Sometimes I wonder whether Marvel know the meaning of the word "overkill."  We've got a new X-book this week, and it's Wolverine: First Class.  Because heaven knows, the world was crying out for a third monthly Wolverine title.  After all, the two we've got are practically overflowing with quality.

This is a sister title to X-Men: First Class, which is to say that it's set in past continuity, clearly aimed at a slightly younger audience (and readers with more retro tastes), and generally goes for simpler, more straightforward and more direct stories.  Presumably, it's intended as a gateway title for new superhero readers.

X-Men: First Class may not be the best title in the world, but at least it's a pun that makes sense.  They're a class, and they're the first one.  Wolverine: First Class makes no sense at all.  What we actually get here is a Kitty Pryde & Wolverine series, with Kitty as the lead character, set shortly after she joined the X-Men.  Nitpickers might observe that she and Wolverine didn't really become a duo until later on, but we'll let that slide.  Quite how this concept translates to the title Wolverine: First Class, I have no idea, unless First Class is about to succumb to the same inane overuse as New and Young.

While X-Men: First Class takes a very relaxed approach to the source material, this book seems to be a lot more faithful to the tone of the original.  Of course, it has the advantage of working with stories from the 1980s rather than the 1960s.  The style hasn't dated nearly as badly, and besides, this period is arguably Chris Claremont's creative peak.

So we have Kitty as the newbie superhero, providing the point of view, and attempting to bond with a surly Wolverine who really can't be bothered with her.  Naturally, the aim of the first issue is to send them on a mission and get them to team up.  Writer Fred Van Lente makes the smart decision of packing the duo off to suburbia, where Kitty is much more at home.  And, of course, Kitty gets to have the big idea that solves the case (while Wolverine still does all the conventional hero stuff).

In other words, it's nothing you wouldn't have expected.  But Van Lente and artist Andrea Di Vito capture the characters' voices from the period, and it does feel like an affectionate tribute to some rather good comics, as opposed to just a gratuitous line expansion.  Kitty in particular was a much more strongly defined character in those days; some of her best stories come from her novice period.  Of course, there was no way of keeping her in that role indefinitely - you can't play a character as a novice when she's been around for over 25 years - but this series does work as a reminder of her initial appeal.

We don't need three Wolverine titles a month, and nothing here convinces me that we do.  But it's better than Wolverine: Origins, and better than a fair number of stories from the regular Wolverine series.  Fans of the early 1980s will enjoy it a lot, and it's a well-crafted story which should appeal to younger readers too.

Rating: B+

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