Writer Jason Aaron
Artist Daniel Acuna
Letterer VC’s Cory Petit
Cover Art by Jae Lee with June Chung
Whose heads are on the spikes? Storm, Magneto, Cyclops, Namor, who are the other two? Colossus, maybe?
Wolverine vs The X-Men, Part Two of Three
Cover Dated May 2011
With this issue, I now own all three issues of this storyline. So thanks to my wife for taking me to Kelly’s Komix in Great Falls in Montana. A great store, if you happen to be in the area.
In the previous issue, the Red Right Hand killed Wolverine and sent his soul to hell. Demons took over his body, and fans called this Wolverine, Hellverine, which is pretty clever. That issue ended with the X-Men about to take down Hellverine, in protocols that they had at the ready. As this day, was clearly going to come again.
Inside Wolverine’s mindscape, he heads to the giant palace where he keeps the wall around his heart. There, he finds reinforcements for the horde of demons that are trying to snuff out the last of his soul. We see various Wolverines – Weapon X, Patch and Horsemen Death, amongst others.
Meanwhile. Magneto is fighting Hellverine. Hellverine recognizes Magneto from somewhere, he thinks about it as Magneto keeps throwing metal objects at his target. Hellverine recognizes Magneto from when he was a boy at the concentration camps. This issue came out in 2011, so Marvel is still holding onto the idea that it isn’t weird that Magneto is still walking around, making World War II references seventy years later.
Magneto is down but Namor flies and punches Hellverine into the ocean. On the shore, Cyclops and Emma are watching to see if this works. The ocean boils as Hellverine comes out of the water. Two down.
Cyclops gets ready for his role in the next events. Emma telepathically checks in on Doctor Nemesis and Fantomex, who are on their way. Melita, Logan’s girlfriend at the time, puts a special gun to Emma’s head. Which is completely unnecessary.
Oh, that’s right. This is before Gillen fixes Kitty’s fishbowl slash retread of Fantastic Four vs X-Men status quo. So silly that this was a thing and that it lasted a while. From Uncanny X-Men 522 to 538, sixteen issues so a tad over a year. It was a long time.
Along with Shadowcat, Jubilee, Storm and Rogue are on the scene. Which, if you are going to pick four of X-Ladies, those are the four to go with. Domino could have made it five but Melita is going to fill that fifth slot.
Emma isn’t interested in these ladies, she just wants to help Scott survive what is coming next..
Cyclops starts optic blasting Hellverine but it isn’t slowing the demon down.
Rogue punches Hellverine and once he is in the air, Storm controls the winds and carries Hellverine to Angel Island. My wife informs me that it use to be a military base and it shouldn’t be that populated. She is currently me now and believes it could have been Treasure Island and Angel Island is more like the Ellis Island of the West Coast. It is one or the other.
Emma informs Scott that they are going to do one more desperate brain raid. She didn’t think she could do it on her own but with the others, there is a chance. Emma has Scott promise to pull her plug, if she comes back brain dead, before her looks start to fade – it is the important things to discuss before a big fight.
Shadowcat informs Cyclops that they are not going to give up on Logan, as he wouldn’t give up on them.
There is a page, that shows all of the ladies, minus the one important one. This page also has an image of the full island. After showing my wife, she confirms that Angel Island is the Ellis Island, as the Bay Bridge would have been shown in the image, if it was Treasure Island. So Treasure Island is the military island and Angel Island was very popular during the twenties. Both are not that well populated, so we are still okay.
Once they land, Emma tells Storm that Hellverine needs to stay close to Emma’s body, as she needs the connection to be as strong as possible. Melita wonders if they have to hold hands and Emma laughs at her, they are not starting a pagan commune. Emma just needs them to close their eyes and clear their minds. Full full, clear eyes, can’t lose!
In Wovlerine’s mindscape, Weapon X is taking demons out, James Howlett, in a giant nightgown, is even in the fight. Demons are being snikt-ed all over. During this, Logan has been wearing samurai armor.
Acuna keeps to that style for the ladies’ mindscape armor. I like how the general individual’s color scheme is respected. Emma is in white, Jubilee in yellow, Rogue in green, Kitty is in purple. Which makes sense, oddly, but typically, blue is her go to color, especially if Jubilee already has claimed yellow. For some reason, purple and Shadowcat makes sense, even though she hasn’t really worn the color, that much. Melita is in red.
There is a house ad for Uncanny X-Men 535 & 536, Gillen and the Dodsons are bringing back Breakworld, so Kitty’s fishbowl days are now numbered in months.
Laying on their backs, in the sand, that can’t be comfortable. Jubilee is on her side, and that makes sense to me. Storm has Hellverine floating about in the sky and Doctor Nemesis & Fantomex are still on their way.
How excited must Kitty be, finally being out of the suit and no fishbowl head garb?
Nightcrawler, who is dead, so is able to dance around Logan’s mindscape.
There is a two page house ad for Fear Itself, which Matt Fraction was given the crossover keys to do. The only portion of the crossover I read, was the Uncanny X-Men issues that gave us Juggerlossus. It starts in April 2011, and the cover has a corner dedicated to the upcoming crossover. The tie-in issues that are promoted are – Fear Itself : The Home Front 1 / Invincible Iron Man 503 / Journey Into Mystery 622 / Avengers 13 / Secret Avengers 13 / Iron Man 2.0 5.
Issue ends with Nightcrawler finding Logan’s Phoenix door, so things are about to pick up for the conclusion. Which spoilers, Wolverine gets his body back.
Shadow and Flame with Magik 