A Modern Geek Book Review
A Modern Geek Book Review:
“Weapon X”…The Best Ever!
From time to time, Modern Geek will take time out to spotlight outstanding achievements and/or pivotal moments in Geek. Today is one of those times.
First and foremost, I’m a comic book geek…as if this entire website didn’t give it away. And every few months, when my comic book passion has waned on account of lackluster storylines at the local comic book store (I mean, I love you, Marvel, but Jesus! Nobody fucks up a storyline like you guys!), I undertake that highest of comic book geek pleasures: digging through my entire comic book collection in search of my favorite stories. It’s like a pilgrimage to the Mecca of my personal Geek, a journey wrought with peril: orcs, balrogs, Cheetos-stained fiingers threatening to depreciate the value of my most valued comics…the works!
If you asked me what my favorite comic book story of all time is, I’ll tell you “There’s too many to choose from.” But if you tied my hands and feet, wrapped a towel over my mouth and nose, and decided to submit me to a little friendly waterboarding–and who hasn’t?–I’d tell you my favorite story of all time is, without question, Barry Windsor-Smith’s “Weapon X.”
The Weapon X storyline first appeared in the long-defunct “Marvel Comics Presents” in a 12-part micro-series. Every two weeks readers got a whopping twelve pages of story followed by two weeks of waiting. Maybe that’s how this story, at the time, went unnoticed by the masses. The Weapon X storyline came and went quietly, finding its legs in the years after it was published. But, since then, everyone has since realized what the missed and, now, Weapon X has become not only the definitive Wolverine story, but one of Marvel’s most intelligent, artistic, canonical, and important stories.
This is a story that goes beyond just comic books. This is a story that graphic novel Geeks will love. This is a story that comic book movie Geeks will love. This is a story that’ll make sweet, sweet love to you deep into the night.
(Yeah, I went there.)
I could go on for hours about why this is the best comic book story ever, but I won’t. What I’ll do is reproduce here, for your reading pleasure, a review I did for a comic book website I used to write for (The Comic Book Bin). It says it all in a very succinct, efficient manner, which is the way a good geek prefers to deliver information. Enjoy!
Alright Dear Readers, get ready for the most glowing review I’ve ever written. To put it bluntly: this is the best Wolverine story ever written. Period. It’s the story that made me a fan of the ol’ canuckle head. This story sits on the mantelpiece of my “Shrine of Great Writing” right beside The Odyssey, The Epic of Beowulf, Watchmen, The Epic of Gilgamesh, Dark Knight Returns and Fahrenheit 451. “But why?” you ask. Admittedly, this story is missing out on a lot of things that most big Wolverine stories are chocked full of. For example, there are no guest appearances by any other heroes (large or small), it doesn’t feature any vicious battles with Sabertooth, Omega Red, Cyber or Magneto, and not once does Wolverine utter his trademarked catchphrase “I’m the best at what I do.” So what makes this the best Wolverine story ever? Simple: the exact things I just mentioned. Wolverine: Weapon X is utterly and completely devoid of all of the “gimmicks” that can cover up weaker Wolverine stories. Weapon X is simply the story of a man — tormented, lonely and confused — forced to endure an experiment which robs him of his humanity and turns him into a creature he both fears and loathes. This is not the story of Wolverine…this is the story of a man shackled with the life of Wolverine.
What Barry Windsor-Smith was able to achieve with Weapon X is something that casts a shadow over all Wolverine writers since. The story here is fluid, evenly-paced and virtually seamless considering the format in which it was originally published. Originally, Weapon X was published as a twelve part mini-series printed in Marvel’s long ago defunct Marvel Comics Presents. As a result, certain “cliffhanger” moments oc
cur in the middle sections of the story. But, to Windsor-Smith’s credit, overall the story feels as cohesive and unified as any one-shot graphic novel. Part of the reason for the singular feel of Weapon X comes from the fact that one man did the entirety of the writing, pencils and inking. With this story, there aren’t four or five different guys all trying to contribute their own style and personality to the narrative. It’s simply a one man show and it makes the work all the better.
The artwork of Weapon X is as smooth and cohesive as its writing. Barry Windsor-Smith has one of the most distinctive styles in the industry. At times, people have attempted to compare him to Dave Gibbons but I would argue that such a comparison is shallow at best. While some of Gibbon’s and Windsor-Smith’s lines may run in the same vein, Windsor-Smith’s layout and textures couldn’t be any more removed from Gibbons. With this story, Windsor-Smith focuses on portraying the pain and suffering of Logan’s time at the Weapon X program. The images here are harsh, hard and disturbing. Each page weighs on the reader, scraping the bones like an ill-directed needle. Exactly what one would expect from the story of Wolverine’s most painful life experience. This is what all Wolverine stories should be.
So there it is. The best ever. The story that all other stories strive to be. The story that did the impossible: made Wolverine not only a relevant character, but truly a character. Something that I’m hoping Darren Aaronofsky will continue when he directs “The Wolverine” next year. Oh, what? You hadn’t heard? Google that shit!
-Jason Mott
P.S. Be on the lookout for some very big comic book poetry-related news in the coming weeks. Trust me, it’ll be worth it!
End Transmission.
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2 Responses to “A Modern Geek Book Review”
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I kinda wish it wasn’t going to star Hugh Jackman…again.
Don’t be too hard on Jackman. I actually thing he does the character justice, but I feel he’s been at the whim of inferior directors. Last time Jackman & Aaronofsky teamed up was “The Fountain” which, in my opinion, is one of the most intelligent, beautiful and important movies of all time. …but that’s just my two cents. 🙂