Nightcrawler

After the emotional detour brought about by the “Death of Wolverine,” “Nightcrawler” #8 sets Kurt Wagner on the trail of the Crimson Pirates once more. Writer Chris Claremont chooses to forge a relationship between Nightcrawler and the Crimson Pirate, Bloody Bess. The relationship is a slender thread to construct a story around, but Claremont seems less concerned with girth and more concerned with forwarding connections and interactions. The caption boxes narrate only Nightcrawler’s thoughts, but the plethora of other characters permeating this issue borders on distraction. Yes, Claremont has made it quite clear that Nightcrawler is very much a part of the X-Men and relies on them for identity, but the title of the series is “Nightcrawler,” not “Nightcrawler and the X-Men” or “Nightcrawler Team-Up.” The latter has deep potential, especially considering the amount of guest stars Claremont and Nauck have included in eight issues so far. Nauck’s art is animated and lively, as readers

Although Wolverine’s long awaited death has yet to come to fruition in Marvel Universe continuity, the publisher has already rolled out a few tie-ins to this relatively small miniseries — and Marguerite Bennett, Chris Claremont and Todd Nauck’s “Nightcrawler” #7 is a doozy. Already feeling like the proverbial fish-out-of-water, Kurt spends the issue reflecting on his friendship with Logan, walking through their history with the help of the Jean Grey School’s Danger Room. With a lovely thematic overtone, Nightcrawler gives his closest friend a heartfelt send off rife with nostalgia and thoughtful artwork. As a tribute issue, “Nightcrawler” #7 spends a lot of time dwelling on the past; this gives the story a rather slow, careful pace, which — after two very fast, action-filled arcs — not only fits the somber tone but comes as a welcome respite for fans of the series and the character. Claremont reinforces this deliberate pacing through an effective use of repetition, particularly surr

“Nightcrawler” #4 begins as a fine culmination of the strengths from issues #1-3. The reveals finally make the stakes more interesting than the generic Trimega robots, the action is hectic and fun, and the main players all have something interesting to do — but then it unexpectedly wraps up all those threads with an apparent fridging that only feels partially earned. “Nightcrawler” #4 is one of those strange issues where the build is far more satisfying than the finale. The story opens with chaos all over, as Kurt and co. try to revive Storm and Beast, stop the Trimega robots, save the schoolchildren and close Margali’s portal to the other world all at once. Todd Nauck does great work with the bedlam of an X-Men action scene, especially for those set within the Jean Grey School. His forceful lines and busy backgrounds are also a great fit for Claremont’s script, which is all big gestures and dramatic head turns. What most surprised me, though, was how much I enjoyed Rachelle Rosenbe

“Nightcrawler” #3 is a book with two different parts, which makes it a frustrating issue. There’s a portion of the comic that is great, and another portion that falls completely flat. Chris Claremont and Todd Nauck’s attempts to make these halves work together, alas, feel anything but seamless. The part of “Nightcrawler” #3 that works well is Nightcrawler’s interactions with both the X-Men and his family of Margali Svardos and Amanda Sefton. Everything that’s fun and interesting about “Nightcrawler” can be traced to these portions. From the idea that Rachel’s been keeping tabs on her old teammate Kurt, to the end result of Margali being in the home of the X-Men, it’s fun. This is what Claremont excels in as a writer, working on the relations between the characters and driving the story based on their personality clashes. Compare that, then, to the sequences with Trimega. Claremont’s villains over the years have gotten less interesting, and Trimega is a perfect example. A robot? A tri

Chris Claremont and Todd Nauck send Kurt Wagner and Amanda Sefton back to Germany to find Nightcrawler’s boyhood home, Der Jahrmarkt in “Nightcrawler” #2. Naturally, such a return to Nightcrawler’s roots is sure to bring out some characters from his past, but it also includes a threat from his present. Chris Claremont handle on Nightcrawler seems effortless, giving fans a chance to share in the life of their favorite Fuzzy Blue Elf. The rest of “Nightcrawler” #2 is semi-obligatory, classic misunderstanding fisticuffs to serve as introductions to new characters, their abilities and their relationships to Nightcrawler. Members of Der Jahrmarkt, strongman Haus, stretching Gummi and eyebeam-shooting Feuer give Claremont a set of cyphers to showcase Nightcrawler’s powers and abilities while providing artist Todd Nauck with ample opportunity to draw circus characters in a non-circus setting. At C2E2 2014, Nauck referred to the collection of oddball characters as a “bargain basement Cirqu