The build-up of the return of a certain dead X-Man...

[seamonkey72]

Hi, I’m new to the new scans_daily! Warning! Slightly spoilery for latest issues of Cornell's Wolverine and Jason Aaron's Wolverine and the X-Men.

These are scans of the latest Wolverine and the X-Men in which the series has slowly been leading up to the return of Nightcrawler with tidbits here and there throughout the series. This issue nods ahead to the new Amazing X-Men series by Jason Aaron and Ed McGuinness starting in November.

Suffice to say Azazel is up to no good. Argh! I’m conflicted on Azazel. I always hated the character but maybe Aaron can do something worthwhile with him. It doesn’t seem like he’s going away anytime soon so Marvel might as well try to make something decent out of him, right? Right? *crickets chirping*

Wolverine and the X-Men # 35 by Jason Aaron and Nick Bradshaw.





I love the textured look of fur on Kurt's chin in the third panel of this last page from WatX.



Gee, are the X-Men slow these days or what? If there were little versions of my friend around I think I’d be more curious, especially with Kitty around. Yeah, I know I know they have been pretty busy but still…

Some backstory, here Kurt appears in a corner panel of Wolverine and the X-Men # 30 clothed in a white robe. He was there to help Logan during his time in hell which was so sinisterly planned for him by some with a grudge.



Bonus scans:

Wolverine # 8 Written by Aaron.



Wolverine # 5 From Cornell’s current series.



I’m mixed on this whole thing, I’m not sure I like the idea of Kurt following Logan these days (like everyone else seems to be doing), I would have preferred Kurt to go somewhere else outside of the Scott/Logan feud. I just don’t want to see him reduced to a mindless follower.

Kurt never rarely flourishes much in the main X-Verse. An Excalibur relaunch or even X-Factor would have been preferable. Then there are the religious tones that popup and sometimes take over the character. I like that Kurt has faith, fine, but lets not that be his only defining characteristic, m'kay? But this may be good. Aaron and McGuiness seemed really genuinely psyched.

Kurt will also be having a role in Matt Fractions upcoming “Inhumanity” story arch. Are they going to tie him to the Inhumans? And this is Matt Fraction who has been pretty miss on X-Men with me. Though, he has written stuff I liked, so…

My current mindset is a mix of SQUEEEE!!! And OHNOES!!!

Comments

[tugrul]

Thank you for this great read. I like it when they put clues all over the x-place even if this one is pretty obvious to us readers already and it takes real creativity to come up with easter eggs.

So the blue BAMFs turn red by drinking Azazel's blood?

[icon_uk]

I think my only issue is that Nightcrawler died a mundane, physical death, when he telported around some robot-y things arm, destroying his heart.

Such "normal" (for a given value of normal I grant you) deaths are the toughest ones to come back from because there are fewer loopholes (It took magic AND transmode virus to bring back Cypher after he'd been shot dead).

Since this wandering white clad Kurt pretty much CAN'T be "our" Kurt as his body died for a normal reason is still presumably in the ground, I find it hard to get invested in him, we've already seen two alt-universe Kurt's since he died and they at least were never "our" Kurt.

[polly1788]

didnt they cremate his body ?

[icon_uk]

Wasn't sure about that, but if so... even TOUGHER job....

[cainofdreaming]

Well, people have been known to come back from Mephy's turf with new bodies. Vengeance, of Ghost Rider fame, for one committed a mundane suicide but was let out after GR took over from Blackheart.

Edit - Actually, scratch the mundane part. Didn't quite remember it correctly and the first hits in google failed me. But anyways, his original body still went boom.

[icon_uk]

Why would a non-stop hero like Kurt Wagner end up in Mephisto's realm?

[flint_marko]

Nightcrawler's in the afterlife here, he's not alive.

[icon_uk]

Ah thanks, that does sort of help, I think.

[bj_l]

When was it established they needed a body for revivals?

[magus_69]

True, but (as per Austen) he is part demon. That will almost certainly come into play at some point.

[icon_uk]

AFAIK As per Austen he most specifically is NOT part demon since Azazal is not a demon, he's a human mutant, just like any other.

He has built up a reputation for himself that he was a demon because he constantly lied about it, but he's a mutant.

[spacebetween]

I always hated Azazel with a passion. But one of my biggest sources of hate is he was created by Austen because he felt the need to explain why Nightcrawler looks like that. Oh no, it can't because of his mutation, it has to be because his father is ancient demon-like mutant race that is near immortal.

But then Austen took a step further with Angel.

What's next Mercury's heritage is from living Mercury people? Rockslide sentient rocks? Anole lizard people?

[shadowpsykie]

but you also have to concider that Kurt is also part demonic (is he also part angel?) and an x-man. eitehr way. even though his death wasn't supernatural (AKA buffy death) he IS supernatural.

there is also the fact that we have seen a white robed Kurt already. i am willing ot bet this is OG Kurt.

[icon_uk]

Why I should I consider that he's part demon when he's not? His father was a mutant human (who pretended to be a demon), his mother was a mutant human.

He's no more supernatural than Rahne.

[bruinsfan]

Does his adoptive mother Margali Szardos still have Dr. Strange-level power with far fewer compunctions about using it ethically? I can see her pulling some strings to get him returned to life eventually if so.

[marghammerman]

I'm cautiously optimistic about Kurt's return (assuming it *is* a return, and not a massive, sadistic fake-out). I mean, I'm thrilled to have him back, but he left on such a sour note, after so many years of neglect, that I guess I'm feeling a bit distrustful. If he does come back, I definitely don't want instant renewal of bff status with Logan; there needs to be some believable tension in that relationship given how betrayed Kurt felt about X-Force right before he died. I also don't want Kurt's character to be completely dominated by religion (the white robe stuff makes me a bit nervous on that score).

As per the mechanics of resurrecting him, I'm sure they can think of something, what with the multi-dimensional nature of Kurt's powers and his families' many magical connections.

[minervasolo]

Totally irrelevant, but I see Husk's back? Or did they just forget she left?

(it seems vaguely relevant with Monet coming over to X-men as well, which would put all the GenXers bar Penny in one place for the first time in a very long time)

[flint_marko]

She was acting crazy and was a member of the Hellfire Academy, then Toad ripped off all of her extra skin after she attacked him and now she's back to normal, though she apparently doesn't remember that they were in a relationship.

[minervasolo]

Cheers. I dropped the series before the Hellfire Academy, thankfully.

[shadowpsykie]

so.... is Edie no longer self loathing? that was a REALLY big reason for me not following that book....

[theflames]

That aspect of Edie made me dislike her a lot.

If you want to self loathe, fine, but if your insulting everyone around you, too their faces, while doing so? I loose a lot of sympathy for you.

[shadowpsykie]

when it first started off i felt really bad about it. but then she started going off on everyone telling them they were all monsters and sinners and stuff...

and none of the adults did anything!

every now and then she would have her conflicted feelings "If we are demons, then why are we doing good." ect.

but it wasn't enough.

but this last line she says makes me think that she "exorcised her demons" i am just curious HOW that happened... how did she come to terms with it? DId it even HAPPEN on panel?

[theflames]

God I hate this book.

[northstarfan]

+1

It's hard to pull off a humor book. Harder still when the writer can't seem to tell when wacky-fun-times are getting in the way of the dramatic tension. And then there's whatever the hell Aaron is doing with WatXM.

That said, barring offensive levels of badness, I'll probably still give the first arc of Amazing a shot just because Northstar's migrating there.

[sir_mikael]

I don't really think that sounds like Kurt. I mean it obviously is but eh, let's hope when he has actual character diallogue he'll sound more like himself (and hopefully not woe-is-me-I-was-dead-for-so-long-so-I'm-different-now).

I gotta say the art is rather nice in that snow page. It's clear that it's Kurt based on tons of things on the page yet it's refreshingly subtle and doesn't show all of him.