'Collecting three fan-favourite Wolverine novels in a brand-new omnibus featuring Weapon X, Road of Bones, and Lifeblood.
'In Weapon X, Wolverine’s cruel origin unfolds as Logan is experimented on to transform him into the ultimate weapon: an indestructible man and powerful killing machine. When Logan manages to escape, he hunts down those responsible to take his vengeance.
'Road of Bones sees Wolverine cross the world to recover a stolen experimental drug developed by a sinister underworld organisation that could cure all human disease but instead is being used to blackmail entire nations.
'In Lifeblood, Wolverine’s past in World War II comes flooding back as he relives the Nazi plot to unlock the secrets of his mutant healing powers. Little does he know, the lead scientist survives and will stop at nothing to finish what he started…'
Wolverine: Weapon X Omnibus collects together three of Titan Books fan favourite Wolverine books, from three great writers. In the past these Titan Omnibus books have brought together stories that have spanned multiple volumes, with a grand story that takes several hundred pages to unfold. Here, however, we get three very distinct and separate tales of this iconic X-Man.
The first book in this collection is Weapon X by Marc Cerasni, which travels backwards in time to explore the origins of this iconic mutant, and the events that made him into the metal clawed killer he became. There are really two stories being told in this book, one is what's happening to Logan as he undergoes the Weapon X procedure, the other is the memories he has of a mission into North Korea for the government a few decades earlier, with some events of the main story tying the two of these narratives together.
Whilst this story is about Logan it's not really a story that sees him doing much, and is more about the procedure he underwent, and those responsible for it. Much of the characterisation is given over to the security personnel of the base, the medical team who graft the adamantium to his skeleton, and the man leading the whole thing. Logan himself is kind of a mcguffin, something that drives the story forward just by his presence, and he as a character doesn't really have much of an impact. Though we do get to see more of him as a person in the flashback scenes.
This story isn't a great read if you're just wanting to see Wolverine as a superhero, tearing his way through bad guys and making cool one-liners; however, if you want to see what the Weapon X programme was doing, and come to see the people behind it as more than just faceless people in white coats this book will have some stuff to offer for you. And there are times where Wolverine gets to use his claws and cause some carnage that will satisfy.
The second story in the book is Road of Bones by David W. Mack, and takes on a very different tone to the first. If the first story is a slow moving medical nightmare this is a fast paced spy thriller. The story sees Logan being recruited to help out a Japanese pharmaceutical company when the daughter of an old friend asks for his help. It turns out that they were producing a new super-drug that is capable of curing any disease or illness, though if not administered frequently can cause death. Whilst the company is trying to eliminate these drawbacks the deadly crime organisation The Hand has stolen the formula and the chief scientist, intending to use to drug for their own gain.
With the safety of millions on the line Logan sets out to stop The Hand, a mission that sees him having to travel the world including South America, Russia, and Africa, fighting powerful mutants and deadly ninjas along the way.
Road of Bones is a lot more fun than the first story, mainly because we actually get to see Logan doing what he does best, and having quite a bit of fun whilst doing it too. The globe hopping, and him working with old contacts in various governments and criminal groups around the world also helps to give this the feel of something like a Bond movie, and it's a great genre to find Wolverine playing in.
The story also includes some great new characters, as well as others that will be familiar to fans of the comics, and draws upon iconic Wolverine stories as inspiration. It's the kind of story that feels different to a standard super hero romp, yet doesn't feel out of place for the characters or the universe in any way. Definitely one that will appeal to long time fans of the character.
The final story is Lifeblood by Matthew Hughes, which as a much more serious tone that the last one. This story follows Logan when he's still struggling with his memories, before he really becomes the hero known as Wolverine. When he begins to experience memories of his time in World War 2 he starts to try and figure out some answers, answers that lead to some pretty dark places. Logan learns that he was held prisoner at a concentration camp in Nazi Germany, where he was experimented on by Baron Strucker, who was trying to harness his mutant healing abilities.
Not only has Logan started to unlock these traumatic memories, but it turns out that Strucker is still alive, and wants to finish what he started all those decades before. Now Logan must contend with this threat in the present, whilst searching for clues to his past.
This story is much less action orientated than the last, and feels like a good combination of the two already in this book. There are large segments of the book given over to Logan's past, and the things that he went through at the hands of these scientists, as well as his future search for answers. There are some good moments of action too, though these tend to be more towards the end of the book, with the majority of the narrative given over to Logans journey.
Other Marvel omnibus collections from Titan have been enjoyable, but have often left me feeling a little bit like the books were overly long, with the three part stories often feeling padded and bloated when condensed together; this collection, on the other hand, was the best one that I've read so far. It has three very different and distinct books, with different focuses and storytelling styles, yet all of them still feel like they're Wolverine books. They speak to the versatility of the character, the way that he can be used in so many different ways. Fans of the character are sure to enjoy this collection, and will probably leave you wanting to go away and read some more Wolverine books too.
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