When Marvel collects issues for their Epic Collections, sometimes they include a slew of related one-shots, tie-ins, and miniseries to complement a core storyline. This is a fine way to organize these compilations, but they can, on occasion, feel disjointed and scattered narratively when read as a whole. And sometimes, when the stars align, you get a huge block of uninterrupted issues from a single run, perfectly capturing a year or two from a specific title. Wolverine: The Return of Weapon X is one of those latter Epic Collections. Compiling the 2000-2002 run of Wolverine, this substantial book houses some fan favorite Wolverine allies and foes, giving readers more than a healthy share of action and adventure, even if the art has not aged well.
In this Epic Collection, we get Wolverine #159-172, as well as the two Annuals from that period. It’s basically two distinct storylines: one featuring the enigmatic Weapon X organization behind Wolverine’s adamantium skeleton, taking control of our hero and plunging him into a nightmare-turned-reality when he’s accused of a senator’s murder. As he grapples with the revived Weapon X Program, Wolverine and his ally Maverick face off against the likes of Mr. X to overcome their schemes. The second arc sees Logan navigating a deadly fighting tournament in Madripoor, where old threats such as Bloodscream, Wendigo, and Ogun make reappearances.
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Both stories have enough Wolverine temperament to make them worthy reading for fans, but the second arc is far more enjoyable in its preposterous lunacy. I’d be fine with Logan being thrown into a Bloodsport like tournament (fittingly, that’s the name of the arc as well) every few years, as it’s just the kind of solo adventure that justifies a return of dangerous figures from his canon.
Unfortunately, the art feels disjointed and rushed at various points throughout this trade. Sean Chen, who is responsible for most of the work in both main arcs, is a capable artist but his character figures all feel like they exist on a distorted plan disconnected from the backgrounds. His work in the “Bloodsport” arc suffers the similar problems, with highly expressive facial contortions taking precedent over clear fight choreography. The best line work comes from Matthew Marsilia’s annual, whose visual style turns every figure into a twisted rendition of a human, which perfectly captures the tone and vibe of the storyline he is animating.
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I am thankful to see Marvel continue to expand what is included as a supplemental in the back of these Epic trades. We get the ubiquitous variant cover and sketch pages, but also scripting notes from Frank Tieri, info pages included in previous printings of these stories, as well as a Wizard cover from this period. These types of additions don’t add to the story but do give readers a better window into the era they were produced.
While these arcs won’t make many best-of lists, there is enough Wolverine energy and action to justify picking this up. It’s got some narrative staples from the character’s lore and is quite accessible, even if you missed this era of the character entirely. For completionists, the 2000-2002 era can be difficult to find in physical collections, so get this Epic Collection before it goes out of print.
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