Wolverine Omnibus Review

How many times do you buy the same comics??

I must admit that sometimes, I foolishly buy the same comic multiple times.

I bought Crisis on infinite Earths in single issues. Then I got the HC that came out in the late 90s with the beautifull wraparound cover by George Perez and Alex Ross. And then I got the Absolute Edition. Although I gave away the single issues to someone, and I sold the HC to someone else... I still bought the darn thing 3 times.

I often find it very tempting to replace an older copy with a newer edition.... especially when that newer edition has some extras that the previous edition did not have.

A great example of that is the Wolverine Omnibus.

Although I already owned one of the Weapon X TPB, the TPB of the Claremont/Miller Wolverine, and about half a dozen of the other comics we find in the Wolverine Omnibus edition, still I HAD to get mysefl a copy and essentially buy some of them comics once more.

Although I have a Weapon X TPB... the TPB did not include the Marvel Comics Presents covers.

Other short stories were also missing from my collection.

And of course... it includes the Wolverine mini-series by Chris Claremont and Frank Miller... and the follow-up of that tale in a couple of issues of the uncanny X-Men.

And the "second" Wolverine limited series... although that one also includes Kitty Pryde. I had been one of the many foolish fools who passed on the Kitty Pryde and Wolverine series. There are a few reasons why I first passed on that comic when it first came out. Like many... I was not too crazy of Al Milgrom's work at the time. Although I could have said the same at the time of the work of Walter Simonson and Mike Mignola.

Only now am I able to really appreciate Milgrom's work.

But also at the time... I did not really know the character of Kitty Pride.

The X-men published here at the time were around the last issues of Cockrum or the early Byrne issues... so I had not been introduced to Kitty Pride yet. Kitty Pride meant nothing to me at the time. It would take a while until I could grow attached to her character.

So now was a good time to finally read that tale.... and I loved it.

Then you have some of the tales in which Wolverine guest starred... my favorite being the one by Mike Zeck. Loved it... especially the cover. I had a poster of that cover... sadly it was lost or damaged throught the years in one of the times that I moved.

Although I was suprised that it did not included Daredevil issue 249. It essentially features a tale where Wolverine plays a major part... but is missing from this Omnibus. I expected this tale to be included since the Omnibus does include Hulk issue 182 where Wolverine appears for just a single page.

Oh well.

It does not really matter since I own a copy of the DD comic.

And then we have the John Buscema era of Wolverine. I used to own them comics.... but again... one time that I moved... a box of comics seemed to have "mysteriously" dissapeared. I was planning to buy them once more... either as back issues or in TPB. But thanks to this edition... I got them comics once more.

As fate would have it... I was missing the Wolverine comics up to and including issue 10. And as fate would have it... the Omnibus includes the Buscema Wolverine up to and including issue 10.

Coincidence?? or cosmic destiny??

You decide. ;)

And to end the book... we got the Jim Lee Punisher featuring Wolverine. Loved that run of the Punisher.

And then we get various extras, sketches, covers for various editions of reprints or TPBs.... and even the pencilled version and the inked version of Captain America Annual #8. Love that.

Overall... the quality of this edition is great. It is a wonderfull edition that any Wolverine fan would love to own... assuming that you can read older comics that is.

I will probably sound like an old man... but people from the generations after me seem incapable to watch/read/appreciate anything that was done before their time. Whether it is to read some older comics, or watch some older movies... or even reading books.

Although when it comes to reading books... they seem unable to read books period... even current books.

But with movies... don't bother asking them to watch a black and white movie. Or even a movie from an era close to the stone age... like the 80s. The closest you can get to having them watch an "old film" is to have them watch Jurassic Park... or Terminator 2. Anything earlier then that is just too "ancient looking" for them.

And the same goes with comics. Trying to get them to read... and even more... appreciate comics dating from before the age of digital coloring is very difficult. 

Oh well.

So if you can appreciate some older comics... with some older coloring technique. Comics using a color palette from before the "Image Age"... the Wolverine Omnibus is perfect for you.

 It is an edition of great quality with some tales of the past by some of the greats of their time. So if you have a bit of an historian in you... or if you simply like well made comics...

...this book is for you.

- Pierre