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Wolverine: Saudade

Posted: Wed Jun 20, 2007 9:48 am
by Frederic Krier
Wolverine: Saudade

W: Jean-David Morvan A: Philippe Buchet

Appearances: Wolverine/“Logan“/James Howlett, Professor X/Charles Francis Xavier, Phoenix IV/Jean Grey Summers, Mexer, Kuhrradaizonest, Pedrao, a mermaid, several unidentified students of Xavier's school, various unidentified persons

Synopsis: Pg.1-6,p1: One day. Sunny weather. Three street kids, one of them identified as „Mexer“ are on the run from several armed goons. Meanwhile, Wolverine, who just arrived in Fortaleza, Brazil, is talking on the phone with Professor X, who informs him that he's picked a signal of mutant activity through Cerebro in the same town, and wants Wolverine, who intended to stay there on holiday, to check it. Wolverine interrupts the call as he spots the three street kids trying to steal his bike. Wolverine is however taken out by the mutant Mexer, with a mixture of telekinesis and psychosomatic powers. The three kids take off with the cars, their pursuers arrive to late, but help Wolverine to get up. After they call some help and depart, Wolverine slowly regains his senses and starts looking for the young mutant.
Pg.6, p2- Pg.7: „A little while later“. Sercipe hills. The miracle healer Kuhrradaizonest gets a shock because Mexer used his mutant powers again.
Pg.8-11: Later. Wolverine finds his motorbike in the nearby slums, but also the goons from previously who beat up the three street kids. He attacks the gangsters, and takes off on his bike with the three kids.
Pg.12-17: Later. Nighttime. Wolverine parties with the kids at the beach, and dances with a local woman, who gives him a necklace with a mermaid symbol, then mysteriously disappears. Taking the „bus“ to Pirambu, Wolverine talks to Mexer about his powers and invites him to join Xavier's school. He spends the night at the kids' hut in Pirambu.
Pg.18-26: The next day. Wolverine wakes up as Xavier calls him on his mobile/“X-Phone“. Apparently there is another, more powerful mutant nearby. Wolverine however decides to first take a swim. He is then rejoined by the kids, who went out to get some fruit. Just then, they are attacked by the gangsters from the previous day, who manage to take Wolverine out (though they need a lot of bullets to do it), shoot at least one of the kids, and kidnap the unconscious Mexer. They throw what they believe to be Wolverine's corpse into the sea. Wolverine is found underwater by some sort of mermaid, who recognizes the mermaid symbol on Wolverine's necklace, and revives him with a kiss.
Pg.27-28: Later. Kuhrradaizonest heals a young woman, then tells his bodyguard Pedrao to bring him the „rotten one“.
Pg.29, p1-7: Meanwhile. Wolverine finds himself lying on a beach, naked, but alive.
Pg.29, p8-11 – Pg.30, p1-6: Kuhrradaizonest confronts Mexer, who tries to flee, but is stopped by Pedrao. Kuhrradaizonest then proceeds to „heal“ the boy.
Pg.30, p7-11 – Pg.31, p1-5: Meanwhile. Wolverine calls Professor X by using a public phone, tells him about what happened, and asks Xavier if he can localize his X-Phone.
Pg.31, p6-10 – Pg.34: Later. Wolverine, who apparently bought some clothes in the meantime, is in the luxurious home of one of the gangsters, the one wearing an eye patch, who apparently keeps a collection of mobile phones from all of his victims. Wolverine confronts him, and „Eye Patch“ tells him about what happened to Mexer. Wolverine refrains from killing him, as the gangster's two small kids enter the room. He leaves.
Pg.35-41: Later. Nighttime. Wolverine attacks Kuhrradaizonest's mansion. After a fight, he takes out the healer, who has a powerful healing factor like Wolverine, by stabbing him through the heart. He doesn't withdraw the claws until Kuhrradaizonest is finally dead, despite the fact he told Wolverine about Mexer's fate.
Pg.42-43: One day. Possibly several days later. Rain. Wolverine finds Mexer, now virtually mindless, working in the gold mines of the Sierra Pelada.
Pg.44, p1-2: One day. Several days (or weeks) later. Back at Xavier's. Wolverine tells some of Xavier's students about Mexer, who is busy polishing the Blackbird.
Pg.44, p3: FB to just after Pg.43: Wolverine knocks out a watchman at Sierra Pelada.
Pg.44, p4: FB to a few days prior. Wolverine argues with Prof X about Mexer.
Pg.44, p5-8 – Pg. 46: The students leave Wolverine, who takes a walk outside. Autumn leaves. Wolverine meets Jean Grey. He tells her how Mexer reminded him of another kid he used to know in the mid-east „fifteen years ago“. He talks about his regrets, reminiscing about what could have been (Pg.46, p4-9 depict a „what if“ future with Mexer in an X-Men uniform, fighting Magneto, Sabretooth and Omega Red at Wolverine's side).

Comments: This is the second European exclusive Marvel graphic novel, after „Spider-Man in Venice“. It originally came out in France in April 2006. This follows the german edition that came out in January 2007. Both GNs, as well as an Italian Daredevil story will be collected in trade as „Marvel Europa“ by Panini UK, the successor of Marvel UK, in July.

This one is not that hard to place in continuity. On pages 44-46, Wolverine and Jean are both depicted in their Morrison-era uniforms. Professor X is depicted sitting in his wheelchair on page 31. So, my best guess is that this takes place just after New X-Men #126, around the same time as The Order #5-6 (Xavier's spine is cured, but he still is insecure, and continues using the wheelchair).

None of the students on pages 44-45 look familiar to me: Two normal-looking Africans or African-Americans (a boy with some sort of „round cut“ hairstyle, a taller girl with dreadlocks), one chubby caucasian with red hair (not sure if it's a boy or a girl), a blonde caucasian girl with the power to fly, a green-skinned guy with tentacle hair and four thumbs, a blue-skinned guy with three eyes, weirdly shaped glasses, and long blue spikes instead of hair. Any idea?

Suggestions for placement:

*KUHRRADAIZONEST

*W:SAUDADE

*MEXER

*W:SAUDADE

PHOENIX IV/JEAN GREY SUMMERS
...
X 126
XX 9
*W:SAUDADE
ORDER 5
UX 407

PROFESSOR X/CHARLES FRANCIS XAVIER

...
X 126
*W:SAUDADE
ORDER 5
ORDER 6
BHOOD 8

WOLVERINE/"LOGAN"/JAMES HOWLETT
...
X 126
* W:SAUDADE
ORDER 5
ORDER 6
BP3 41

Re: Wolverine:Saudade

Posted: Wed Jun 20, 2007 4:44 pm
by Somebody
Frederic Krier wrote:This one is not that hard to place in continuity. On pages 44-46, Wolverine and Jean are both depicted in their Morrison-era uniforms. Professor X is depicted sitting in his wheelchair on page 31. So, my best guess is that this takes place just after New X-Men #126, around the same time as The Order #5-6 (Xavier's spine is cured, but he still is insecure, and continues using the wheelchair).
Wouldn't it be easier to place it before Xavier's spine is "healed" (perhaps while it's CassaNova in Xavier's body)?

Posted: Wed Jun 20, 2007 5:50 pm
by Dhall
Frederic,
Do you know of any good source for a listing of original Panini content? Or any good sources for obtaining such books? I am particularly interested in a four issue limited series named Wild Angels they did which had some Marvel UK content, that had not been previously published.

Thanks! Dave

Posted: Wed Jun 20, 2007 6:07 pm
by JephYork
I'd rather go with the intent that it IS Prof. X -- which means that, if the school is up and running and Jean's alive, it'd have to be after X #126 and before X #146. And since we already had to invent a period of time where a healed Xavier uses his wheelchair, we might as well make use of it to place this story there.

-Jeph!

Reply

Posted: Wed Jun 20, 2007 7:27 pm
by Jason Doty
Where did this comic come from? Are there any other series with X-Men appearances? I'm a completest and this snuck by me.

Posted: Wed Jun 20, 2007 10:30 pm
by JephYork
It was published in France. Wait for the English translation, coming (to the UK, anyway) from Panini this summer.

-Jeph!

Posted: Thu Jun 21, 2007 3:57 am
by Frederic Krier
jephyork wrote:I'd rather go with the intent that it IS Prof. X -- which means that, if the school is up and running and Jean's alive, it'd have to be after X #126 and before X #146. And since we already had to invent a period of time where a healed Xavier uses his wheelchair, we might as well make use of it to place this story there.

-Jeph!
That's exactly how I figured out where it fits best.

Some info on the Panini graphic novels:http://www.paninionline.com/collectible ... idNews=228
So more X-Men stuff has been announced, but not published yet.
Former European exclusive projects include the Spider-Man in Venice GN that will also be reprinted in the "Marvel Europa" trade; Wild Angels, which was published as "Marvel Top 6" in Italy in 1996, and was originally supposed to be a mini-series from Marvel UK (no, I don't have that one, maybe it can be found through the Italian version of EBay).
Jean-Yves Mitton also did two Silver Surfer stories in France that continue fromSilver Surfer vol. I #18, that came out in "Nova", issues 25 and 26 in 1968. Those are presumably not canon ( I haven't read those either).

Wolverine: Saudade

Posted: Sat Sep 13, 2008 7:56 pm
by JephYork
Wolverine: Saudade is a reprint, and has already been analyzed.
Poorly. As I understand it, both from interviews and from the Much Better American Translation that came out recently, the bulk of the book occurs years ago -- only the end part occurs in the Morrison run. As you can see, the "kid" that Wolvie tried (and failed) to rescue is now an adult.

-Jeph!

Re: July call for analyses

Posted: Mon Sep 15, 2008 2:07 pm
by Frederic Krier
jephyork wrote:Poorly. As I understand it, both from interviews and from the Much Better American Translation that came out recently, the bulk of the book occurs years ago -- only the end part occurs in the Morrison run. As you can see, the "kid" that Wolvie tried (and failed) to rescue is now an adult.

-Jeph!
It doesn't appear that obvious to me from the german translation; presumably the stubble on the kid's chin is meant to tell us that several years have passed? Hmm, perhaps I thought that some stubble wasn't too unusual for a teenager. Maybe they should have drawn him with a fully grown beard.
Anyway, since it looks like I've misread the thing, it would be preferable to have a new analysis of the US version (which I didn't pick up).

Re: July call for analyses

Posted: Tue Sep 16, 2008 12:44 am
by JephYork
I'm having trouble locating my Much Better American Translation, but the UK (Panini) edition has Wolverine say, on the last page, that he learned the meaning of "Saudade" during his adventure in Brazil, *fifteen years ago*.

Plus, yes, the kid goes from teenager to adult. It's not just more stubble -- his entire face is drawn differently. Wider chin, etc.

-Jeph!

Re: July call for analyses

Posted: Tue Sep 16, 2008 7:09 am
by Paul Bourcier
"Fifteen years," eh? So we're supposed to believe that Logan's been an X-Man for at least fifteen years at this point? That's too long, even on my calendar, nevermind Marvel's ever-compressing timeline. :roll:

Anyway, I'm removing most of SAUDADE from the current calendar. Thanks for the added info!

Re: July call for analyses

Posted: Tue Sep 16, 2008 1:12 pm
by JephYork
I think you're supposed to believe that the Brazilian creative team, unaffiliated with Marvel, has no idea about "Marvel time". Just relax and let the reference wash over you like a cool summer rain...

-Jeph!

Re: July call for analyses

Posted: Wed Sep 17, 2008 6:43 am
by Paul Bourcier
Jeph wrote:
Just relax and let the reference wash over you like a cool summer rain...
Breathing deeply... Thanks, Jeph.

Anyone care to place SAUDADE in Logan's chronology? Perhaps sometime aroumd the books that were published fifteen years before SAUDADE was?

Re: July call for analyses

Posted: Wed Sep 17, 2008 1:18 pm
by JephYork
Prof. X is around -- and he's in a regular wheelchair, not his hoverchair. It's one with funky doodads and hand controls, though, and they're using fun tech like "X-phones". I'd place this somewhere between Uncanny #280 and X-Men #1.

-Jeph!

Re: July call for analyses

Posted: Thu Sep 18, 2008 7:18 am
by Paul Bourcier
Thanks, Jeph.