Written by Fred Van Lente
Art by Andrea Di Vito & Salva Espin
Cover Art by Salvador Espin & Brad Anderson
SUMMARY:
As a 2008 Target exclusive, this 96-page paperback reprints Wolverine: First Class # 1-4 from the same year. As the newest X-Men rookie, teenager Kitty Pryde is assigned by Professor X as Logan/Wolverine’s unwanted protégé.
“The Buddy System.” At Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters, a precocious Kitty’s first lesson is a field trip with her less-than-thrilled new mentor, Wolverine. Wearing her X-Men uniform for the first time, Kitty helps Wolverine locate an unknown mutant hiding in a small West Virginia town. Her teen insights may be the duo’s only chance of figuring out why a town-wide mob is targeting mutants.
“Surprise!!” Angling for a favor from a teammate with a valid driver’s license, Kitty gets far more than she bargained for. Birthday boy Wolverine smells something’s up after Kitty coordinates a birthday night dinner out, which includes his girlfriend, Mariko. At a ninja castle-themed restaurant in Tribeca, a malicious Sabretooth aims to personally serve up more of Wolverine’s annual humiliation ‘gift.’
“The Last Knights of Wundagore, Parts I-II.” Searching for Magneto in Wundagore, Kitty & Wolverine become entangled in a deadly feud between the High Evolutionary and his ex-protégé.
REVIEW:
While the book’s two-parter invariably drags at times, the first two stories are well-played tales from writer Fred Van Lente. They nicely explore the surrogate kid sister chemistry Kitty establishes with an extra-grumpy Wolverine. Despite the outlandish circumstances re: “Last Knights of Wundagore,” Van Lente maintains the delightful ‘odd couple’ banter between these two X-Men.
In terms of consistency, artists Andrea Di Vito & Salva Espin, along with the cover art teams, provide top-notch visuals that should prove appealing to adults and kids alike. Overall, this Wolverine: First Class book makes a welcome read to X-Men fans and deserves a chance at re-discovery.
ADDITIONAL CONTENT:
Each issue’s cover art is reprinted in a full-page format. The cover artists are: Espin & Anderson (Issue # 1); Leonard Kirk & Moose Baumann (Issue # 2); Espin (Issue # 3); and Alan Davis, Mark Farmer, & Paul Mounts (Issue # 4).
BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING: 7 Stars
Note: Also available is the 120-page Wolverine: First Class, Vol. 1: The Rookie trade paperback, which includes these four issues.
