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★★★★★ 5
A huge book that gives you the hero's beginnings.
Format: Hardcover
I own several Marvel Omnibus collections (Captain America, Miller's Daredevil run, etc) but I have to say I think this one is the biggest in terms of thickness. This has a serious page count, and is definitely worth the money you spend on it for size alone. Those coming off the Wolverine movie and interested in more of his back-story will enjoy most of this.
The stories here are not put together in chronological order of publication, but rather in chronological order of when it supposedly happened in his life. That being said, it's odd that Marvel chose to leave out "Origin", since that six-part story would have made an obvious choice for the beginning of this collection. Instead, we start out with a number of "Weapon X" stories that are supposed to set the stage for his creation into a weapon. The stories are not easy to follow for a casual read, however. You'll have to invest time reading dozens of dialogue balloons over the constantly-resting pose of Logan with wires coming out of him. Not the best start they could have hoped for, but I can see the logic of it.
The Wolverine/Kitty Pryde miniseries is also here for some reason. I guess its inclusion into the collection is for completist purposes, but it's not that great.
Eventually, you reach the Frank Miller Wolverine mini-series that started it all and paved the way for his solo series later on. If you've read that one, you know it's a classic as we get more back story into his Samurai/Ninja training past (and it's also rumored to be the basis for the second Wolverine solo film if it gets made). This leads into the first 10 issues of his solo series as we meet Logan's "Patch" identity, his weird black "facepaint mask" costume, and the dark dealings of Madripor.
The colors here are rich and vibrant. Those who were disappointed with the washed-out look of the "Essentials" collection of Wolverine stuff will find nothing but happiness here. The price is reasonable for what you're getting here. Let me say again though that this is a MONSTER of a book, so you won't be carrying this around for a casual read at the coffee shop. This is more along the lines of a serious collector book than those Essential volumes.
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Reviewed in the United States on May 20, 2009
