UNCANNY X-MEN Annual #15 - August 1991

Kings of Pain Part 3 - Queens of Sacrifice

Credits:  Fabian Nicieza (writer), Tom Raney (penciler), Joe Rubenstein & Co. (inks), Brad Vancata (colors), Joe Rosen (letters)

Summary:  X-Force and the New Warriors arrive on Muir Island and are promptly attacked by its Shadow King-influenced inhabitants.  When Cable explains to Moira MacTaggart that Harness and Piecemeal are absorbing her son’s energy, she stops the fight.  The teams unite and travel to Edinburgh to stop Harness and Piecemeal.  During the battle, Harness’ armor is damaged, revealing Harness as a female.  The teams are even more shocked to discover Harness is Piecemeal’s mother.  Soon, Piecemeal absorbs so much energy he disappears in a fog; in his place is a shadowy figure claiming to be both Proteus and Piecemeal.  Suddenly, the energy explodes.

Continuity Notes:  

• Who exactly is supposed to be on Muir Island at this point is hard to keep track of.  Madrox and Siryn are now there, following the Fallen Angels miniseries, but characters last seen on the Island like Amanda Sefton, Sharon Friedlander, and Tom Corsi are gone.
• Shatterstar uses his energy-blasting powers yet again this issue.  Feral is also still in a developmental stage, as she’s deferential to Cable during battle.   The Feral we’ll see in the ongoing X-Force series is relentlessly nasty and would only grudgingly obey any orders.

Creative Differences:  Some added word balloons on page thirty-three clarify what Silhouette’s powers are.

Approved By The Comics Code Authority:  Both Namorita and Polaris have gratuitous thong shots this issue.

I Love the '90s:  Harness is totally going to surrender to the Edinburgh police…“NOT!”

Review:  So, how did this end up as the Uncanny X-Men annual?  Well, during the “Shattered Star” period that had the X-Men split across the globe, most of them suffering amnesia, the closest thing Marvel had to a united X-team was the collection of minor characters on Muir Island.  (Many of them not even mutants.)  I seem to recall the Muir Island team was actually listed as the X-Men on some piece of merchandising Marvel released circa 1990; Marvel couldn’t really point to another group of characters and call them the X-Men, so they had to make do.  

By the time of the 1991 annuals, however, there was a united X-team; a large lineup that famously posed together for the cover of Uncanny X-Men #275.  Figuring out how to cram that team into a story that’s taking place before the big crossover set on Muir Island was problematic, however.  Plus, it’s possible that work began on these annuals long before the specific lineup in the monthly title was nailed down (at one point, Guido used to make it into group shots of the X-Men on promo images).  So, working in one final appearance of the Muir Island team before “The Muir Island Saga” makes sense, plus it gives Nicieza an opportunity to use Moira MacTaggart in the story.  This might not be the X-Men that people actually wanted to see in an Uncanny X-Men annual, but I can understand the logic behind the decision.

Much of the story is spent recapping the previous installments, along with the original Proteus storyline from the late ‘70s in Uncanny X-Men.  The plot also has to address the fact that the Muir Island team is currently possessed by the Shadow King, which gets hand-waved fairly quickly after a pointless fight scene.  (And even Bob Harras’ footnotes seem to indicate he’s not entirely sure what’s supposed to be going on at Muir Island.)  Given the circumstances of the plot, this should be an opportunity for Nicieza to do some heavy, emotional work with Moira, but she spends the bulk of the issue merely barking out orders to the teams or spouting pseudo-scientific gibberish.  There are around two dozen characters in this story by now, and because they spend most of this story fighting one another, there really is no room for something thoughtful and quiet, like Nicieza’s previous portrayal of Moira in Classic X-Men #36.  That’s not to say the characters are entirely generic, though.  The idea that Piecemeal is being exploited because of his powers ties in with an early (and quickly ignored) theme of the X-Force series; that this team isn’t going to take mutant oppression lightly.  And Nicieza is still able to work in some fun interactions amongst the New Warriors cast, so it’s not a complete loss.  

Visually, Tom Raney’s art is all over the place, which is probably a combination of him being a new artist and being inked by an unknown number of unnamed inkers.  The best pages show Raney has a real talent for drawing multiple characters and complex designs.  I also remember being genuinely grossed out by his portrayal of the corpulent Piecemeal as a kid.  That stuff is disturbing.

The Killing Stroke Part Two - The Razor’s Edge

Credits:  Fabian Nicieza (writer), Jerry DeCaire (penciler), Joe Rubenstein (inker), Mike Thomas (colors), Joe Rosen (letters)

Summary:  The surviving members of Freedom Force flee with Dr. Kurtzmann.  When Blob and Pyro are cornered, they decide to kill Dr. Kurtzmann to prevent Desert Sword from taking him.  Meanwhile, Crimson Commando and Avalanche are severely injured by landmines outside the Kuwait International Airport.

I Love the ‘90s:  I would say most of the members of Desert Sword are too politically incorrect to appear today, at least not without a few indignant internet editorials.

Review:  The dismantling of Freedom Force continues, and this time the tiny page count actively works against the story.  Because everything feels rushed, Pyro’s decision to kill Dr. Kurtzmann and the possible death of more Freedom Force members just lack any real drama.  And once Desert Sword exits the shadows and makes a real appearance, it’s obvious that most of these guys are Marvel Comics Presents material at best.  Jerry DeCaire’s art is very attractive, though, reminding me of Kerry Gammill’s work from this era.  Despite its flaws, this is still more entertaining than most annual backups.

The Origin of the X-Men

Credits:  Len Kaminski (writer), Ernie Stiner (penciler), Don Hudson (inker), Kevin Tinsley (colors), Joe Rosen (letters)

Summary:  Major Domo presents the history of the X-Men to Mojo.  Mojo refuses to believe it, however, telling him to do more research.

Review:  It’s another history lesson back-up.  There’s little here for anyone who already knows the history, but the Mojo angle thankfully isn’t used as an excuse for a thousand Hollywood references this time.  Ernie Stiner’s art is reminiscent of early Mike Mignola, which helps to alleviate some of the boredom.

The Enemy Within

Credits:  Len Kaminski (writer), Kirk Jarvinen (penciler), Brad Vancata (inks/colors), Mike Heisler (letters)

Summary:  In a nightmare, Wolverine is stalked by his adamantium skeleton.

Approved By The Comics Code Authority:  Wolverine is nude throughout the story, covered by tastefully placed shadows.

Review:  I’ve always liked this back-up, mainly due to Kirk Jarvinen’s art.  He’s the first non-Jim Lee artist that I thought could draw a Jim Lee-style Wolverine right.  The visual of an animated adamantium skeleton forcibly merging with Wolverine also creeped me out as a kid.  The story’s too short to really work as a psychological piece, but Kaminski gets the basic idea across.  Not a bad way to close out the annual at all.

NEW WARRIORS Annual #1 - August 1991

Kings of Pain Part 1 - Errant Knights

Credits:  Fabian Nicieza (writer), Mark Bagley (penciler), Jeff Albrecht (inker), Tom Vincent (colors), Chris Eliopoulos (letters)

Summary:  X-Force and the New Warriors battle until Cable calls a truce.  Two executives at Genetech swear that the Alliance lied about working for them, leading Cable to break into Frenzy’s prison cell.  She reveals that their true employer is AIM, who used them as bodyguards for Harness and Piecemeal.  Soon, a team lead by Marvel Boy breaks into a warehouse owned by AIM, discovering inside “humanoid shell casings.”  In Japan, Harness and Piecemeal absorb more energy, as Piecemeal grows more bloated.  Meanwhile, Cannonball’s team travels to Xavier’s underground bunker to cross-reference Cerebro’s mutant database with the information given to them by Genetech.  When the teams reunite, Cable realizes that Harness and Piecemeal are trying to revive Proteus.

Continuity Notes:  

• Frenzy is being held in the Quebec Provincial Prison, which is a superhuman prison within the Marvel Universe that’s totally new to me.
• Cable recognizes New Warriors member Chord (Chord?!) from his mercenary days (“North Africa, ‘73” to be exact.)  Chord knows Cable as “Winters,” leading him to respond “The name's Cable...this year. ”  “Winters” could obviously be seen as a play on “Summers,” providing another early clue that Cable is Nathan Summers.
• Cannonball is able to use his blast shield to protect the entire X-Force team after Chord throws a grenade at them.  I don’t recall him being able to expand his shield in such a way on other occasions, even if the early issues of X-Force paid some lip service to his developing powers.
• Shatterstar uses his energy channeling/sword-blast powers twice this issue, which is probably more than he ever used them during the entire run of X-Force.
• The locks on the bunker under Xavier’s mansion have been changed.  Boom-Boom comments that “they” changed them, with “they” being X-Factor I assume since the X-Men are off in space until “The Muir Island Saga” begins.
• According to Cerebro’s records, Proteus died on 10/13/1987.  That means the late ‘70s Claremont/Byrne run on Uncanny X-Men happened four years ago Marvel Time at this point in continuity.  Four years seems a bit much, in my opinion.  Considering how slowly characters like Kitty Pryde aged during that period, I would place it closer to two years.

I Love the '90s:  Boom-Boom understands the scientific jargon spoken by the higher-ups at Genetech…NOT!

Review:  X-Force and the New Warriors fight, which I imagine was a huge deal for at least some portion of the audience.  New Warriors wasn’t a book I followed as a kid, so the fight doesn’t mean a lot to me, but I know both teams had pretty hardcore fanbases in the early ‘90s.  As far as superhero fights go, this isn’t so bad, as Nicieza is able to explain who each of the characters are fairly naturally and work in a few decent jokes.  Having Mark Bagley pencil the fight doesn’t hurt, either.  He clearly knows how to keep the New Warriors on-model, and I like his interpretation of X-Force.

Once the obligatory fight is over, that means it’s time for the story to really begin, and it’s certainly one worthy of Nicieza’s reputation for…intricate plotting.  The New Warriors are working security for their friends at Genetech.  Genetech was hired by Ophrah Industries to “create a DNA matrix for a cellular mix…etc. etc. etc. ...blah blah blah.”  A front organization for AIM hired the Alliance of Evil to guard two of its associates (or pawns, maybe?), as they leech energy from various locations, which is somehow what Genetech has also wanted to do.  (What does that have to do with DNA?)  The Alliance (perhaps) lied and pointed X-Force towards Genetech, who swear they don’t know the Alliance, but surely they’re also lying to the heroes, right?  The Genetech exec stuttered before he gave an answer, and we all know people only stutter in comics when they lie.  Later, the heroes discover that AIM is working on shells similar to SHIELD LMDs that can contain energy and be controlled like toy soldiers.  All of this leads to the revelation that new characters Harness and Piecemeal are absorbing Proteus’ energy from all across the globe.  In the background, a shadowy figure that’s obviously Gideon is playing chess with an even more shadowy figure, laughing about how these pawns are being used.

I can’t imagine the bulk of the audience at this time really wanted to keep track of so many plot points.  Most of the kids reading this probably just wanted X-Force and the New Warriors to start fighting each other again by the time they reached the end.  (And I can't imagine what a kid thought about the abused, horribly bloated Piecemeal.)  Older readers who might have the patience to try and follow all of the plot details were, I'd wager,  just annoyed by the attempt to revive Proteus.  Having Harness and Piecemeal traveling all across the globe absorbing his leftover energy is automatically going to upset any continuity purist who remembers that Proteus never traveled outside of Scotland, for starters.  In fairness, Nicieza establishes that the energy wavelength is strongest in Edinburgh, where Proteus died, implying that his energy signature was so strong it reached out across the world.  That’s comic book science plausible, sure.  But spreading the energy out is yet another wrinkle that’s been added to an already dense plot.  It also complicates the opening with the X-Terminators from the last chapter.  So those kid mutants just happened to be living in a boarding school where energy from a dead mutant killed years earlier has accumulated?  But what’s really grating is just the concept of reviving Proteus.  The original story is a classic, in part, because people left it alone after it was over.  Nicieza toyed with the idea of reviving Proteus earlier in a Classic X-Men back-up, but he didn’t actually go through with it.  Now, he’s teasing the readers again, but this time it looks like he’s serious, and that’s not a good thing.

Origins of the New Warriors

Credits:  Eric Fein (writer), Tom Morgan (breakdowns), Marie Severin and Jeff Albrecht (finishes), Kevin Tinsley, Suzanne Gaffney, and Ed Lazellari (colors), Rick Parker (letters)

Summary:  The origins of the New Warriors are recapped in various stories.

I Love the '90s:  Namorita compares her family drama to Dallas.

Review:  Every New Warrior has his or her origin recapped in a different story, which probably wasn’t a bad idea since some of these characters have origins from the most obscure corners of the Marvel Universe.  The stories do the most basic job of conveying the information, which is all I really expected them to do.  They might not be too exciting to read today, but as a kid who wanted to know more about Marvel history, these kinds of recap stories were greatly appreciated.

To Bounce or Not to Bounce

Credits:  Dan Slott (writer), John Calimee (penciler), Don Hudson (inks), Kevin Tinsley (colors), Rick Parker (letters)

Summary:  Chord gives Speedball a serum that will allow Genetech to study his kinetic field.  While he waits for an hour for it to kick in, he tries to patrol the city, but is continually rescued by heroes when attempting to activate his kinetic powers.  Later, he discovers that the serum could temporarily cancel his powers.

I Love the '90s:  Speedball worries that the green serum will turn him into a Ninja Turtle.  On the very next panel, he also gives us the second “NOT!” of the issue.

Review:  It’s a comedy story by Dan Slott, a Marvel staffer destined to go nowhere in the comics industry.  The joke is that Speedball is trying to activate his powers by doing dangerous stunts, such as jumping off a building, but is continually rescued by various Marvel heroes.  On the final page, we learn that he actually could’ve died at any time since his powers were cancelled during the previous hour.  It’s funny, but here’s the real highlight…

I swear to you, there’s a joke in this story about Speedball adding spikes to his costume!  It’s there on page 58, I promise.  How did this not get scanned and posted all over the internet in 2007?  Sure, no one probably cares now, but Dave's Long Box could've made gold out of this had it been discovered back in the previous decade.

NEW MUTANTS Annual #7 - August 1991

 

Kings of Pain Part 1 - Pawns of Senescence

Credits:  Fabian Nicieza (writer), Guang Yap (penciler), Dan Panosian (inker), Brad Vancata (colors), Joe Rosen (letters)

Summary:  The Alliance of Evil breaks into the private school harboring Artie, Leech, and Wiz Kid.  The Alliance is joined by the mysterious Harness and Piecemeal.  Under Harness’ orders, Piecemeal absorbs the residual energy in the area.  Later, as Wiz Kid recovers, he’s visited by X-Force.  They track the Alliance to Niagara Falls, but Harness and Piecemeal teleport away before they can be captured.  Cable forces Tower to reveal that the Alliance is working for the Genetech Research Facility.  X-Force invades the facility looking for answers.  Inside, they discover the New Warriors, ready for battle.  Meanwhile, two mystery figures play chess.

Continuity Notes:  

• Wiz Kid knows Boom-Boom from the X-Terminators miniseries.
• This story is set in-between New Mutants #100 and X-Force #1.  Technically, this is the first X-Force story, even if we are reading it as the final New Mutants annual.  For the record, the team never refers to itself as “X-Force” in this issue’s main story but that’s what they are called in future chapters, and in the text piece in the back.  In the main story, Boom-Boom says they’re the “New New Mutants.”
• Alliance member Timeshadow is missing during the story.  Cable remarks that he doesn’t know or care where he’s gone.
• Shatterstar tells Cable that channeling energy through his sword is a “tiring act” and advises him not to ask him to do it too often.  I believe this is the only time that’s been established, but it would help to explain why Shatterstar so rarely used his mutant power during these days.

I Love the '90s:  Boom-Boom compares Cable to Major Dad.  She later comments that the interior of Genetech is “more complicated than the insides of my VCR!”

Miscellaneous Note:  According to dictionary.com, “senescence” means aging, but it’s also a term for when a cell is “no longer capable of dividing but still alive and metabolically active.”

Review:  I can vaguely remember a time when “Kings of Pain” was considered kind of a joke amongst fans, but over the years I think it’s simply been forgotten.  I think all of the mini-crossovers of the early ‘90s Marvel annuals have faded from memory.  Theoretically, doing smaller crossovers in the annuals as opposed to the line-wide events should’ve allowed the creators more room to have fun while also giving fans the most basic thing they want in a crossover (heroes meeting and/or fighting each other).  Why exactly the three-year experiment yielded almost nothing memorable is kind of a mystery to me.  (Aside from “Days of Future Present,” have any of the mini-crossovers ever been reprinted?)

“Kings of Pain” begins with a lot of setup and a few mysteries.  Consequently, it isn’t that interesting in its own right, but as the first chapter of a crossover I think it establishes enough intrigue to justify reading the next chapter.  For fans of the oft-forgotten X-Terminators, or the Alliance of Evil, this must’ve been a nostalgia-fest, assuming anyone was nostalgic for 1987 in 1991.  The only real issue with the plot is the New Mutants’ casual arrival as soon as the Alliance hits Niagara Falls.  The story established just a few pages earlier that the team doesn’t know how to find the Alliance, and yet they suddenly do when it’s time for a fight scene.  Guang Yap’s previous work in New Mutants, a fill-in at the end of “X-Tinction Agenda,” committed the fatal sin of being dull, but in this issue he’s able to add some early ‘90s flair while maintaining the basics of silly things like anatomy and storytelling.  

Probably the most intriguing aspect of the issue is seeing how Nicieza handles the future X-Force cast without any input from Rob Liefeld.  Consequently, Cable is still a drill sergeant, but he’s not a Punisher clone, Shatterstar is taciturn but not inhuman, and Feral is…essentially a different character.  She first appears in the issue smiling, something I don’t think she ever did during a Rob Liefeld issue.  She’s playful and “catlike” as in tabby, not tiger.  The distinctive jagged word balloons given to her by Joe Rosen in her initial appearances are also gone, making me wonder if this comic actually went into production before New Mutants #99 and #100.

The Killing Stroke Part 1: The First Cut

Credits:  Fabian Nicieza (writer), Kirk Jarvinin (penciler), Joe Rubinstein (inker), Mike Thomas (colors), Joe Rosen (letters)

Summary:  In Kuwait, Freedom Force arrives to rescue nuclear physicist Reinhold Kurtzmann before the Iraqis can kidnap him.  The team discovers Kurtzmann is missing from his safehouse, and are soon attacked.  Super Sabre is killed and the remaining members are injured, with only the Blob left standing.  Suddenly, Desert Sword emerges with Dr. Kurtzmann.

Continuity Notes:  Mystique doesn’t appear in the story, as she’s believed dead at this point in continuity.

Creative Differences:  On page 41, it looks as if Pyro’s “Bloody ‘ell!” has been changed to “Bloody ‘eck!”

Approved By The Comics Code Authority:  Super Sabre is decapitated by Desert Sword, although his severed head is only shown in one faraway shot.

I Love the '90s:  The story is set during Iraq’s occupation of Kuwait in early 1991.  Desert Sword is also an obvious play on “Desert Storm.”

Review:  You can’t accuse this back-up serial of being filler.  The dissolution of Freedom Force, along with the death and mutilation of many of its members, actually has a larger impact on continuity than anything that happens in the main story.  Nicieza gets a lot out of the ten pages, working in almost a full issue’s worth of material without compressing too much of the story.  Desert Sword are destined to be forgotten at best, or joke characters at worse, but they make an impressive standing in their first appearance.  I’ve always liked Freedom Force, for reasons I probably couldn’t explain, so seeing them taken out like this actually did bother me as a young reader.  By the standards of back-up stories, this is pretty daring, especially when you consider just how rare superhero bloodbaths were in these days.  

Close Encounters of the Mutant Kind

Credits:  Judy Bogdanove (writer), Jon Bogdanove (penciler), Hilary Barta (inker), Mike Thomas (colors), Joe Rosen (letters)

Summary:  Artie and Leech ride with Wiz Kid in his custom-built UFO.  An elderly neighbor thinks they’re actually aliens and creates a media frenzy.  The mutants join the search for the aliens, not realizing that they’re the cause of the confusion.  Eventually, the mutants meet the neighbor and make peace.  Leech immediately bonds with her because she resembles his Morlock foster-mother, Annalee.

Continuity Notes:  Cyclops and Marvel Girl make a cameo at the beginning of the story, visiting the kids during their school play.

I Love the '90s: Wiz Kid wears British Knights sneakers.

Review:  Wow, X-Terminators fever must’ve been gripping Marvel this month, I guess.  (By the way, has the St. Simon’s school for mutants in New Hampshire established in these old stories ever shown up again?)  There isn’t a lot to say about this one; it’s sappy in all of the ways you expect, but that’s okay if you’re not utterly heartless.  The idea that the kids don’t even realize that they’ve caused the alien craze strains credibility a bit, but then again, it’s a story about small children, so they probably should be a bit oblivious.  Jon Bogdanove’s cartooning suits the story well, so at the very least it looks better than your average annual back-up. 

X-MEN Episode Sixty-One - June 11, 1995

Weapon X, Lies, and Videotape

Written by David McDermott & Steven Melching

Summary:  Wolverine receives a postcard that unleashes hidden memories of his past.  He travels to the abandoned Weapon X facility for answers.  The Beast insists on joining him.  Other test subjects of the project soon appear -- Sabretooth, Maverick, and Silver Fox.  Silver Fox reveals she sent the postcard in order to draw the four of them together so that their handprints could unlock a hidden room.  Inside the room is the robot Talos, which is programmed to kill all surviving Weapon X agents.  With Beast’s help, Talos is contained and the Weapon X facility self-destructs.  Wolverine tries to convince Silver Fox that their relationship was real, but she refuses to believe him.

Continuity Notes:  

• After years of cameos, Maverick finally makes his first real appearance on the show.  Silver Fox also makes her debut.  The flashback of Sabretooth attacking Silver Fox on Wolverine’s birthday is taken from Wolverine #10.
• One of Wolverine’s flashbacks to the Weapon X days is clearly inspired by the flashbacks in X-Men #5-7.  He’s seen fighting Omega Red again, although now he’s wearing his proper Team X uniform, as opposed to his X-Men uniform.
• The dates on Professor Thorton’s videos of the Weapon X agents are 10-17-73 and 11-3-73.  I believe Barry Windsor-Smith has said the Weapon X serial was intended to be set during the Vietnam era, which might’ve been why the producers chose those dates.

“Um, Actually…”:  One of Professor Thorton’s videos describes Wolverine and Sabretooth’s healing factors.  For some reason, this power is visualized by having Sabretooth morph into this furry early ‘90s costume!  Later, when he takes his glove off, we see his skin is the same beige color as his costume.  Amazingly, the animators  seem to think Sabretooth’s skin is brown and beige, even though in the same episode we see him out-of-costume in normal clothes, pasty skin visible.

Saban Quality:  Wolverine and Sabretooth’s lip synch is briefly switched during one scene.  Cyclops’ headgear is also mis-colored twice during his brief appearance in the episode’s opening.  I will say, however, that overall the animation continues to improve.  When the episode briefly flashes back to Season Two’s “Repo Man,” it’s obvious that the newer episodes are more polished.

Approved By Broadcast Standards:  Shiva from the comics has been renamed Talos, in an effort not to offend Hindus.  Also, Wolverine remarks that he was trained to “take people out” by the Weapon X project.  Sometimes the word “kill” is okay and other times it isn’t, I guess.  More censor notes can be found here: http://marvel.toonzone.net/xmen/backstage/melching/weaponx.php

Review:  I believe this was another episode that aired in prime time, indicating that FOX seemed to think pretty highly of it.  You might assume FOX withheld some episodes for prime time because the content wasn’t suitable for Saturday Morning, and the issues this episode adapts certainly have some adult themes, but this episode turns out to be fairly tame.  The title might be the only thing remotely objectionable about it, assuming you even get the reference.  

The hook of the story, obviously, is that you’re getting answers about Wolverine’s past.  If you’re only familiar with the cartoons this is exciting new information for you, and if you’ve read the comics you get the satisfaction of seeing more obscure characters and plot points adapted for the series.  If you’ve read any of Larry Hama’s Wolverine run from around issues #48-68, much of this will be very familiar to you, right down to Wolverine’s Lotus Seven and his keychain.  Unfortunately, Larry Hama was never asked to write for the show, which means much of the political intrigue and emotional weight from those old stories is gone.  

As a character study of Wolverine, this feels a bit empty.  The episode addresses his frustration with his memory gaps and touches upon his feelings for Silver Fox, but even with Cal Dodd’s consistently strong portrayal of the character, Wolverine rarely feels sympathetic during the story.  Heck, Wolverine was more interesting even in the previous episode, and that was largely a vehicle to introduce Nightcrawler.  Casting Beast as Wolverine’s companion is also a strange decision, given that the two barely have a history together.  I understand that he serves a plot function as the one who figures out much of the Weapon X facility’s technology, but his connection to Wolverine is so meager he just feels out-of-place for most of the episode.  I barely noticed any of this when the episode first aired, however.  It’s a story about Wolverine’s past, and that was still pretty exciting in 1995.  Knowing that virtually all of this episode was coming straight from the comics, as garbled as the translation might be at times, also helped to make this one of my favorites.  In retrospect, however, “Repo Man” would seem to be the superior Wolverine story from the show’s run.

Credit to http://marvel.toonzone.net/xmen/ for the screencaps.