Ancient Review: Wolverine: Rahne of Terra

[MetalWoman]

Recently I picked Wolverine: Rahne of Terra out of the back issue bin. I had originally got the book (and somehow lost) in 1991. I picked it up back then for no other reason than Wolverine is the most awesome thing in the world to an eleven year old. Despite being a product of the 90s this book is still as wonderful as when I first read it. Just to give you a hint of its greatness, it is written by Peter David and the art is done by Andy Kubert. With a creative team like that you are in for a treat.

The story takes place when Cable had just taken over the New Mutants and the team consists of Cannonball, Rictor, Boom Boom, Sunspot and Rahne. With Kubert drawing Liefeld's designs they actually look very compelling (I always felt that Liefeld's designs were great, but his art, with the missing feet and strange anatomy, was bad). And the character interaction is great. Cable comes off as very authoritarian, but also very fatherly. One exchange shows his personality in this book perfectly:
Sunspot: (under his breath) I wish Professor X was here.
Cable: I didn't hear that Roberto. Repeat it.
Sunspot: It was nothing.
Cable: REPEAT IT!
Sunspot: (angry) I said I wish Professor X was here.
Cable: Were here. Not was. were. And for what it's worth...so do I.

After reading this I immediately ran out and got all the Cable and New Mutants I could find, assuming it all had to be this awesome. Boy was I surprised. Fortunately it did lead me to the Claremont New Mutants, who remain to this day my favorite team.

The plot is as follows. In 616 Rahne appears to have gone insane and believes she is a princess named Rain in a medieval fantasy land called Geshem. There Cable is a mage and the other new mutants are her knight protectors. Turns out, Rain is not insane, but has had her mind switched with Rahne, who has had her memories altered so she believes she really is the princess. In Geshem Rahne is haunted by a prophecy that come her 16th birthday she will be consumed by the Beast. She dismisses the prophecy as nonsense, but little does she know the Beast is stalking her, and the Beast turns out to be Wolverine.

Again I cannot stress how great this book is. It also had a sequel, Wolverine Knights of Terra, which was utter crap. The sequel did not use any of the characters in the original except Rahne and Wolverine, had crappy art, and an uninspired plot.

Metal Woman

[alf_to_the_rescue]

I have a reprint of this somewhere. It has warlock as a staff or something.

[feralgibs]

Wow, I assumed Rahne's recent Twilight-esque pregnancy was a new venture for her in to the really out there, stupid plots. From reading this, it looks like I was wrong. XD

[MetalWoman]

I have a reprint of this somewhere. It has warlock as a staff or something.

Yep, Mage Cable has a mystical staff than can assume the form of anything he wishes. The staff just happens to look exactly like Warlock in stick form.

Metal Woman