Comics : Comic Reviews : Marvel Comics

Last Updated: Oct 20, 2009 - 7:25:21 AM

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Wolverine: First Class #1 By Zach Bowen Apr 4, 2008 - 1:08:12 AM Publisher(s): Marvel Comics Writer(s): Fred Van Lente Penciller(s): Andrea Di Vito Inker(s): Andrea Di Vito Colourist(s): Laura Villari Cover Artist(s): Salvador Espin

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    Professor Xavier teams up Wolverine and Kitty Pryde in Wolverine: First Class #1, which takes place shortly after the events of the Dark Phoenix Saga. Following the success of the X-men: First Class series, Fred Van Lente tells the story of Kitty Pryde’s first mission.

    While this sounds like an interesting idea for a story, it ultimately fails. Van Lente tries to make this issue very new reader friendly, but it makes the characters come off as two-dimensional. Wolverine is a gruff loner with a heart of gold and Kitty is a young, energetic rookie who wants nothing more than to succeed. The dialogue reads like it belongs in a 1980's sitcom. It is very clear that Van Lente is setting up the opportunity for the characters to grow, but in the end it results in a sloppy first issue. Wolverine: First Class is rated for All Ages, but Van Lente is trying too hard to appeal to a younger audience. He has established himself as a respectable All Ages writer, and that is where a lot of my criticism comes from. I felt that this could have been a much better issue and felt disappointed by all of the unused potential in the story.

    Clichés in this issue run high from start to finish. It begins with Kitty's narration, which is relayed to readers through her diary. It retells some basic X-men history, but it comes off being a slow read. Additionally, Wolverine’s boasting becomes very tedious within a short amount of time. Van Lente is trying to show the difference between the modern day Wolverine and the way he was written when he was first introduced. The problem with this idea is that he added very few moments that made Wolverine an amiable character.

    There is one interesting continuity problem that is worth pointing out. Colossus’s dialogue is written in as if he is still learning to be bilingual. In Giant-Size X-Men #3, written by Joss Whedon, Colossus says that Xavier used his power to teach him the English language. This is most likely one of those continuity points that will never be fully resolved; it just seems to depend on the writer.

    The art in this issue really stands out as a high point. Andrea Di Vito draws fluent action scenes that create a notable sense of movement. It is clear when looking from panel to panel that Di Vito made sure that the characters’ movements are both plausible and realistic. This stylistic choice produces a sense of cinematic story telling. Additionally, the facial expressions are drawn impressively and really emphasize the characters’ emotions. Di Vito is still early in his career in comics, and close attention should be paid to his work.

    While this first issue was not executed in the best manor, this series does have potential. Van Lente sets up some interesting character points; they just do not all come together in the end. This series could become an entertaining read, but it appears that it may take a few issues to hit its stride.

4.5/10

Related Articles:
School in Session for Wolverine and Kitty Pryde
Wolverine and Kitty Pryde Launch New "First Class" Series

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