Wolverine & the X-Men #33

So if anyone actually knows me, they know I am not really a big fan of Wolverine, so to my chagrin, this is the first page of this issue. I just do so enjoy seeing Wolverine getting himself filled with bullets, just so he can heal and repeat the process! That is just one reason why I have rated this issue a 5/5.

COVER ART: 5/5 NICK BRADSHAW & MORRY HOLLOWELL drew such an intricately detailed cover, I was just blown away. Seriously, beautiful. I sat and looked at this cover for probably 5 serious minutes and went over it, inch by inch and was just amazed at how much detail was packed into this cover. Best Marvel cover of this week. (7/24/13)

STORY ARC: 5/5 There is so much going on in this book, where do I begin. We see in this image, the issue starts off with a literal bang! Wolverine is still on the hunt with his whiskey driven BAMFS. As we see, Wolverine is very close as he is engaged in a serious battle with LORD DEATHSTRIKE whom is proving a serious foe as Wolverine fights him throughout the whole issue without Lord Deathstrike spilling any beans on where the Hellfire Club is or where Wolvie's kidnapped students are located. It is very fun to see Wolverine "do what he is best at" and fail...and get shot up in the process. Oh, the little joys in the world. The real story happens at the Hellfire Academy though. Last issue TOAD decided that he had had enough and he was leaving with his students and his love, HUSK. That decision is proving more difficult in this issue than I think he realized. In almost 32 comics, Toad has been pushed around, been overlooked and under-appreciated. Well, Toad lets it all hang out, his tongue really, and delivers both SAURON and MONDO some nice licks! (pun intended) Even DOG LOGAN switches sides for a minute to help free QUENTIN QUIRE, as Dog owed QQ a favor and now they are all square. This issue is fantastic; all the little brats get punched in the face, Kade Kilgore, Quentin Quire, so much fun.

STORY ART: 4.5/5 NICK BRADSHAW is no Jim Lee okay. But what Nick lacks in raw talent, he makes up for in highly detailed, fun camera angles, fun art, and with the colorist LAURA MARTIN, they really put together a not so serious looking and highly colorful title that is fun, action packed, full of comedy, drama, everything we are looking for in a comic book.

SPOILER ALERT: NEW BLACK QUEEN REVEALED. With the new HELIONS established, KADE KILGORE, THE BLACK KING, has decided it is time to appoint his new Black Queen. The crush and his "star" student IDIE OKONKWO, the 14 year old better known as OYA, is his obvious choice. After OYA dons her new outfit, and gets Kilgore to finally admit he was the one who shot her friend BROO,

Idie goes all revenge mode against Kade. Because of CYCLOPS, Idie has been struggling with her knowledge of her ability to kill and after all this Hellfire training, she is overly prepared to take Kade's life, but she hesitates.

Ultimately, the rest of Wolverine's team has been on the case as well and have recruited KRAKOA, who was grown by Kilgore somewhere in the Ocean, are all on the way to the Hellfire Academy for what appears to be a serious battle. Krakoa saves Wolverine's life by the way from Lord Deathstrike from being drowned. Darn. But it is nice to know Wolverine lost that fight.

FINAL VERDIT: 5/5 As I look at who wrote this issue, I realize that even though I read a ton of comics, I am just now starting to put artists and writers together with their titles. I didn't realize JASON AARON wrote this until today, and realize that I love his other book he is writing, Thor God of Thunder. As I stated before, I am not a big Wolverine fan, but the supporting cast of this book, Jason Aaron writing this book, and the fantastically detailed and uniquely plumpy art of this title keep me engaged. I highly recommend this issue and this series. Not all of the issues, but this Hellfire Saga has been a really great read.