Comic Book Resources

Arkady Rossovich · 08-26-2009, 05:40 PM

Wolverine Origins #39
"Romulus" - Part 3 of 4
Writer: Daniel Way
Pencils: Scot Eaton
Inks: Andrew Hennessy

BACKSTORY
For those of you who haven't been following this book, here's the set-up for this arc.
With Daken joining Norman Osborn's Avengers and off furthering his own goals, there's nothing standing between Wolverine and discovering the truth behind his dark manipulator. Logan follows Romulus' personal bodyguard Victor Hudson to Russia, hoping to pick up on Romulus' trail. There, he discovers a seemingly abandoned prison deep in the Russian wilderness and believes it to be Romulus' base of operations.

It's a trap.

Due to the shakeup in the transition from S.H.I.E.L.D. to H.A.M.M.E.R. (and no doubt thanks to Romulus), some international prisoners fall through the cracks. Namely: Omega Red. Romulus arranges for Wolverine and Omega Red to battle to the death in the prison; to the winner goes the elusive Carbonadium Synthesizer. The pair fight each other for hours, but Logan knows it's a losing battle -- every second the clash continues, Omega Red's death spores drain the lifeforce of the innocent prisoners. Finally, a badly wounded Wolverine staggers out into the snow, having trapped Omega Red under a falling gate. However, he finds Romulus' right-hand man, Wildchild, waiting for him...

HUGHESOVKA IRONWORKS #5. CENTRAL RUSSIA.
Wolverine awakes to find himself in an ironworks facility, bound and dangling over a cauldron of molten iron. Wildchild toys with him, explaining that once his flesh burns off and the adamantium cools, there won't be anything recognizable left of his body.

"(Laughing) Anything you want me to write on the side, there? A, uh -- whatta ya call it -- epitaph?"
"Yeah. @#$% you, Wildchild."
"Hmm...I like it."

Wildchild continues to taunt Logan, saying that he can't believe "all of you [were] this easy." Logan has no idea what he's talking about, to which Wildchild responds, "you mean you haven't figured it out yet?"

*Vertically oriented splash page*
We see visions of Nuke, Daken, Sabretooth, Cyber, Omega Red, and Wildchild. Basically traversing through Wolverine Origins' plot thus far. Wolverine comes to realize that this was all part of Romulus' plan.

When Logan got his memories back at the end of House of M, he wasn't free from Romulus -- quite the contrary. We saw in the Original Sin crossover with X-Men Legacy that Professor Xavier erased Wolverine's memories upon joining the X-Men, thus ridding him of Romulus' mind implants. But now that Wolverine regained the memories of all the things he'd done, Romulus was able to put a plan in motion that would pit Wolverine against all his other would-be usurpers, with Wolverine being none the wiser. We discover this over flashback images of Wolverine fighting Nuke, decapitating Sabretooth, and double-crossing Cyber with Daken's help. Quod sum eris. I am what you will become.

"There's only room for ONE at the top of the food chain! And Romulus? He's getting too old for this. It's time to name a successor -- but first, they have to prove they're worthy. By killin' off all the others."

Wildchild finds Wolverine's naivete amusing. He thought Omega Red was the last to know, and when he found out, he wasn't even interested. Not until they dangled the Carbonadium Synthesizer in front of his face. He then asks, "what is this thing, anyway?"

There's a large explosion as Omega Red bursts through the wall. "It is mine."

Omega Red and Wildchild fight while Logan is slowly being lowered into the molten pit. While they're distracted, he thinks up a way out of his predicament -- but it's gonna hurt like hell. He flips himself over and positions his tied-up arms behind his back so that his shackles will be burned off....along with his wrists. With his arms free he is able to cut off the rest of his bondage and flip over the railing. Wildchild, realizing that Wolverine is about to escape, loses his concentration just long enough for Omega Red's carbonadium tentacle to skewer his throat.

"If you could, you would beg for your life now, yes? Be thankful I let you die with some honor." Omega Red tosses him into the fiery pit, killing him.

ST. PETERSBURG. 2 DAYS LATER.
Wolverine walks through an old warehouse with a crowbar in hand. He's looking for something. His internal monologue lets us in on his thought process:

"Romulus couldn't use me to hit his targets anymore. To clean up his messes. I was beyond his reach. When the memories came back, so did everything else. Everything I've done since then -- an' everything I'd planned to do -- has been exactly what he wants me to do. Including killing him. Before I left the states, I asked an old friend to use her connections to plant something for me. I didn't want Romulus to know I had it. I didn't wanna give him time to defend against it. But now, knowing what I know....I won't kill for you anymore, Romulus."

Logan is on the phone with Black Widow, thanking her for procuring "the package." He then asks her to get rid of it. It's too dangerous to be around anybody.

Enter Omega Red, right on queue.

Wolverine tells Omega Red that he doesn't want to fight him. Omega Red has the Carbonadium Synthesizer now -- it's a fight he knows he wouldn't win. What else could Omega Red possibly want?

He wants all of Romulus' influence. And power. He wants to kill him and take his place. Logan tells him to go for it -- he's done with Romulus' games. Omega Red reminds him, however, "are you so sure your son will feel the same way?"

Wolverine knows that Daken is going to great lengths to kill Romulus himself. He'd put everything on the line to stop Omega Red. "You've finally got the C-Synth. You've never been this powerful before, OR this dangerous. Maybe he'd take you down, maybe you'd take him down, but it's too close to call. But the fact of the matter is that I can't stomach it either way. I ain't gonna let you go after my son, Red, and that means takin' care o' you here. My way. Romulus' way."

Logan reveals "the package" -- the other half of the broken Muramasa Blade.

We see a montage of Wolverine and Omega Red fighting over the years. This is the part where I brace myself for some heartache.

"You think you can defeat me....with a broken sword? Go ahead! Try. What is it you Americans say? Ah, yes....GIVE ME YOUR BEST SHOT."
"We've known each other a long time, Red. When're you gonna remember that I'm Canadian?"

Wolverine launches the blade at Omega Red's heart, striking him down.

Omega Red asks what is happening to him. Logan explains that the blade has magical properties. It kills everything, and everyone. With Arkady's last breath, he asks, "even Romulus?" to which Wolverine replies, "yeah. Even him." Omega Red falls to the ground in a pool of his own blood. A gravelly voice can be heard saying, "we'll see about that." Wolverine turns around to discover...

Romulus.

To be continued...

THOUGHTS
There have been a lot of complaints over the years about the glacial pace of this series, and the confusing and sometimes hackneyed Romulus conspiracy. And, hell, I agree with a lot of the naysayers. But I feel that with the Dark Reign arc, and especially this arc, the third act of Dan Way's story is shaping up, and all the loose ends are coming together. Scot Eaton is a perfect fit for this book; he draws a badass Wolverine, a powerful Omega Red, and conveys all the characters' emotions well. If you're a fan of Wolverine, this book is starting to pay off.

It is with a heavy heart that I announce the death of my favorite villain, Omega Red. Arkady Rossovich R.I.P. At least he took that asshole Wildchild out with him.

Now for the part you're wondering about -- yes, it is a full page panel of Romulus, and we see him clearly. Some design choices are.....interesting....but overall I like his look. He has a very large stature/build, and looks to be about 7 feet tall. He's shirtless, with a hairy body and long, grey hair. He's also wearing gauntlets with (what appear to be) Japanese kanji on them. He has Sabretooth-like nails, and 4 adamantium claws (I guess 3 isn't kewl enough).

Anyway, I was not expecting Omega Red to die, nor was I expecting to see Romulus this early. This issue moved at a fast pace, which is saying a lot for Wolverine Origins. It works well as a penultimate issue. B+.

Sorry for the lengthy review, but I had to give my boy Omega Red a proper send-off.

~Arkady

worstblogever · 08-26-2009, 05:42 PM

He went out due to cockiness. He just let him do his worst. I mean, not even a tentacle-a-flailin'. That's kind of disappointing, really.

Hakael · 08-26-2009, 05:44 PM

B+?
are you grading on a curve?

Arkady Rossovich · 08-26-2009, 05:44 PM

I'm not thrilled about it, but at the same time, Omega Red has never been one to respect the power of his adversaries. He figures, I have the C-Synth, what can he do? He didn't know the Muramasa Sword existed.

Doesn't make it a great death, but it wasn't poor writing per se.

Arkady Rossovich · 08-26-2009, 05:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hakael

B+?
are you grading on a curve?

I guess this series has its own barometer for what qualifies as "good." But when you've stuck with it for 39 issues, trust me, this one is a breath of fresh air.

worstblogever · 08-26-2009, 05:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Arkady Rossovich

I guess this series has its own barometer for what qualifies as "good." But when you've stuck with it for 39 issues, trust me, this one is a breath of fresh air.

It was good in the sense they finally had the stones to put Romulus fully on-panel after jerking you along for the first 38. More of "FINALLY!" then "Good!" And while I like that Wild Child actually did more than just leer off to the side, I'm still not buying his "death" just yet. I'd qualify him for a classic Marvel "Believed Deceased".

Ratstar · 08-26-2009, 05:50 PM

spoiler
Has Way been asking Loeb for ideas?

Filthy Mutie · 08-26-2009, 05:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Arkady Rossovich

I'm not thrilled about it, but at the same time, Omega Red has never been one to respect the power of his adversaries. He figures, I have the C-Synth, what can he do? He didn't know the Muramasa Sword existed.

Doesn't make it a great death, but it wasn't poor writing per se.

I wish he could've went on a rampage at his new power level. That was an awesome X-Force issue that never happened.

Hakael · 08-26-2009, 05:52 PM

what? you don't like anime wolverine with a thumb claw?

Filthy Mutie · 08-26-2009, 05:52 PM

Thumb clawsLOL!

Arkady Rossovich · 08-26-2009, 05:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Filthy Mutie

I wish he could've went on a rampage at his new power level. That was an awesome X-Force issue that never happened.

Choi draws a kickass Omega Red, too. That would have been something to behold.

Filthy Mutie · 08-26-2009, 05:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Arkady Rossovich

Choi draws a kickass Omega Red, too. That would have been something to behold.

Too bad it's highly unlikely that there will be a Techno-Omegic Red for Necrosha.

4sake · 08-26-2009, 06:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ratstar

spoiler
Has Way been asking Loeb for ideas?

That pic makes me think he (Romulus) is a 616 version of this guy :

http://www.comicvine.com/john-howlett/29-4657/

Waterlily · 08-26-2009, 06:12 PM

I want Claudine to be the new Romulus.

The Cool Thatguy · 08-26-2009, 06:17 PM

The Romulus design is seven kinds of stupid and ugly, but what can ya expect from a Jeph Loeb creation?

08-26-2009, 05:40 PM	#1
Arkady Rossovich Ruthless Aggressor Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Aston, PA Posts: 114	Wolverine Origins #39 - Review, Spoilers, R.I.P. Wolverine Origins #39 "Romulus" - Part 3 of 4 Writer: Daniel Way Pencils: Scot Eaton Inks: Andrew Hennessy BACKSTORY For those of you who haven't been following this book, here's the set-up for this arc. With Daken joining Norman Osborn's Avengers and off furthering his own goals, there's nothing standing between Wolverine and discovering the truth behind his dark manipulator. Logan follows Romulus' personal bodyguard Victor Hudson to Russia, hoping to pick up on Romulus' trail. There, he discovers a seemingly abandoned prison deep in the Russian wilderness and believes it to be Romulus' base of operations. It's a trap. Due to the shakeup in the transition from S.H.I.E.L.D. to H.A.M.M.E.R. (and no doubt thanks to Romulus), some international prisoners fall through the cracks. Namely: Omega Red. Romulus arranges for Wolverine and Omega Red to battle to the death in the prison; to the winner goes the elusive Carbonadium Synthesizer. The pair fight each other for hours, but Logan knows it's a losing battle -- every second the clash continues, Omega Red's death spores drain the lifeforce of the innocent prisoners. Finally, a badly wounded Wolverine staggers out into the snow, having trapped Omega Red under a falling gate. However, he finds Romulus' right-hand man, Wildchild, waiting for him... HUGHESOVKA IRONWORKS #5. CENTRAL RUSSIA. Wolverine awakes to find himself in an ironworks facility, bound and dangling over a cauldron of molten iron. Wildchild toys with him, explaining that once his flesh burns off and the adamantium cools, there won't be anything recognizable left of his body. "(Laughing) Anything you want me to write on the side, there? A, uh -- whatta ya call it -- epitaph?" "Yeah. @#$% you, Wildchild." "Hmm...I like it." Wildchild continues to taunt Logan, saying that he can't believe "all of you [were] this easy." Logan has no idea what he's talking about, to which Wildchild responds, "you mean you haven't figured it out yet?" Vertically oriented splash page We see visions of Nuke, Daken, Sabretooth, Cyber, Omega Red, and Wildchild. Basically traversing through Wolverine Origins' plot thus far. Wolverine comes to realize that this was all part of Romulus' plan. When Logan got his memories back at the end of House of M, he wasn't free from Romulus -- quite the contrary. We saw in the Original Sin crossover with X-Men Legacy that Professor Xavier erased Wolverine's memories upon joining the X-Men, thus ridding him of Romulus' mind implants. But now that Wolverine regained the memories of all the things he'd done, Romulus was able to put a plan in motion that would pit Wolverine against all his other would-be usurpers, with Wolverine being none the wiser. We discover this over flashback images of Wolverine fighting Nuke, decapitating Sabretooth, and double-crossing Cyber with Daken's help. Quod sum eris. I am what you will become. "There's only room for ONE at the top of the food chain! And Romulus? He's getting too old for this. It's time to name a successor -- but first, they have to prove they're worthy. By killin' off all the others." Wildchild finds Wolverine's naivete amusing. He thought Omega Red was the last to know, and when he found out, he wasn't even interested. Not until they dangled the Carbonadium Synthesizer in front of his face. He then asks, "what is this thing, anyway?" There's a large explosion as Omega Red bursts through the wall. "It is mine." Omega Red and Wildchild fight while Logan is slowly being lowered into the molten pit. While they're distracted, he thinks up a way out of his predicament -- but it's gonna hurt like hell. He flips himself over and positions his tied-up arms behind his back so that his shackles will be burned off....along with his wrists. With his arms free he is able to cut off the rest of his bondage and flip over the railing. Wildchild, realizing that Wolverine is about to escape, loses his concentration just long enough for Omega Red's carbonadium tentacle to skewer his throat. "If you could, you would beg for your life now, yes? Be thankful I let you die with some honor." Omega Red tosses him into the fiery pit, killing him. ST. PETERSBURG. 2 DAYS LATER. Wolverine walks through an old warehouse with a crowbar in hand. He's looking for something. His internal monologue lets us in on his thought process: "Romulus couldn't use me to hit his targets anymore. To clean up his messes. I was beyond his reach. When the memories came back, so did everything else. Everything I've done since then -- an' everything I'd planned to do -- has been exactly what he wants me to do. Including killing him. Before I left the states, I asked an old friend to use her connections to plant something for me. I didn't want Romulus to know I had it. I didn't wanna give him time to defend against it. But now, knowing what I know....I won't kill for you anymore, Romulus." Logan is on the phone with Black Widow, thanking her for procuring "the package." He then asks her to get rid of it. It's too dangerous to be around anybody. Enter Omega Red, right on queue. Wolverine tells Omega Red that he doesn't want to fight him. Omega Red has the Carbonadium Synthesizer now -- it's a fight he knows he wouldn't win. What else could Omega Red possibly want? He wants all of Romulus' influence. And power. He wants to kill him and take his place. Logan tells him to go for it -- he's done with Romulus' games. Omega Red reminds him, however, "are you so sure your son will feel the same way?" Wolverine knows that Daken is going to great lengths to kill Romulus himself. He'd put everything on the line to stop Omega Red. "You've finally got the C-Synth. You've never been this powerful before, OR this dangerous. Maybe he'd take you down, maybe you'd take him down, but it's too close to call. But the fact of the matter is that I can't stomach it either way. I ain't gonna let you go after my son, Red, and that means takin' care o' you here. My way. Romulus' way." Logan reveals "the package" -- the other half of the broken Muramasa Blade. We see a montage of Wolverine and Omega Red fighting over the years. This is the part where I brace myself for some heartache. "You think you can defeat me....with a broken sword? Go ahead! Try. What is it you Americans say? Ah, yes....GIVE ME YOUR BEST SHOT." "We've known each other a long time, Red. When're you gonna remember that I'm Canadian?" Wolverine launches the blade at Omega Red's heart, striking him down. Omega Red asks what is happening to him. Logan explains that the blade has magical properties. It kills everything, and everyone. With Arkady's last breath, he asks, "even Romulus?" to which Wolverine replies, "yeah. Even him." Omega Red falls to the ground in a pool of his own blood. A gravelly voice can be heard saying, "we'll see about that." Wolverine turns around to discover... Romulus. To be continued... THOUGHTS There have been a lot of complaints over the years about the glacial pace of this series, and the confusing and sometimes hackneyed Romulus conspiracy. And, hell, I agree with a lot of the naysayers. But I feel that with the Dark Reign arc, and especially this arc, the third act of Dan Way's story is shaping up, and all the loose ends are coming together. Scot Eaton is a perfect fit for this book; he draws a badass Wolverine, a powerful Omega Red, and conveys all the characters' emotions well. If you're a fan of Wolverine, this book is starting to pay off. It is with a heavy heart that I announce the death of my favorite villain, Omega Red. Arkady Rossovich R.I.P. At least he took that asshole Wildchild out with him. Now for the part you're wondering about -- yes, it is a full page panel of Romulus, and we see him clearly. Some design choices are.....interesting....but overall I like his look. He has a very large stature/build, and looks to be about 7 feet tall. He's shirtless, with a hairy body and long, grey hair. He's also wearing gauntlets with (what appear to be) Japanese kanji on them. He has Sabretooth-like nails, and 4 adamantium claws (I guess 3 isn't kewl enough). Anyway, I was not expecting Omega Red to die, nor was I expecting to see Romulus this early. This issue moved at a fast pace, which is saying a lot for Wolverine Origins. It works well as a penultimate issue. B+. Sorry for the lengthy review, but I had to give my boy Omega Red a proper send-off. ~Arkady

08-26-2009, 05:42 PM	#2
worstblogever Magnificent Bastard Join Date: Aug 2007 Posts: 29,657	He went out due to cockiness. He just let him do his worst. I mean, not even a tentacle-a-flailin'. That's kind of disappointing, really. __________________ CBR's Cerebra:Marvel Mutant Tracker Updated every Tuesday. X-Poster of the Month: December 2007 --- the best there is at what i do ---

08-26-2009, 05:50 PM	#7
Ratstar Member Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: England Posts: 937	spoiler Has Way been asking Loeb for ideas? __________________ Reading: Legacy, New Mutants, X-Force, Ex Machina, DEMO Last buys: Young Liars v3: Rock Life Twitter PSN

08-26-2009, 05:52 PM	#9
Hakael Happily Drinking Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: New Hampshire Posts: 2,689	what? you don't like anime wolverine with a thumb claw? __________________ STAR LORDX-23HELLIONTASKMASTERDEADPOOL Mah Twittah

08-26-2009, 06:12 PM	#14
Waterlily Dark Waterlily Join Date: Jul 2007 Posts: 4,033	I want Claudine to be the new Romulus. __________________ X-Poster of the Month: May 2009 --- the best there is at what i do --- "Goddamn you." - darknessatnoon

08-26-2009, 05:44 PM	#3
Hakael Happily Drinking Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: New Hampshire Posts: 2,689	B+? are you grading on a curve? __________________ STAR LORDX-23HELLIONTASKMASTERDEADPOOL Mah Twittah

08-26-2009, 05:52 PM	#10
Filthy Mutie I get around. Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Boston, MA Posts: 2,817	Thumb clawsLOL!

08-26-2009, 06:17 PM	#15
The Cool Thatguy Veteran Member Join Date: Oct 2005 Posts: 5,529	The Romulus design is seven kinds of stupid and ugly, but what can ya expect from a Jeph Loeb creation?

Thread Tools
Show Printable Version Email this Page
Display Modes
Linear Mode Switch to Hybrid Mode Switch to Threaded Mode