Hunt For Wolverine: Mystery In Madripoor (#1-4) by Jim Zub

Hunt for Wolverine: Mystery in Madripoor (#1-4) by Jim Zub, Thony Silas (Illustrator), Greg Land (Illustrator),

Giuseppe Camuncoli (Illustrator)

WHAT MAYHEM HAS THE RETURN OF THE MUTANT WITH METAL CLAWS CAUSED IN MADRIPOOR? When Wolverine's former alter-ego Patch is sighted on the streets of Madripoor, the infamous island of ill-repute, Kitty Pryde pulls together a group of Logan's closest friends to try and find him: Storm, Rogue, Psylocke, Domino, and Jubilee. What they discover is a twisted cabal of crime and dark mysteries that will take these X-Men from the depths of Lowtown to the stars circling overhead in the Hunt For Wolverine.

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Out of the four Hunt for Wolverine mini series, Hunt for Wolverine: Mystery in Madripoor was easily my favorite. Everyone is looking for Logan's missing body, so each series focuses on a different group of people as they search for its whereabouts. Logan's body is dangerous whether he's dead or alive, and the ramifications of its loss are unfathomable. What could someone do with his DNA? What if he was cloned? What if someone did something to his brain so he hurt others? The possibilities are endless, which is why it's imperative that someone finds him as soon as possible.

Kitty's team is the only all-female group, and they kicked ass. I loved watching everyone work together despite a few disagreements at the start. They questioned Domino and her reasons for being there, but she has her own past with Logan. I'm also a little partial to Domino since I've been reading her comic -- girl has had a rough life. It isn't much easier now, but she's learning more about herself and making friends along the way. (You can find my review for the first two issues of Domino here.)

It was surprising how many twists Zub managed to squeeze into just four issues, but the all-female villain team might be my favorite. I knew they would encounter someone or something when they arrived in Madripoor (there's always conflict in comics), but their adversary was unexpected. I enjoyed Zub's writing and thought he did a wonderful job portraying some of my favorite characters.

There were so many layers to this one, too. Psylocke is struggling in a way only Psylocke can, Kitty is scrambling trying to put her team back together, and the others are fighting to stay alive and save the day. It was interesting to see how everyone fought against each other, since they all have such unique gifts.

If you have a chance to read one of the Hunt for Wolverine mini series, I highly recommend Mystery in Madripoor (or all of them). The others are good (especially Tom Taylor's team), but this was the one I looked forward to the most. I think they all play off one another a little to create the final one-shot issue, but you can read them individually with no problems.

Mini Reviews [14]

Moon by Alison Oliver

Synopsis (via Goodreads): Like many children, Moon leads a busy life. School, homework, music lessons, sports, and the next day it begins again. She wonders if things could be different. Then, one night, she meets a wolf.

The wolf takes Moon deep into the dark, fantastical forest and there she learns to howl, how to hide, how to be still, and how to be wild. And in that, she learns what it’s like to be free.

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Moon is a book we borrowed from the library, and I'm having a hard time convincing my kids we have to take it back! I promised to buy them a copy for their shelves, and they eventually relented.

I initially grabbed this one because of the beautiful cover, but the author conveys something really important within the story that children (and adults) will be able to relate to.

Every day Moon has a schedule that she follows -- school, sports, lessons, etc. She doesn't feel like she has time for herself, and then something wonderful happens when she ventures outside one night. She spends time with wolves, and they teach her how to play. They also show her how to be still and listen (bonus points for the author!).

Sometimes I think parents and adults forget how important it is to play. It's crucial to a child's development and their happiness. Adults should also play -- firing synapses and whatnot -- but it's not healthy for kids to have their entire day planned around work and expectations. They need time to just exist, even if it's in their own head.

I love the message Moon presents, and the delicate way the author shared her story. I highly recommend this one.

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Infinity Countdown: Champions (#1-2) by Jim Zub 

Emilio Laiso & Clayton Crain (Illustrators)

Synopsis (via Goodreads): SPINNING OUT FROM THE FALLOUT OF THE BATTLE FOR THE POWER STONE IN THE PAGES OF INFINITY COUNTDOWN! The Champions head to space to save the Nova Corps and stop Warbringer, but other forces are moving against them... These young heroes are in for the fight of their lives! 

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I don't know what I was expecting, but it wasn't a group of children fighting Chitauri and Thanos.

I love that Riri Williams (Ironheart) and Kamala Khan (Ms. Marvel) were included in Champions! I've read and enjoyed their individual comics in the past. I think I started reading Ms. Marvel at the wrong time, because the five or so issues I read didn't have Kamala Khan. She was hiding somewhere for some reason... so it never felt like I was reading about Ms. Marvel. Her friends were trying to be superheroes, but they just kept risking their lives. As for Ironheart, or The Invincible Iron Man, I believe Tony Stark came back and they revamped the comic.

If you're looking for a short series (and you're not sick of Thanos), this one is only two issues and ties in to the rest of the Infinity Countdown shenanigans. There's so much going on with that... I cannot keep up with it all. I think it's Infinity Wars now.