X-Lapsed, Episode 072 – Wolverine #2 (2020)
X-Lapsed, Episode Seventy-Two
Wolverine (vol.7) #2 (May, 2020)
“Your Own Worst Enemy”
Writer – Benjamin Percy
Art – Adam Kubert
Colors – Frank Martin
Letters – VC’s Cory Petit
Design – Tom Muller
Head of X – Hickman
Edits – Robinson, White, Cebulski
Cover Price: $3.99
On-Sale: March 25, 2020
In which your stumblin’, fumblin’, humble host hits his personal “tipping point” as it pertains to mutant deaths. Sure, the Resurrection Protocols of the HoXPoXDoXSoX era have changed the “rules”… but, with this issue, it’s almost turned to parody. We’ll talk a lot about that today…
Also: More great listener mail!
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@acecomics / @cosmictmill / weirdcomicshistory@gmail.com
Well I'm not in love with this Wolverine series. I quite like some of the characterisation (the scene with the beers on the lawn worked really well) and it's beautifully drawn but I'm not all in on the story. As you say the deaths are meaningless and don't even add jeopardy in the current era.
I was surprised that you didn't pick up on the parallel between the sick daughter and the Pale Girl. I suppose we'll find out next issue.
It's ironic that you ask us about jumping off points whilst reviewing the issue where I jumped off of Dawn of X. Rereading this issue it's actually worse than I remember, I really don't have Hickman's love of space nonsense and this storyline centred it. I was able to cope with it on New Mutants where characters were set ahead of the space nonsense (that's also the strength of the original Brood Saga by Claremont, Cockrum and Smith) but this is too much.
By the way, you said they retcon the origin of the Brood, does that mean it's no longer that Claremont and Cockrum watched Alien and thought "we could do that"
You asked about when we have jumped off books and most of mine have been related to real World events. In 1989 I got my first part-time job (in McDonald's) and I was 15 and wasn't expected to contribute to the household. I was earning £2.01 an hour and comics were 50p each. At that point I was buying everything I could get my hands on by both Marvel and DC. It was only when I went to University in 1992 that I had to start dropping comics. In fact I dropped back to just one ongoing (Sandman) and spent most of my comics budget on back issues which were often considerably cheaper than new comics. Gradually my comics collection crept back up and I was back reading Uncanny by issue 300. I stuck around until the end of the Age of Apocalypse. I left then because I really enjoyed AofA but felt the first issues afterwards were all terrible. I came back for Claremont's return but only lasted 2 issues. Then I came back for Morrison but left when I heard about Chuck Austen taking over. My comics budget has always been tight and every X-Men book I buy stops me buying something else. I currently buy no DC books as I got really into Ecchs of Tens and bought all 32 parts. I always feel a little bit guilty about how much I spend on comics and I think that is one of the things that encourages me to drop books. If I spend £4 on a comic that I only read once when I already own thousands that I would happily reread can I justify that expence?
I'd like to thank you for describing me as mentally balanced. Would you be willing to repeat that in a court of law? Seriously it's nice to hear how much you appreciate the feedback. I just wish I could be as consistent as you. I still struggle to produce 1 podcast a month. I'm in awe of your work ethic.