too much turkey and beer, falls asleep in front of a Bond movie on Christmas afternoon. Do Canadians do that?
NRAMA: Beats me. So, in your and Laurence's Wolverine #49, he's going shopping for last-minute Christmas gifts on Christmas Eve?
RW: He’s in New York anyway and Kitty Pryde has nagged him to pop into Lacy’s to pick up a few things for her. He (very) reluctantly agrees and then finds himself in the middle of the Christmas rush, which sends his heightened senses crazy. Lucky for him, though, a suicide cult then takes over the store threatening to blow it up, giving him the perfect excuse to take his irritation out on someone else.
NRAMA: Wolverine's unofficial sidekick and former (or still is) mall-rat Jubilee is MIA. Jean Grey is still dead. Captain America's on the run from Iron Man and the Pro-Registration side. And Logan’s taking time off to go shopping for Kitty?
RW: For Kitty. She’s obviously too busy making out with Pete to shop herself. But I know what you’re saying, much like Jack Nicholson, Logan always seems to have a younger woman at his side. It’s something we played on with Wolverine #49, Logan’s need to save teenage girls. That’s what happens here when Toulouse Lexington, a Paris Hilton-with-teenage-angst style-heiress comes to Santa’s Grotto on Christmas Eve and finds herself caught up in the whole crisis.
NRAMA: Right. He gets himself into a situation with a group of "heavily armed suicide cult-clad in elf outfits"? "Santa" Wolvie's not gonna be spreading the "Ho! Ho! Ho!" cheer now, is he?
RW: Not really. Not unless you count having three razor sharp adamantium claws slice through your lower intestines as being part of your traditional Christmas celebrations. Although there’s probably an extreme masochistic branch of the church out there who go with that on the 25th each year. Logan’s stuck in the perfume department when the store gets taken down. What do you think his mood’s going to be like?
NRAMA: Hence the true meaning of Christmas will be spelt out... in blood?
RW: In chicken blood, in fact. It’s physically spelt out during an unexpected voodoo ritual during the book’s second act. It turns out the true meaning is actually “buy stuff.”
Hopefully, we’ve told a story that’s got plenty of action, a good few acerbic laughs along the way and which has a semi-traditional Christmassy ending. With added bombs, multiple Santas, angels and a sprinkling of internal organs.
NRAMA: A Wolverine Christmas special indeed... How does a billionaire's daughter get into the thick of all the action then?
RW: Toulouse’s father is one of the richest men in America, but the type of commitment that has taken him to the top of the business world has also led him to totally ignore his daughter. So, his idea of Christmas parenting is to hire the entire Santa’s Grotto in Lacy’s on Christmas Eve and send his daughter along with her bodyguards. He figures he can get Toulouse anything she wants for Christmas. He doesn’t realise that the one thing she really wants is to spend time with her father.
NRAMA: As far as I know, nobody's told us how Wolverine usually spends the next 12 days of Christmas. Let's end this interview on this joyous season with a re-mastered 12 Days of Christmas song added with a yuletide themed havoc, shall we, Rob?
RW: Bloody hell, you don’t want much, do you?
On the first day of Christmas, Wolverine killed a massed army of bad guys with his claws…
On the second day of Christmas, Wolverine killed a massed army of bad guys with his claws…
On the third day of Christmas, Wolverine let his healing factor do its thing. Relaxed. Took a load off. Got his strength back. Ready for…
On the fourth day of Christmas, Wolverine killed a massed army of bad guys with his claws…
Can you see where this is going?
He probably said “bub” at some point, too.
Source: Newsarama
In a special double-sized X-Mas special in this week’s Wolverine #49, the guest team of writer Rob Williams, penciler Laurence Campbell and inker Kris Justice aims to present the best Christmas gift to everyone’s favorite mutant by sending him on a shopping, er…killing spree.
As the original solicitation copy goes, “It’s Christmas Eve, and a heavily armed suicide cult–clad in elf outfits--has taken hostage a mid-Manhattan department store and is threatening to blow the place sky high. Among the shoppers: Logan, who’s just itching to sink his (Santa) claws into someone after enduring the Yuletide rush. Should be easy for a damn-near invulnerable force of nature to save the day, right? Think again. All is not as it seems, as a spoiled billionaire’s daughter is about to find out, and the true meaning of Christmas will be spelt out... in blood.”
We spoke with Rob Williams for all the joyous…um…messy details and ended up with a new version of 12 Days of Christmas instead?!
Newsarama: Going as far back as 19th Century, long before he became known as Wolverine, James Howlett/Logan was a sickly youth who required round-the-clock care. What's his personal take on faiths and beliefs around this time of year?
Rob Williams: I’d say he believes as far as his claws and senses can reach. I can only speak for my own take here, but I don’t see Logan as the organised religions type. He’s seen too much bad over the years, come across too many twisted people, and been part of that along the way. Every time he goes berserk he sees the bad in all of us. And let’s not forget that, during his X-life, he’s met and fought with and against gods, and they’ve all been cut by his claws. I’d describe him as a humanist. But what with his connection with nature, there’s certainly a spiritual element to him.
NRAMA: I remember a special Christmas issue from 2001, specifically X-Men #109, where Wolverine paid a visit to Mariko Yashida, his deceased love's grave in Japan and he encountered his ex-wife, Viper, there as well. Correct me if I'm wrong but that was the last time we ever saw Wolverine "celebrate" Christmas, right? So, in your opinion, does he celebrate Christmas at all?
RW: I think he cracks open a few brews and raises a toast to those lost along the way. Maybe he gives his healing factor the afternoon off and, after way too much turkey and beer, falls asleep in front of a Bond movie on Christmas afternoon. Do Canadians do that?
NRAMA: Beats me. So, in your and Laurence's Wolverine #49, he's going shopping for last-minute Christmas gifts on Christmas Eve?
RW: He’s in New York anyway and Kitty Pryde has nagged him to pop into Lacy’s to pick up a few things for her. He (very) reluctantly agrees and then finds himself in the middle of the Christmas rush, which sends his heightened senses crazy. Lucky for him, though, a suicide cult then takes over the store threatening to blow it up, giving him the perfect excuse to take his irritation out on someone else.
NRAMA: Wolverine's unofficial sidekick and former (or still is) mall-rat Jubilee is MIA. Jean Grey is still dead. Captain America's on the run from Iron Man and the Pro-Registration side. And Logan’s taking time off to go shopping for Kitty?
RW: For Kitty. She’s obviously too busy making out with Pete to shop herself. But I know what you’re saying, much like Jack Nicholson, Logan always seems to have a younger woman at his side. It’s something we played on with Wolverine #49, Logan’s need to save teenage girls. That’s what happens here when Toulouse Lexington, a Paris Hilton-with-teenage-angst style-heiress comes to Santa’s Grotto on Christmas Eve and finds herself caught up in the whole crisis.
NRAMA: Right. He gets himself into a situation with a group of "heavily armed suicide cult-clad in elf outfits"? "Santa" Wolvie's not gonna be spreading the "Ho! Ho! Ho!" cheer now, is he?
RW: Not really. Not unless you count having three razor sharp adamantium claws slice through your lower intestines as being part of your traditional Christmas celebrations. Although there’s probably an extreme masochistic branch of the church out there who go with that on the 25th each year. Logan’s stuck in the perfume department when the store gets taken down. What do you think his mood’s going to be like?
NRAMA: Hence the true meaning of Christmas will be spelt out... in blood?
RW: In chicken blood, in fact. It’s physically spelt out during an unexpected voodoo ritual during the book’s second act. It turns out the true meaning is actually “buy stuff.”
Hopefully, we’ve told a story that’s got plenty of action, a good few acerbic laughs along the way and which has a semi-traditional Christmassy ending. With added bombs, multiple Santas, angels and a sprinkling of internal organs.
NRAMA: A Wolverine Christmas special indeed... How does a billionaire's daughter get into the thick of all the action then?
RW: Toulouse’s father is one of the richest men in America, but the type of commitment that has taken him to the top of the business world has also led him to totally ignore his daughter. So, his idea of Christmas parenting is to hire the entire Santa’s Grotto in Lacy’s on Christmas Eve and send his daughter along with her bodyguards. He figures he can get Toulouse anything she wants for Christmas. He doesn’t realise that the one thing she really wants is to spend time with her father.
NRAMA: As far as I know, nobody's told us how Wolverine usually spends the next 12 days of Christmas. Let's end this interview on this joyous season with a re-mastered 12 Days of Christmas song added with a yuletide themed havoc, shall we, Rob?
RW: Bloody hell, you don’t want much, do you?
On the first day of Christmas, Wolverine killed a massed army of bad guys with his claws…
On the second day of Christmas, Wolverine killed a massed army of bad guys with his claws…
On the third day of Christmas, Wolverine let his healing factor do its thing. Relaxed. Took a load off. Got his strength back. Ready for…
On the fourth day of Christmas, Wolverine killed a massed army of bad guys with his claws…
Can you see where this is going?
He probably said “bub” at some point, too.
Source: Newsarama
