Hero/Villain of the Month

Hero of the Month

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WOLVERINE

Real Name: Logan

First Appearance: Incredible Hulk #181

Powers: Mutant-powered healing factor and three bone claws of mysterious origin.

Group Affiliation: X-Men

Why Hero of the Month? Well, gee, YOU be the one to tell him we made a mistake.

CHARACTER HISTORY

No, actually, Wolverine's stance as Hero of the Month is intentional. What for? Well, everyone's favorite cigar-smoking, Canadian "bub" is the only X-Man to stand up to Magneto following his deadly activities in the winter's "Magneto War" storyline, despite the clashing that it has caused between him and Professor Xavier, the X-men's mentor.

So I bet you're wondering why Wolverine's thirst for blood allowed him into our little "Hero of the Month" column. Well, when you're so dead set on doing right, that you can stand up to both the man that all but ripped your body to shreds, and the man that help to make you what you are, at the same time, you're definitely a Hero. Just when we were wondering if the self-proclaimed "conscious of the X-Men" had gone soft, he proved us wrong.

In addition to manhandling Magneto and Xavier, Wolverine showed the world how tough he is when he left Deadpool battered and bruised (Deadpool #27), when he stood up to Galactus (Wolverine #138) and continues to do so as he fights a 50-foot-tall Juggernaut alongside his teammates, and that's all just in the last few months.

Wolverine still has a lot to face, though. He has to come to terms with the fact that he couldn't save Prison World from Galactus' fiery hunger--causing a whole planet of aliens to be eaten. He has a wife that would make life as a widower very luxurious. And the deadliest of all, he has a 25th anniversary gala big enough to slap the Eater of Planets silly--complete with yet another "Will he get the adamantium back?" event and rematch with the Hulk, scheduled for Wolverine #145.

It is obvious to everyone else? Some soon-to-be 25 years after his initial debut and Wolverine is still the best there is at what he does. But don't my word. The staff as X-Rising has assembled a few recommendations to help you to see for yourself just how cool Logan is.

IMPORTANT ISSUES

Great issues with Wolverine include:

Uncanny X-Men #133: Wolverine takes on the Hellfire Club Inner Circle by his lonesome. Great read for all of you action-fanatics.

Uncanny X-Men #172-173: Wolverine gets ready for marriage. This one's a heartbreaker.

Uncanny X-Men #205: Wolverine: animal or man? This is a very defining issue. Good for every collection.

X-Men #25: Magneto rips out Wolverine's adamantium. Ewwww ... gory.

Wolverine #75: Wolverine deals with the loss of his adamantium, and makes a shocking move.

Wolverine #100: Genesis makes Wolverine either a man with adamantium, or an animal without it. If you're up on history, I'm sure you know how that one turned out. Still a good read.

Have a suggestion for next month's featured hero? Send us an e-mail by clicking here: [email protected]

May's Villain of the Month

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MAGNETO

Real Name: Erik Magnus Lehnsherr

First Appearance: X-Men (First Series) #1

Powers: Extensive control over Magnetism

Group Affiliation: Currently, none

Why Villain of the Month? Well, gee, YOU be the one to tell him we made a mistake. (Okay, I can't use that line every time I write this column, but I'm just starting out. Bare with me.)

CHARACTER HISTORY

But hey, what hasn't Magneto done to earn himself this spot as Villain of the Month? Not only has he been stalking humanity for decades, but he's taken the world hostage twice and has been rewarded for it his own country. Magneto was meant to dominate. He's so good at it that after revealing plans for his third big hostage scheme, he got his longtime foe, Charles Xavier, to protect him from Wolverine, another of his worse enemies. This is the type of Mastery that Dr. Doom and Mr. Sinister only dream of.

What makes Magneto such a magnificent villain is that he simply won't take "no" for an answer. Thirty years since his debut, and he continues to torture ... everyone. He goes away and he just comes back to torture everyone again. He even survived a mind-wiping at the hands of the world's greatest telepath, and revived powerful enough to drive his even more powerful clone into suicide. He's pounded so much fear into his enemies, that they have nightmares about him when he isn't around (Magneto War #1 for starters). Sometimes, he's just downright diabolical. Look at times like when he almost killed Kitty (UXM #150) or his battle with the X-men in Avalon (X-Men #25) where he decided his son "must be slain," and then proceed to rip the adamantium right out of Wolverine's body. A villain like this can never be stopped.

But the real killer about Magneto is definitely his lovability. You know. Those puppy dog eyes that he hits you with after he goes on another slaughtering spree. The ones that say "But Charles. Me and you shared milk and cookies every day of the war." "But Rogue. Don't you remember how I took you for dinosaur rides in the Savage Land?" "But Storm. Don't you remember the truce we called after I last tried to destroy you all?" Things like this ensure that Magneto will be around. Forever. Because just when you think he can't get any worse, he doesn't. He becomes just good enough to fool everyone around him, only to strike again.

ON THE WAY

So what does Magneto have up for him next? Well, right now, he's having trouble dealing with new toy, the nation of Genosha. With rebellious mutates, former allies, and the government all charging at him at once, you can expect Magneto to make his villainy even more sightly in the near future.

IMPORTANT ISSUES

Great issues with Magneto include:

Uncanny X-Men #s 111-114: The X-Men struggle to escape Magneto's fortress.

God Loves, Man Kills Graphic Novel: Magneto leads the X-Men against a threat to mutantkind.

Uncanny X-Men #150: Magneto almost kills Kitty Pryde.

Uncanny X-Men #161: A story of Magneto and Xavier's past.

Uncanny X-Men #275: Magneto bids farewell to his love, Rogue, as well as Xavier's dream.

X-Men #s 1-3: Magneto launches Asteroid X--a haven for mutants in search of peace.

X-Men #25: By far, the most brutal battle between Magneto and the X-men.

Have a suggestion for next month's featured villain? Send us an e-mail by clicking here: [email protected]

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This month's hero and villain selected and reviewed by Laney

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