Tales From The Longbox

Wolverine-This title started a bit rough for me,but Jason Aaron has righted the course and is doing his usual good stuff.In the first arc,Logan's soul was sent to Hell by a mysterious group called the Red Right Hand.As he was trapped in Hell,a demon was in control of his body,wreaking havoc on Earth.The first bit in Hell dragged on a few issues too long,but the pace tightened up as the X Men had to figure out how to stop their friend,without having to kill him.At the point the book is at now,Wolvie is back and of course looking for revenge,the latest issue was a back story on exactly who the Red Right Hand is,and after reading it's no surprise that it's a band of people wronged by Wolverine during his long life.Aaron has done good work with the character in the past  and I look forward to this storyline continuing.

G.I. Joe #26,27-Old school alert!I have been digging old books out of my parent's basement and found this two parter,the origin of Snake Eyes.I reread them and found the retelling of the origin from his days in Vietnam to the accident that took his face and voice quite good.All of this aspect of the story is told in flashback as Duke,Stalker and Scarlett recall to each other.The framing portion of the story,set in the present feels a bit goofy,as several Joes are spying on Destro,Cobra Commander and Baroness in a swamp.Much of the action revolves around the Joe's dog,Junkyard leading these tactical masterminds into a quicksand pit,and the Cobra's inability to do anything right.That being said,there is some good depth and background given to Snake,fleshing out a character mostly known for being a badass mute ninja.

Savage Dragon-Here is a title I collected for a brief run,and really am not sure why I stopped.I had heard Erik Larsen had made some more big changes in the status quo of this book(namely the title character died and has been replaced by his son)and figured it was a good jumping point to get back on.I also read the origin issue,which came out a few years ago and explained that the Dragon was actually a alien Emperor,looking for a new home for his people.His idea-take Earth at force,but his nearest advisors had a different plan,and turned on him,wiping his mind and stranding him on Earth.The character of Malcolm,the 16 year old son has transitioned well into the focus,as he deals with his Dad's death,and the ramifications of his father's recent actions(reverting to his old Emperor self and trying to take Earth).Erik Larsen continues to write and draw every issue,nearing 175,which in any matter is impressive.I look forward to going back and filling in the gaps in trade of what I've missed.