STAFF PICKS :: WOLVERINE AND THE X-MEN #42 :: FEBRUARY 26, 2014
HEATHER’S PICK :: WOLVERINE AND THE X-MEN #42: When I first read that Wolverine and the X-Men was ending at issue #42, I had a moment of panic. Was Marvel really cancelling my favorite book (again*)? WATXM has been my gateway into the X-Men. Prior to, I had only read Joss Whedon’s run on Astonishing X-Men and quit reading when he quit writing. WATXM was originally in Seth’s stack of comics, but by the second issue in it was now firmly in my stack each month.
Jason Aaron introduced me to some of my favorite characters in comics: Quentin Quire, Broo, Doop and my beloved bamfs. He has taken the weird and unlovable and given them in a place in the readers’ hearts. Who could have imagined the upset he would cause by shooting a brood in the head? Thankfully Broo has made a full recovery and has even gone on to save Iron Man in his own A+X story!
Reading issue #42 will be bittersweet for me. I’ve looked forward to the continuing story of the Jean Grey School of Higher Learning each month. I loved watching Wolverine as the unlikely headmaster of the school form relationships with both the students and faculty. I’ve enjoyed getting know a younger generation of mutants. I’ve laughed at the background play of the bamfs and Doop. I’m emotionally connected to a group of fictional characters.
There’s been a rotating group of artists on this book from Nick Bradshaw to Ramon Perez to Chris Bachalo and they’ve all done a good job bringing Aaron’s story to life. It will be interesting to see all of their styles merge on Aaron’s last issue.
Comics don’t always end in a clear transition. We as fans don’t always get to tell our favorite creators thank you for their work. With XATXM #42 on the shelves this week, I’d like to say thank you to Jason Aaron. Thank you for crafting a comic full of characters that I love and look forward to reading each month. Thanks for starting my X-Men phase of comic reading. Thanks for bringing Nightcrawler back and making him a pirate!!
I’m also happy to know that the story of the Jean Grey School doesn’t end here and WATXM will return with a new number one issue next month with a new Jason at the helm. Latour, you have big beard to fill!
*I loved Thor the Mighty Avenger by Roger Langridge and Chris Samnee so very much.
