Synopsis:

Inspired by the hit podcast The Women of Marvel and co-written by the #1 New York Times bestselling coauthor of Beautiful Creatures, this eye-opening and engaging book celebrates the women who have helped make Marvel one of the most successful comics and entertainment companies in the world.

Rating: 9/10

Review:

Written by Margaret Stohl, novelist and comic book writer (The Life of Captain Marvel, Black Widow: Forever Red), with Jeanine Schaefer and Judith Stephens, Super Visible: The Story of The Women of Marvel Comics is an essential record of Marvel from its Mad Men 60s to its more diverse and never more popular present. Thanks to the oral histories interspersed within the book from dozens of key female figures, you get a front-row seat to the mythic origins of Marvel.

Many comic book fans pride themselves on their knowledge of comic lore, but even the most Jeopardy-ready superfans will find this essential text illuminating and rewarding. You simply can’t put the book down. As soon as Stohl delivers a peek into the famed Marvel Bullpen – The Virginia Schedule, for example – you’re pulled into the advent of the X-Men, and then their pop culture explosion in animation and beyond.

The book gives a long overdue look behind the comic book page to reveal how instrumental women have always been to the publisher. The book begins with a bang: Patricia Highsmith, the legendary writer probably best known for The Talented Mr. Ripley and The Price of Salt, the basis for the movie Carol, worked for Timely Comics in the 30s before Marvel was truly Marvel. While some names are likely familiar to comic book fans, many are not, but in quick, effortless fashion, the book introduces figures who feel like old friends.

Women responded to fan mail as Stan Lee, wrote the Bullpen Bulletin famous for its direct address from Stan to the reader, and also ran interference – literally – at the office door. As women became more creatively involved in the 1980s, with Ann Nocenti and Louise Simonson among those whose contributions were legendary for X-Men fans, Marvel Comics began to distinguish itself in the industry.

Nocenti, who elsewhere has spoken of the fight scene in superhero comics as a ‘tumor,’ laments in her comments that she felt as though she couldn’t be pigeonholed as a ‘female writing female characters.’ That led her to write several (amazing!) runs on very masculine titles like Daredevil and The Punisher. The same goes for Louise Simonson, who avoided the trap many female-led titles fell into, being canceled after only a few issues by focusing on group books. Her efforts were essential to the X-Men’s 80s and 90s legacy.

The book also establishes that women’s contributions in the indie scene benefited Marvel and the industry. Trina Robbins, among others, were instrumental in bringing women into the creative fold and then the spotlight with Big Apple Comix and other titles. Robbins’ ability to move back and forth between New York and California, as well as bring established creators with her into the indie space, had a profound influence on the 80s indie boom that eventually yielded Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, among others.

The book is a welcome insight into an aspect of comic book history many are unlikely to know much about, but everyone should.

Synopsis

A baby dreadnought is terrorizing two star systems.

A new wormhole has been opened, a new planetary system revealed, populated by a strange and impossible race.

A mad god is on the loose.

The il’Drach have destroyed an entire planet.

They are on their way to Wistful.

Rohan just wants a peaceful day of work and a decent cup of coffee.

But if he doesn’t handle the dangers facing his friends, his system, and his sector of the galaxy, who will?

Review

“Who builds a warship and says, ‘Hey, let’s make sure she can whine, in case, I don’t know, her captain misses being around teenagers’?”

2025 is turning out to be the year of J.C.M. Berne for me and for good reason. Rohan is just such an outstanding main character to follow and his journey keeps getting more epic. Book 5: Eyes of Empire has actually dethroned Wistful Ascending to be my #1 ranked book in the series. It is the conclusion to the platinum arc of the series and what a conclusion it is. After 4 books of amazing character, and plot development, Joe finally strikes black gold here.  It is always amazing when the world expands or the plot turns to a new direction but when a character changes their perspective and understanding of themselves and others, especially after a long journey filled with conflicts (book 1-4,) that truly transforms the story into a new level. Joe does this electrifyingly in Eyes of Empire. It is truly an extraordinary book. 

The first thing I want to mention is how the writing and pacing keeps getting better with each book. This series is incredibly readable- that’s the best word I could come up with. Everytime you pick up the book, the pages fly enormously fast. And Joe keeps leveling this up masterfully with every new book. The second thing is the dialogue and humor. Rohan is why I read the book- such an amazing main character that I cannot stop loving even when he does some really bad things, but Wei Li is the showstopper. She steals every scene she is in. 

“That’s why they pay you the big bucks, Wei Li. Or credits. Or gold. Meat? I have no idea what currency you’re paid in.” 

“Today I wish my salary was in painkillers to take care of the headache I am developing.” 

Since this is book 5 of the series, I cannot talk much about the plot as it would veer into spoiler territory but we go to a new planet in this book and discover a new race. The il’Zkin are definitely my favorite race in the Hybrid Helix world. It is also truly skillful that the author can introduce a character in book 5 and make me love them as much as the ones I have traveled with for four other books previously. This is currently my favorite found family in all of SFF. 

Overall, I loved this book. This series just keeps ascending in terms of fun and depth. Especially from book 3, this series has veered off towards something really epic and I am pumped to see where it would go ultimately. On to book 6 soon. 

Synopsis:

Without the Corps… without the ring… without the willpower, what’s left is the Absolute Green Lantern!

Review:

Absolute Green Lantern #1 rounds out the second wave in DC’s grand new experiment and continues the winning streak. The ingredients of the classic Green Lantern story are there – Hal Jordan receives a cosmic boon from a strange alien – but the results this time are far less space opera and more cosmic horror.

Al Ewing’s story begins with a startling mystery, with an exhausted, haunted Jordan wandering through the desert. That mystery quickly escalates into outright horror when a police officer pulls up behind him.

Rating: /10

With six books on the shelves now, the Absolute DC playbook seems to be to turn the typical hero origin story inside out. Absolute Batman #1 gave us a working-class Dark Knight as opposed to a rich one; Absolute Wonder Woman #1 makes Diana a witch raised in Hell as opposed to a princess on Themiscyra. Ewing makes Jordan the villain as much as he is the victim here, though how and why is unclear.

The Green Lantern mythos may be fundamentally different in this new universe; it seems to be, given the few context clues. A ring may not be involved, and there may be an inherent duality to the power granted, if it was granted at all. A new hero, Jo, takes the Green Lantern role at the issue’s end, though we know little about her. Her power source appears to be a lantern-shaped necklace. The mystery works in favor of the story, as do the horror elements (a roadside diner becomes the scene of such incomprehensible terror it’s mostly implied).

Jordan is carrying around – well, it looks like Venom goo – in his jacket pocket. The issue leaves it a mystery, but he picked it up trying to help when an alien arrived in Evergreen and mysteriously caused the death of a biker. A dark symbol represents what he’s concealing – a black hole, possibly – and it creates an instant duality between light and darkness, good and evil, complicated by Jordan’s inability to control the power he’s stumbled upon.

Ewing has done terrific work the last few years, most notably the Eisner Award-nominated run on The Immortal Hulk. Horror played a key role there, too, and if that book is any indication, things are going to get rough for Jordan and company. Ewing added significantly to the Hulk mythos during that run, and it’s plain to see from this first issue that he’s going to do the same for Green Lantern as well.

Jahnoy Lindsay’s art is a little rough at first. The lines are so thin and pointed as to appear manga-inspired, but then, as you get into the book, his facility with different faces and bodies comes through. The color work might overwhelm the thinness of his line at times, but overall, the art style is unique.

Absolute Green Lantern #1 is a bold departure from typical Green Lantern lore, though one with tragic echoes. Hal Jordan infamously turned evil in the early 90s, killing all the Green Lanterns and paving the way for Kyle Rayner (and sadly, the Fridging Trope). So far, it’s uncertain if Ewing is playing off that story at all, but it certainly seems that Hal Jordan is in for another dark turn in this comic.

Beyond Mars…beyond physical form…beyond Human Understanding…all that’s left is the ultimate alien: the Absolute Martian Manhunter!

Rating: /10

Review:

Why do people do what they do?

That’s the question of Absolute Martian Manhunter #1, the boldest experiment in the Absolute DC initiative so far, and perhaps the strongest. Written by Deniz Camp with art – the word is wanting – by Javier Rodriguez, this first issue achieves something very difficult in comics and consequently very rare. The book is simultaneously subtle and loud.

You gradually piece together that a suicide bomber nearly killed FBI agent John Jones. Why is anyone’s guess, and it plagues the workaholic Jones as much as the strange multicolored smoke he seems to see everywhere.

Rodriguez’s art emphasizes the disquieting mood, even as it threatens to burst with kaleidoscopic fervor (which it eventually does in the book’s final pages). Jones sets out on an investigation into the bomber, against the wishes of his superiors, his wife, and his common sense, but he’s driven.

Why do people do what they do?

Who are people? What do we really know about them? The question lingers over John and the reader as the book’s big twist – not unexpected, but delivered with a unique and by-now standard Absolute DC joy – unfolds. Camp’s script builds to its crescendo slowly, working in perfect harmony with Rodriguez’s colors. The colors create a very Watchman-like mood in the beginning with its contrasting blues and oranges, reminiscent of John Higgins classic work on that title. The lettering also conveys the creeping sense of something being very wrong, as the narration gradually advances into something else.

The smoke John perceives gradually clarifies as the thoughts of others. He can read minds after his injury, it seems, but it doesn’t end there. He’s not himself. He may not even by John anymore. The bomber, a good boy so far as his mother was concerned, wasn’t the same man others remember, either. We experience who the bomber was with John thanks to his telepathic experience. Camp’s tying John’s experience of dislocation with that of the bomber takes the book past standard superhero fare to create something deeply psychological, unexpected, and promising. This first issue feels hard to top in its kinetic page-to-page full-color joy, but there is so much more to know and learn about this character and world.

It’s as much a domestic drama as it is a sci-fi horror mashup. Jones’ wife is, at best, a work widow. His son is making clay figures of his family with his dad as the Martian we eventually understand him to be, in an almost Close Encounters of the Third Kind homage. Jones is a workaholic, an absent father and husband, and perhaps, not even human anymore.

As with Absolute Batman #1, this is a reconfiguration of a classic DC Comics superhero. Martian Manhunter, also known as J’onn J’onzz, first appeared in Detective Comics #225 back in November 1955. A core member of the Justice League, he’s essentially a Martian refuge with shapeshifting abilities who poses as a human. His malleability makes him even more prime than other DC characters for a modern update, and Camp and Rodriguez have raised the bar.

With psychedelic images which recall heady music posters from the 1960s, and a smart, sly mystery that asks as much of the reader as it gives, Absolute Martian Manhunter #1 creates something unique and powerful.

Synopsis

People are dying, their corpses left savaged and drained of blood. The obvious culprit: vampires. But vampires shouldn’t be able to sneak around Wistful undetected or shadowstep freely inside her body. Soon the station herself becomes oddly uncooperative, leaving Rohan and Wei Li bewildered and all her inhabitants in danger.

Finding and defeating the killer will require a deep dive into the ancient history of Wistful and of the il’Drach people. Into the connections between the Ursans, the wormholes, and the races that preceded them. Into the dark past of a tormented space station that yearns only for death.

Rohan will be forced to fight, and maybe even to kill. He’ll have to face those who bear grudges from his past, the Empire he once served, and his own reluctance to again become the warrior he sometimes needs to be.

Review

“You’ve mentioned this before. I have to tell you, it’s refreshing to meet someone so liberated.”

Her eyes narrowed. “What do you mean ‘liberated’?”

His smile broadened. “So many of the people I meet are slaves to things like civility and manners. You’re just so… unencumbered.” 

I ended book 2’s review saying I will certainly start book 3 soon and look at me, sticking to my word for once. I am so glad I immediately jumped into Blood Reunion and at the time of writing this review, I am actually 32% into Book 4. Now, Wistful Ascending still holds my heart but objectively (if there is such a thing in book reviews) this is the best book I’ve read by JCM Berne yet. 

Everything in this book is balanced so well. The character development, the action scenes, the banter, the story arc, the tension, the world building, the mystery, the reveals, the stakes, the family drama. I feel like this is the first book where we are getting glimpses of the actual wider arc Joe is trying to build to. There are some things alluded to in this book that I cannot wait to see in the future books. I cannot talk about it because of spoilers but this is the book where you get the feeling “Oh, this series is going to go somewhere I didn’t expect at all but also somewhere much, much grander than I expected.” 

When I say this, it is not just about how the world of hybrid helix is expanding, how the history is getting deeper, how the action scenes are getting bigger, but it is also about how Rohan’s character is constantly being explored. Fonda Lee has said ‘The term epic fantasy conjures an expectation of vast continents, kingdoms and armies, the rise and fall of nations. But there is also an epic scale to be found in a single life.’ And when I stop and think more deeply about this series, this is what JCM Berne is doing. Rohan is such an epic protagonist to follow. In every book, he has significant character exploration going on even if it might not really show on the surface.

In book two, the plot happens on Earth and for me, it took a bit long to warm up to the new characters. In Blood Reunion, we are back in the Wistful space station and I didn’t need any time to be invested. I loved everything about being back in Wistful and it was like meeting old friends – effortless really. The story flowed so smoothly and the main characters were basically confined to a small space because of an impossible ancient vampire threat. So it was dialogue heavy and I was reminded once again why JCM is one of the best dialogue writers in the business. Every scene with Wei Li’s dialogue is my favorite scene in the book. And the fight scenes and badassery of Rohan keeps getting more and more delicious with each book. 

I need to get back to book 4, so I’m ending the review here. I also don’t know what more I can say more about the book without going into specifics of the plot. So far, it is the best entry in the series for me and JCM is definitely one of the best writers in super hero fantasy/ space operas.    

Synopsis:

Without the mentor…without the family…without the Speed Force, what’s left is the Absolute Scarlet Speedster!

Review:

Rating: /10

The Absolute DC experiment continues with the fourth title in the franchise, Absolute Flash. As one of the core DC superheroes, The Flash is key to any approach to the larger universe, especially in recent years. This take on the character suggests something similar, but there are far more questions than answers in the first issue.

Writer Jeff Lemire (Sweet Tooth) and artist Nick Robles present a fast, intriguing story with bold, striking visuals. Lemire’s knack for the off-kilter manifests in the story early and often. There are hints of time travel and government conspiracies, as well as nods to greater DC history (the Barry Allen Easter egg at the end is… well, to die for).

This take centers on Wally West, who longtime DC fans know as the third incarnation of The Flash. Introduced in the 1990s, Wally is a younger, more modern character who has since become as beloved as Barry Allen and Jay Garrick, the Silver and Golden Age Flashes respectively. So much of The Flash’s story in the mainline continuity is about legacy, a tradition going back to the landmark “Flash of Two Worlds” story from The Flash #123, which arguably established the multiverse concept in superhero comics.

This first issue is titled “Of Two Worlds,” an interesting nod that doesn’t get much in the way of investigation. Like much of the story, it may be about the future. We’re going back from it to the past right away to learn who Wally West is.

Here, Wally’s an Army brat, the son of a man bouncing around from assignment to assignment. Something strange is up at the base – though Barry Allen just invites Wally down to view what I can only assume are ultra trop secret experiments on animals – and Wally’s father wants to keep his son away from it.

Wally’s also bouncing around in time it seems, running so fast he races back into his consciousness days before. That plot thread is left unresolved – and dangling for future exploitation – and it leaves the issue feeling a little less grounded than say Absolute Batman #1 or Absolute Wonder Woman #1. That’s unexpected, as Wally is by far the most grounded of the Absolute heroes to appear so far in terms of who he is as a person. He’s a normal teenager, it seems, until he’s not.

You connect easily with Wally. He has no friends, no roots, and no mother. He’s looking for something to hold him down, but from the first page, he’s skipping across the desert and maybe (probably) time, as well. Wally’s experience echoes the modern one, where life occurs so rapidly, and often scrolls by so quickly, you’re left witless. The entire issue unfolds like a social media feed, giving us context only through association, and our familiarity with the characters and their histories.

Robles’ art lends the book a slightly edgier look than most superhero fare, and his approach to Wally’s super speed is very dynamic. The colors by Adriano Lucas amplify the speed effect, and overall, contribute to making this issue absolutely pop. Strong reds, yellows, and blues skew toward a 90s DayGlo vibe which sets the book apart from the other Absolute books, where so far, the color palette is fairly muted.

Overall, the book is off to a strong start that sets it apart not only from the DC mainline universe, but the other Absolute books as well.

Synopsis:

The fate of the multiverse rests in Abi’s hands. She’s already run for the door.

Abi runs so fast she skips across universes. That came in handy when she burned down her life with her girlfriend, Kit. Ever since, Abi has been running from reality to reality, starting over with a different Kit. When her new reality begins to collapse, Abi discovers a shocking truth.

An unknown force destroys every timeline one by one. Every universe is doomed, including the one Abi fled originally. she tries to get back to warn her Kit but before she can, she’s trapped in another strange reality with no way to escape.

The pain she’s suffered and caused finally catches up to her, and so does the shadow trailing her across creation. With time and space running out, Abi faces the darkness eating away the multiverse. To her horror, she learns it may be the same she carries with her.

Review:

Nothing Ever Ends is a wild ride from start to finish, and hands-down my favorite book in Eververse series.

Going into it, I wasn’t sure how I’d like the main character based on events from the previous book. She did some things… But I’ll leave it at that for the sake of avoiding spoilers. Anyway, I ended up loving Abi, and more specifically, the growth her character displayed throughout the story. Her instinct is to run away when things don’t go her way, but over time, she learns that sometimes, you really do have to stop and face things head-on. (I can also relate to her inability to be still. I’m really bad at that myself.)

And this storyline… The synopsis mentions she skips across universes, and she does a lot of that. But they’re all parallel universes, sometimes at different points in time from her own. She encounters different versions of people she knows, and while they’re often similar, there are still differences based on their unique backgrounds. Those with superpowers still had the same abilities, and the backstory of a certain classified Empowered was finally revealed.

I always found the parallel universe idea to be fascinating, and I think this one was executed really well. (The science nerd in me was also really happy to see the Grandfather Paradox mentioned.)

This book was so much fun. If you like superhero stories, definitely check out this series.

Synopsis:

Wealth. Privilege. Superpowers. Valene has it all… including a target on her back.

Valene Blackwood hears everything, everywhere, always.

Her superhuman sonic abilities cause her so much pain she flees to a space station to find peace. When her father dies, she must return and take over the family business – selling superhuman protection for profit.

She inherits all her father’s power and all his problems, including challengers to the throne. Before her feet are on the ground, someone tries to kill her. Valene survives, thanks to Kit Baldwin, the woman who gives away her help as she steals Valene’s heart.

But the evidence points toward a sinister plot. It becomes impossible to tell friend from foe. The more Valene investigates, the more every clue hints at a vast conspiracy that threatens not only her life, but everything she believes about her father, his company, and her past.

Review:

Conspiracies. Heartbreak. Politics. Betrayal. This book has them all, and more.

The Judgment of Valene is the second book in the Eververse series, and while I loved the first installment, this one was even better. Every time I thought I had the plot figured out, I quickly found out I was wrong. The mystery and conspiracies went so much deeper than it appeared to at the beginning.

Valene is an interesting character all around. She has immense power with her sonic abilities (she can manipulate sound waves and hear any conversation pretty much anywhere on Earth), but her superpowers come with a cost. She never gets a reprieve from all the noise, until she finally learns how to control the onslaught.

She’s also the heir to one of the biggest corporations in the world, but not everyone on the board wants her to act as CEO. And that’s only where the conspiracies begin. There is so much at work here, and I don’t want to spoil it for readers, so just know it’s an excellent story with lots of twists and turns.

There was also plenty of action, especially toward the end, and more than Valene’s power was on display (although she played a major role.) The Interdictor had a more active role in this book, Kit Baldwin was back and fiery as ever, and then there was the Black Rider as one of the villains.

Based on how it ended, I really want to read book 3 soon. I need to know what else this series has in store next.

Synopsis:

What happens when you don’t pay your superhero bill?

Kit Baldwin is just trying to get by.

Rent is due. Food would be nice. A girlfriend, maybe. When she stumbles upon a crashed alien spaceship’s power source, she gets more than she ever bargained for.

The alien artifact draws the attention of Valene, Kit’s crush, and the most powerful woman alive. Cosmic radiation from the ship gave some superhuman powers, but the Empowered sell them for a fee. Bankrupt, the city can’t afford any disasters.

Though Valene represents the company holding Kit’s city hostage, Kit can’t help but fall in love with her. It helps Valene lobbies for change, but disaster looms: her superhuman gifts are debilitating. Her deteriorating condition forces her to leave, depriving the city its champion and Kit newfound happiness.

In love and running out of time, Kit unleashes the artifact’s full power, transforming herself forever, as well as the battle over what is owed, and to whom.

Review:

It has super heroes, extraordinary power, responsibility, corporate greed, alien technology… But above all, it’s about finding oneself in the midst of the chaos we call life. The short version: Ever the Hero is a great story.

But it isn’t your typical super hero tale. Kit doesn’t have powers. She’s just a woman trying to survive in a city that failed to pay its dues to the corporation responsible for Empowered (see super hero) protections. Unless the city pays, its residents are without emergency services (which are rendered by the Empowered.) Needless to say, things aren’t good in the city.

Things aren’t always great for the Empowered, either. Valene’s power utilized sonic waves, but it cripples her. She can hear everything, all the time. She only wants peace and quiet, for the sake of her own sanity, and Kit does all she can to help give Valene just that. But as with so many super hero stories, things don’t quite go as anyone plans.

What I liked most about Kit’s story was the element of self-discovery. She never lived for herself, but she learns to along the way. She doesn’t think herself a hero, but she is one. It’s her actions that define her, not the abilities she has, and I loved that about her. She was fearless when needed and fought for what she believed in.

And what she believed was right wasn’t always in line with the law—or her world’s politics. The government controls the Empowered response teams, and a single corporation (Great Power, or GP) is the entity that deploys them. Artifacts like the one Kit uncovers are illegal. Using powers without sanction is illegal, even if those powers are used to aid those in need. It was a tangled web of who controls what (as politics so often are), but configured really well for the story.

There’s a lot to love in this book, and it’s only the beginning of the series. I’ll be moving on to book 2 next.

Synopsis:

THE MAKER’S ULTIMATE WEAPON! 

Review:

Rating: 7/10

Marvel didn’t have to go this hard.

But they did. No one is cooler than Wolverine, so it was inevitable that the newly minted Ultimate Universe 2.0 from Marvel Comics, beginning with last year’s Ultimate Spider-Man #1, would introduce its version of the X-Men’s famous gruff Canadian.

Writer Chris Condon (That Texas Blood) and artist Alessandro Cappuccio (Moon Knight) produce a captivating, brutal, and shocking new take on Logan. The story hinges on a crackerjack idea: Wolverine as The Winter Soldier. This makes enormous sense, as Logan was alive and active during World War II. Pancaking The Winter Soldier and Weapon X programs creates a new dynamic, but that’s not quite what is happening in this issue.

Because it’s a different universe, Logan is actually a product of The Eurasian Republic, run by the Russian triumvirate of Colossus, Magik, and Omega Red. This is more in line with the Age of Apocalypse dystopian take than anything else. It appeals, but for me, some of the potential in Logan being The Winter Soldier is lost because of this new circumstance he’s put in. Like Age of Apocalypse, this is a dark, gory book. Logan is a faceless, voiceless killing machine whose victims include major X-Men characters.

The comic is a mixed bag for me. Alessandro Cappuccio’s art renders a moody, dark, dynamic world through powerful storytelling. His take on Wolverine, particularly the face mask, creates the most visually interesting variation of him in years. The mask has a vaguely Darth Vader quality to it, and only heightens Wolverine’s mystery, detachment, and intimidation. Cappuccio renders the page in what appears to be colored pencil, giving the action a slightly hazy (though no less graphic) quality that might have been overwhelmed by a heavy ink line.

Condon’s plot is quick, lean, and engaging. Mileage will vary on the ending. For me, it’s boring to find Nightcrawler depicted so strictly by his faith again, though this is a variant. And he’s a variant who is immediately killed. He and Mystique, both rebels against the Republic, are brutally assassinated by their former friend. It’s shocking, it’s engaging, but it pings too loudly for me off of where the original Ultimate Universe ended. That project descending into violent anarchy, killing scores of characters in often grotesque fashion, nowhere more shocking than in the Ultimatum crossover.

For me, it’s far too early to kill off such major characters as Nightcrawler and Mystique, especially with such promise in this premise. The shock value works, I think, for the purpose. You have no idea what’s going to happen in this universe. Anyone could die. We’ve been down this road before in an Ultimate Universe, and it left the project in a dead end. But we’ll see where it goes.

Despite my reservations, the comic succeeds on the same level as the other Ultimate Universe 2.0 projects, as well as DC’s current Absolute initiative. Legacy characters get new, exciting, and in many cases, necessary updates. I’d argue Wolverine is a character in need of some renovation. He’s been dead, upgraded, dead again, and generally without direction in the last ten years or maybe more. He’s Wolverine, so all things are forgiven, but his mystique has worn off.

The Winter Soldier angle brings the mystique back. The Ultimate Universe is very different from the mainline Marvel Universe, so the backstory and history vary, taking a little air out of the concept, but it still works. Logan is a mystery again, a monster created and controlled by greater monsters, and we root more for his future than ponder his past.