Hey, everyone, jrpbsp here… I have not been feeling too well so I missed last week’s review, but I am jumping back to hit ‘Wolverine: Weapon X’ this week. Hope you enjoy it.

Wolverine: Weapon X #11 (preview)
Writer: Jason Aaron
Pencils: Ron Garney

SPOILERS BELOW…

RECAP: The issue opens with a new hero taking his first trip out into the city on rounds. He had been training and preparing for years but his night does not go as planned. He is gunned out and killed almost immediately by Deathlok. The cyborg then moves on to his next target.

Meanwhile Logan and Steve Rogers are catching up. Wolverine is taking Cap on a worldwide barhopping tour to celebrate his return to the living and filling Rogers in on what he missed. Logan has tapped his fellow X-Man, Nightcrawler, as the pilot in return for a promise to attend church in the morning.

The cyborg’s next target is a young couple on their first date. Deathlok confronts them and it turns out that their child will be a hero in the future. Once their identities are confirmed, they are executed.

Logan and Steve are on their fifth bar when they stop for a little heart to heart. Cap says he is glad that Logan stayed with the Avengers and Wolverine admits to losing hope when Rogers fell. They also discuss Wolverine’s love life and the state of mutant affairs before a local gets in Logan’s face about his taste in music. A bar brawl naturally starts. But since they had made it to five bars, Kurt won twenty dollars from Scott.

Deathlok fights his way through a horde of police and security in a hospital to reach his next victim but not even an ax to the chest can stop him. He enters the Maternity Ward and kills the next future hero.

Steve and Logan arrive back in New York the next morning and go their separate ways. But Logan is quickly confronted by an unknown woman who calls him by name and tells all about the Deathlok’s killing the heroes of the future. Naturally Wolverine does not believe her. Meanwhile the final low level target is killed and we learn that there are at least eight Deathloks and they now are all focused on killing Captain America.

MY TAKE: I enjoyed this issue quite a bit, especially the interaction between Captain America and Wolverine. While the Deathlok story line definitely has potential, the real meat of the story is the catching up of the two old friends. This is something we really have not seen before, Steve and Logan just sitting around drinking and talking, and I thought it was done very well. I hope these scenes will be followed up on in either the new Avengers’ series or in this title.

The Deathlok story is meant to be the main part of the arc but it felt like it was the lesser focus here. Still the idea is very solid even if it not the most original  plot and the Deathloks look to be a serious threat. The first sequence in particular was amusing and well done if a bit over the top. I enjoyed the single minded and focused pursuit of the cyborgs and the set up definitely pulled me into the story. The surprise reveal or the army of the creatures does a lot to up the stakes for the next issue.

I did have a little bit of an issue on how similar the plot was to Terminator 3 with the list of people to kill. It also did not make much sense to me that they would start with the lesser targets and leave the primes for later. That simply means that the harder heroes to kill have more advanced warning and time to prepare. Killing the children and the inexperienced heroes could have been done at any time. It would have also been nice to see a little bit more about the characters that are killed so it has more of an impact. Of course that might be addressed later in the arc.

In the end, this was a strong issue, mostly due to Cap and Logan interactions, but still has enough of hook to the overall story to keep things interesting. I am not sure on the use of another mysterious female character but I have not seen enough to judge her character yet. But even with the unknown elements, as long as the characterizations and interactions remain strong, the story will still be very good. I am eagerly awaiting the next issue to see where the plot goes from here.

Thanks for reading my review for Wolverine Files. I will be keeping to this format for the most part but please keep the comments coming and I will see everyone again next time.

Second Coming: Prepare (Preview)
Writer: Mike Carey
Pencils: Stuart Immonen
Inks: Michael Lacombe

From Marvel: “In the blink of an eye, the mutant species went from a population of 16 million to 198. To make matters worse the mutant gene had shut down and years passed with no new mutants activations. With extinction all but guaranteed, mutantkind’s outlook was bleak.

“Then, one morning, the impossible happened and a mutant baby was born. Her birth was greeted with carnage and death but her salvation came in the form of the X-Man Cable. Cable and the X-Men saved her from those who wanted to control or kill her, but, faced with the matter of her upbringing, chose to send her into the future with Cable as her caretaker. Thus, the X-Men were left to wait for this girl to hopefully become something that could save their species.

“The future proved just as dangerous as the present, but Cable kept her safe and taught her to be a soldier like him. After 16 years in the future, she decided to come back. Her name is Hope Summers, and she has returned.

“But the X-Men weren’t the only ones waiting. This story takes place two days after Hope and Cable returned from the future.”

Free ‘Second Coming’ prologue available February 24, 2010.

Wolverine also appears in the background of two panels in ‘Nation X’ #3 and on the cover of ‘Ms. Marvel’ #50.

And Daken appears in the very surreal ‘Dark Wolverine’ #83…

So feel free to share your thoughts of these Wolverine-associated tales in the comments below and don’t forget to add any Wolverine appearances from the week that I may have missed (that means you, Comusiv!)…

Hey, everyone, jrpbsp here… Just doing the one review from last week, so here’s ‘Uncanny X-Men’. Hope you enjoy it.

Uncanny X-Men #521 (preview)
Writer: Matt Fraction
Pencils: Greg Land
Inks: Jay Leisten

SPOILERS BELOW…

RECAP: The issue opens with Emma and Scott scaling a mountain to check on Magneto. He has put up a mental and physical barrier, however, to make sure his work is undisturbed.

Meanwhile, Wolverine, Betsy and Colossus are fighting the team that sent the Predator Xs. Unfortunately, the group has in depth information from the nanocameras and can predict all of the X-Men’s attacks. But then Fantomex joins the battle to and gives the fight a random element. Underwater, Jeffries meets with one of Atlanteans and offers their help to finish the pillar. The marine dweller swims off to get Namor’s consul.

Back in New York, the team is still not impressed with Fantomex’s arrival until E.V.A. blows up their computer and severs the link of data. Without that information on all the tactics, the villains are vulnerable. The three X-Men take them apart while Fantomex shoots their leader in the side of the head. The X-Men finish off their adversaries but the wounded leader releases an airborne virus targeted at mutants.

Fantomex makes E.V.A. save the X-Men knowing his artificial blood will protect him. The virus is a power dampening super flu that is confirmed to be effective for nearly all the known mutants and was designed by John Sublime. Unfortunately, the fight is over and Fantomex has no choice but to let the villains escape in order to save the X-Men. He calls Scott once they are airborne and relays the whole problem including having active samples of the virus retained by E.V.A.

Scott and Emma are unsure what to do about Magneto. His mind appears to be elsewhere and he is showing severe signs of physical distress. They decide to bring in the X-Club for advice. The X-Club considers the problem and comes to one nearly impossible conclusion. Meanwhile, somewhere deep in space, the enormous bullet containing Kitty Pryde changes direction.

MY TAKE: This is a pretty good issue although it travels some very overused ground. The ending has been spoiled too which always lessens the impact of a story. Still, it was well written and interesting enough to hold my attention. I really do like the idea of Magneto being the one to save Kitty. Although it does stretch the boundaries of his power, at least it is logical and a nice way to have him contribute to the team. It is definitely a better explanation then I was expecting for her return.

The fight scenes are not bad either and having the purpose of the nanocameras be to gather information on their moves and tactics is actually pretty smart. Although I would have thought such an important computer would have been off site to lessen its risk of damage,  it still allows for an interesting foe. It is a technological version of a telepath and it does give them a distinct advantage.

I did have an issue with Fantomex’s involvement.  I do not see a reason for him to have ever gotten involved in this. Of course it is no secret that I am not a fan of  his,  so that could just be my bias. But his presence does take away from my enjoyment. Still, to be fair, he is actually pretty decent here if you ignore the sillier aspects of the character. I would have preferred a little more for the X-Men to do, however. They are little more then window dressing in their scenes in New York.

My biggest complaint is with the unoriginality of using yet another anti-mutant virus. We have seen that story so many times and it always lingers on. While this seems to be a different type, it still made me roll my eyes. Especially, coming from a technology based group like this one. Even making it power suppressing nanobots would have been more original. It just seems like the Legacy Virus all over again and that is one story I do not want to revisit.

In the end it was a fast and pretty entertaining read. The New York scenes were the focus and had some great lines despite the virus sub-plot and the focus on Fantomex. Of course the highlight of the issue was Magneto’s quest and Kitty’s very brief return at the end of the issue. She is a personal favorite so I am glad she is returning. I would have preferred her return to occur at a more subdued time rather then being sandwiched in between events.  Still, there is hope that she will have a strong story and a memorable return for her welcome back present.

Thanks for reading my review for Wolverine Files. I will be keeping to this format for the most part but please keep the comments coming and I will see everyone again next time.

Incredible Hercules #141 (Preview)
Writer: Greg Pak & Fred Van Lente
Artist: Rodney Buchemi

From Marvel: “ASSAULT ON NEW OLYMPUS, Finale! IT ALL COMES DOWN TO THIS! The past two years of storylines in Incredible Hercules have been building to one climactic moment, and here it arrives at last! The final showdown between Hercules and Typhon! Amadeus Cho becomes a true hero at last! And just why was Athena so happy at the end of “Sacred Invasion,” anyway? All secrets are revealed in what is undoubtedly the most shocking ending of the year! Don’t tell the Internet why we had to call this issue, EVERYBODY DIES!”

Wolverine appears, but only barely, as Hercules fights for his life…

On sale February 17, 2010.

Marvels: Eye of the Camera #6 (Preview)
Writer: Kurt Busiek & Roger Sterm
Artist: Jay Anacleto

From Marvel: “The grand finale! As the X-Men face a splashy televised death in Dallas, Phil Sheldon and his family have a quiet and unexpected late-night reunion. Will it be their last time together as a family? What will it mean for Phil’s legacy, and his book? This issue brings the second great story of Phil Sheldon and the Marvel Universe to an unforgettable conclusion.”

This recap of ‘Fall of the Mutants’ is a surprisingly emotional and bittersweet final issue of the series…

Also on sale February 17, 2010.

Feel free to share your thoughts of these Wolverine-associated tales in the comments below and don’t forget to add any Wolverine appearances from the week that I may have missed (that means you, Comusiv)…

Hey, everyone, jrpbsp here… Playing catch up, so here is last week’s review of ‘Uncanny X-Men: First Class’. Hope you enjoy it.

Uncanny X-Men: First Class #8 (preview)
Writer: Scott Gray
Art: Fernando Blanco

SPOILERS BELOW…

RECAP: The issue opens with a murder in Cassidy Keep. The librarian, Master Finnan, is dead and so the caretaker calls for the Lord of the Manner, Sean Cassidy. He arrives with Logan, Kurt and Piotr determined to unravel the mystery. Sean does not believe it is a suicide despite a note left by Finnan and he promises Finnan’s daughter, Molly, to find the truth. Inspecting the area discovers chamomile in the tea, a deadly poison to the leprechauns.

Before they can search more, Conall the head of the museum, comes in and gives more bad news. The family museum was attacked and the ring of Sean’s ancestor, Liam, was stolen. Liam was the one that built the keep and was a great champion and with his leprechaun friend, Malachy Quinn, they defeated a great Sidhe evil. Besides the ring, Liam and Malachy’s tapestry was damaged far above where a leprechaun could reach.

Sean next visits Owen McGuinness, the apothecary, and keeper of the only supply of chamomile in the castle.  Owen introduces his grandson Declan who shows them the chamomile supply. Sean cuts himself on a lantern before discovering the supply is gone. He then talks to the kitchen staff who relates the events of the night in question, saying Finnan was acting strangely and there was a giggling noise from the room.

Sean takes another look at the note and declares it to be Finnan’s handwriting. What is more he knows who killed the old leprechaun and sets up a meeting of the house. After going through the suspects, Sean fingers Declan as his name was spelled in the note. The young leprechaun admits it and says it is because he has always been ridiculed because he is half Sidhe. He has wings which is how he damaged the tapestry. He needed Sean’s blood and with it he uses the Cassidy ring to control all the fae in the castle and even summon the Sidhe to battle.

The X-Men are limited in the fight since none of their attackers are in their right minds, but eventually Sean is able to use his power to shatter the ring and free everyone. Once the threat is ended, the whole castle turns out for the funeral of Finnan and Banshee once again says goodbye to his family’s keep.

MY TAKE: This is a fun little issue, with a nice mystery and good character moments. It actually felt like a First Class issue and I was glad to see it. There is nothing really new or earth shaking here, but the story is well told and it does pull you into the plot. Banshee has proven to be the strongest character for this series and so ending with him is a good idea. Using the leprechauns is a nice way to keep things a bit lighter and more child friendly without having to alienate the adult readers.

Although Sean gets the most screen time, and is certainly the best used character, the rest of the team make good supporting players. Logan feels more natural here and both Kurt and Piotr get a few good moments. I specifically liked Kurt’s interaction with Declan about how it feels to be an outsider.

The murder plot was very well done and felt like an actual murder mystery, just trimmed down to fit the book. There were clues and suspects and even several false leads and potential villains. While the eventual killer’s motivation was not the most logical or fitting, it was solid enough not to hurt the story.

The biggest flaw, for me, was the forced combat at the end of the issue. I do understand that a certain amount of action is expected in a comic book, especially those aimed at younger viewers, but it did not really fit. It did give the rest of the X-Men something more meaningful to do, but it would have been better to make defeating the villain a smaller and more personal affair. Bringing in hoards of creatures just confused the story and made the ending longer then it needed to be. A quicker conclusion would have given more time for the murder plot to play out.

In the end this was a good stand alone story that combined an interesting story with some strong characterizations. It is too bad that this is the end of the series because it has had a lot of promise for the past few issues, after a somewhat shaky start. Hopefully, the sales will increase for these issues and we can see another series in the future. Now that the creative team has found their stride, I expect it would be very entertaining.

Thanks for reading my review for Wolverine Files. I will be keeping to this format for the most part but please keep the comments coming and I will see everyone again next time.

Hey, everyone, jrpbsp here… This week’s review is ‘Wolverine: Weapon X’. Hope you enjoy it.

Wolverine: Weapon X #10 (preview)
Writer: Jason Aaron
Art: C. P. Smith

SPOILERS BELOW…

RECAP: The issue opens with Logan recounting his first time to Melita. It was with a Mexican migrant worked whose name he did not even know. He then continues to give some more details on his love life before she asks too many personal questions and he gets dressed and leaves.

In Japan, Logan kills some ninja and runs into Yukio. She tries to seduce him but Wolverine turns her down, something he has never done before. A little while later, he confesses this to Storm, while playing chess with her. She asks who his new girlfriend is but he is still denying Melita is his girlfriend later when he is playing pool with Rogue. But she gets him to admit it without ever saying a word.

The Black Widow offers to get the new girl some tech for communication or tracking in case she gets into trouble but Logan declines. Natasha says that at least  Melita needs to learn how to shoot then. Out shopping with Jubilee, Wolverine gets lectured on the difficulty of relationships and the problems with his current life style. She never really lets him get a word in edgewise.

At the New Avengers base, Cage and Jessica are trying to find their baby’s binkie to quiet her screaming. Jessica can not help since she is holding the child but Logan offers to take her. Although he holds her awkwardly, she silences instantly. Jessica seems concerned but Luke has faith and goes back to look for the toy.

Wolverine returns to San Fransisco and finds out that Garner is training at the Sons of the Tiger dojo and has a pretty good sidekick. He takes her to a shrine in Mariko’s honor and explains what happens to all the girls that get involved with him. She says that she did the research and knows all about his past women.  She kicks him in the face again to demonstrate what would happen if one of his enemies came after her but he is not impressed. He tries to talk her out of the relationship but she is determined and eventually he gives in and takes her to his room on Utopia.

In bed they talk about her past and interests before he goes to sleep. Later, Melita is walking the halls when she runs into Emma and asks about the bathroom. Frost starts laughing when she discovers that Garner is sleeping with Wolverine. The next day, Logan takes her back to San Fransisco and kisses her goodbye. Almost immediately she is bumped into by a very old woman who turns out to be Mystique is disguise. It appears the villain and former flame is planning to keep an eye on the new girlfriend.

MY TAKE: First off I want to say that I liked this issue, it is one of my favorites of the run so far. Wolverine is very well done and I am glad to see he is giving some real thought to the dangers inherent in getting involved again. Melita is starting to grow on me as well. She shows a much tougher and more confident side to her personality here which has been mostly missing so far. I like the fact that she actually looked into his past before pursuing him and that she understands the risks and is trying to learn to protect herself.

The cameos are mostly done very well, too. There was a good mix of the women in Logan’s life including some of his closest friends and allies. Since most of them were not ex-girlfriends, however, it would have been nice to see a few of his close male friends like Kurt. Most guys talk about woman troubles with their guy friends after all. I would have liked to see Domino in the mix too although I can understand the conflict of interest there.

Jubilee’s scene was kind of wasted to me personally. She is arguably the person he is closest too in the world and we have not seen them interact in years. Instead of a touching scene, we get her lecturing him like she is his parent. I would have liked to have seen more of them together, as well as a greater understanding and caring between them. She should be the one he can most easily turn to with these sorts of problems. Although, I can understand her being a bit upset, she can be jealous where Logan is concerned.

My biggest complaint with the whole issue is not with the story or the characters though, it is just with the relationship in general. I can certainly understand the desire to give Wolverine a new girl but this is still very familiar ground. Since this is an original character, she is almost certainly going to be ignored in other series and eventually killed off when this series ends or Aaron leaves. Just like the last two, Cassie Lathrop and Amir the Atlantean, one dead and the other in Limbo. In fact this issue does the same thing, ignoring Domino and completely glossing over Itsu who was still his wife.

Still, in the end we get a entertaining and well-done issue that actually has the guts to explore Wolverine’s love life. I especially liked the beginning when Logan was doing the pillow talk with Melita. In truth, I would have been happy to see this story stretched out a bit over a couple of issues with more time spent with the guest stars. But as it is, we get a well written-story that does a very nice job of getting inside Wolverine’s head and exploring who he is. Those tales are too few these days so I was glad to see it here. Next issue will be back to the slicing and hacking but I hope we can keep some focus on Logan’s personality and emotional conflicts as well.

Thanks for reading my review for Wolverine Files. I will be keeping to this format for the most part but please keep the comments coming and I will see everyone again next time.

Ultimate Comics X #1 (Preview)
Writer: Jeph Loeb
Artist: Art Adams

From Marvel: “Who – or what – is Ultimate X? The answers and even more secrets arrive in the all new ULTIMATE X ongoing bi-monthly series from the superstar dream team of JEPH LOEB and ART ADAMS. Wolverine is dead. Captain America is a fugitive. The Fantastic Four disbanded. Lives have been destroyed and nothing can ever be the same – is there any hope left? It all begins with a search for a brand new character whose identity will leave jaws on the floor and change the Ultimate Universe forever.”

On sale February 3, 2010.

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X-Men Noir: Mark of Cain #3 (Preview)
Writer: Fred Van Lente
Artist: Dennis Calero

From Marvel: “‘Herr Wagner, here, started out in the circus before becoming the top second-story man in Europe. And don’t let Comrade Rasputin’s size fool you. It’s his artistic talent the Bolsheviks want to ship him to Siberia for – an expert forger of artworks and official documents. And Ororo’s skills at thievery are so renowned, even at her delicate age, that she is literally worshiped by the footpads of Cairo, if you can believe it. These are my all-new, all-different X Men,’ Professor Xavier said.”

Also on sale February 3, 2010.

Share your thoughts of these non-continuity Wolverine associate tales in the comments below.

Wolverine: Savage #1 (Preview)
Writer: Ryan Dunlavey
Artist: Richard Elson

From Marvel: “Monsters on the high seas means TWO-FISTED CHOPPING ACTION! Wolverine takes the action to new levels as he slices and dices his way through a bevy of foes you’ll never expect!”

On sale February 3, 2010.

Share your thoughts of this off-beat Wolverine tale in the comments below.

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Hey, everyone, jrpbsp here… Here’s the second review from last week, ‘X-Force’. Hope you enjoy.

X-Force #23 (preview)
Writer: Craig Kyle & Christoper Yost
Art: Clayton Crain

SPOILERS BELOW…

RECAP: The issue opens with Rahne flatlining due to her pregnancy.  Dr. Nemesis tries but cannot help her. Hrimhari arrives with Hela to try and save her but the goddess agrees to only save either Rahne or the child but not both.

Upstairs, the X-Men are facing the new invaders. Although many of the X-Men are in denial over their friends helping Selene, Diamond Lil charges forward and is immediately killed by Dazzler’s sister. X-Force moves to attack with Logan taking the lead but Frost distracts him and Lois and Wither take him down. Proudstar and Archangel jump in and get intercepted by Bard and Senyaka. Then Blink teleports Warren’s wings off.

On Necrosha, Selene gets more mutants delivered by Caliban. John Proudstar says that the X-Men will stop her but Selene is confident as it is almost time for her ceremony.

Back on Utopia, Hrimhari makes his choice. He chooses to save Elixir. When Josh wakes, the Wolf Prince barely has time to explain and get Foley a message before Hela takes him away. Elixir then jumps into action to heal Rahne while Vanisher asks for help.

The X-Men continue to fight Selene’s forces but are not doing very well. Cessily gets blinked into pieces and Onyxx is destroyed by Wither while Dazzler fights her sister and Wolverine stabs Senyaka to little effect. Proudstar has no luck fighting Bard but is told the attacks will stop if they are given the blade. He takes off for his room with the bad guys in pursuit.

Meanwhile, Rahne wakes up and Josh explains that he is transferring some of the strength from the baby to her so she can survive her pregnancy. He also has to tell her that Hrimhari has gone with Hela and that he would try and get back to her.

In Proudstar’s room, he finds the knife and is immediately attacked by Selene’s forces who are teleported in by Blink. She then takes them all off to Necrosha. The rest of the X-Men are mourning their losses. Scott orders the Cuckoos to find Wither and they locate the group on Necrosha. He tells Wolverine to go to Necrosha and stop her, while Frost adds in that all of her forces must be killed in order for this to end. Including their former friends and allies.

They are explaining the situation to Rahne while the Vanisher keeps trying to get Foley to heal him. Logan and the rest show up and tell Elixir to leave it in because he was taking them all to Necrosha.

MY TAKE: This issue starts to really ramp up the story and move the action along to the next phase. I am definitely glad that the Utopia piece of the plot ended and the action moves to Necrosha. The X-Men have looked pretty foolish so far and I am more than happy to see them taking the initiative and working to end this threat. Hopefully, they will get some redemption for their poor showing and revenge for the deaths and suffering that have occurred so far.

The plot was fine although it was somewhat spoiled by the fact that we were already showed Proudstar’s capture in another book. Rahne’s pregnancy was well handled although it still does not really fit in with the rest of the story. I am all for the X-Force finally being all back together again but I doubt they are going to let Rahne run off and fight considering her condition. It seems like a story that could have been handled post-event.

The only person that got any real character development here was Emma and hers did not make much sense. In diamond form she should not have felt any emotion so her semi-breakdown did not really work. Her pragmatism at the end did make sense considering how vicious their foes have been but should have been her position from the start.

To that end, I want to bring up the deaths in this comic. I understand wanting to make the story have more of an impact, but they killed off such minor characters that I do not see the point. I did not even remember Lil, and Onyxx was extremely underdeveloped and unused so his death will hardly even be noticed. I am glad that they did not kill off anyone I liked but I do not see the benefit to the deaths of such low-tier characters.

Still in the end, this was an entertaining and pretty well-done issue. It did a good job of advancing the story while keeping the threat level high for the final stage. It even makes sense that X-Force is being sent to Necrosha alone which is something I was wondering about. Hopefully the last couple of the parts to the event keep up the quality and give us a conclusion that is both entertaining and satisfying.

Thanks for reading my review for Wolverine Files. I will be keeping to this format for the most part but please keep the comments coming and I will see everyone again next time.

As previously mentioned, I plan to announce some nifty changes to the weekly Wolverine Files experience later tonight, but before that unveiling, let’s get to jrpbsp and his surprisingly positive review of ‘Wolverine Origins’ #44 (details)…

Wolverine has two other major appearances this week with ‘Wolverine: Wendigo!’ #23 (preview), reprinting Frank Tieri’s “Wolverine: Wendigo!” and “Wolverine vs. Thor’ from Marvel Digital Comics, and ‘X-Force’ #23 (preview), a confusing but satisfying continuation of the “X-Necrosha” storyline…

As for minor appearances, ‘Captain America: Reborn’ #6 (preview) features a Wolverine cover only cameo…

Finally, in non-continuity appearances, Wolverine has a humorous role in ‘Marvel Adventures Spider-Man’ #59 (preview), a separate continuity from all previous Marvel Adventure appearances, and a painful appearance in ‘X-Babies’ #4 (preview), thankfully the final issue in the miniseries…