X-amining Wolverine #106

"Openings and Closures"

October 1996

In a Nutshell

Wolverine and Elektra visit Silver Fox's grave and Elektra's childhood home.

Script: Larry Hama
Pencils: Val Semeiks
Inks: Chad Hunt & Al Milgrom
Letters: Richard Starkings & Comicraft's Kolja Fuchs 
Colors: Derek Bellman & Malibu's Hues
Editor: Bob Harras

Plot
Traveling through the Canadian Rockies, Wolverine & Elektra are surrounded by wolves, but Wolverine wins them to their side by sharing their food stores. Later, the pair arrives at the cabin Wolverine once shared with Silver Fox, and visits her grave. Later, Wolverine accompanies Elektra home to Greece. There, he meets Stavros, who recalls having served with a Canadian corporal during World War II. Stavros and the rest of the staff tell Elektra they have located Sawyer, the last of the men involved in the murder of her father, but Elektra insists it is time to move past vengeance. That evening, Stavros and his associates free the captive Sawyer in response to Elektra's wishes. As he rushes away to alert the police, a waiting Wolverine confronts him and scares him into staying quiet. Wolverine then covers for Stavros with Elektra, having been the Canadian corporal who fought with Stavros during the war. 

X-amining Wolverine #105

"Faces in the Fire"

September 1996

In a Nutshell

Wolverine helps save people from a burning building. 

Script: Larry Hama
Pencils: Val Semeiks 
Inks: Chad Hunt with V. Russell and H. Candelario  
Letters: Richard Starkings & Comicraft 
Colors: Chris Lichter and Joe Andreani 

Enhancements: Malibu
Editor: Bob Harras

Plot
Leaving Onslaught to the heavy hitters, Wolverine helps a group of fire fighters evacuate a burning building. Learning a boy named Sean is still inside, Wolverine has himself doused in water, then goes back into the building. He finds Sean, but their exit route is blocked. Just then, a mysterious old man appears, able to see through the smoke, and helps lead them out. Handing Sean to his mother, Wolverine goes back into the building to find the old man. He refuses to leave, however, and leads Wolverine to the roof, where he knocks Wolverine down with his cane. Wolverine realizes he is Stick, Elektra's ghostly mentor. Wolverine assumes Stick's there to help him regain his humanity, but Stick tells him only Wolverine can do that. He does, however, lead Wolverine away from the burning building, at which point Human Torch appears, telling him all the heroes are regrouping at Four Freedoms Plaza to plan their final assault against Onslaught. 

X-amining Wolverine #104

"The Emperor of the Realm of Grief"

August 1996

In a Nutshell

Wolverine & Elektra learn the truth behind Onslaught's origins

Script: Larry Hama
Pencils: Val Semeiks
Inks: Chad Hunt
Letters: Richard Starkings & Comicraft 
Colors: Joe Rosas
Enhancements: Malibu
Editor-in-Chief: Bob Harras

Plot
Wolverine travels to the Massachusetts Academy in search of Gateway. Climbing the roof, he asks Gateway if he knows any info about Onslaught which the X-Men would find useful. Gateway responds by sending Wolverine back to witness the time he was forced to kill Mariko. Back in the present, Elektra arrives, having tracked Wolverine, intent on honoring the wishes of her mentor, Stick, to bring him back to humanity. Upon hearing Stick's name, Gateway proceeds to show Elektra images of her death & resurrection. They realize he is showing them the worst moments of their lives, presumably to prepare them for what he knows of Onslaught. He then transports their astral selves to Avalon, at the moment after Wolverine had his adamantium ripped out by Magneto, when Professor X wiped Magneto's mind. They observe in slow motion as, during the act, Magneto's dark ego implants a seed in Xavier's consciousness, a seed which led to the creation of Onslaught. Returning to the present, Wolverine laments that Onslaught's existence is his own fault, as his vulnerabilities in turn led Xavier to leave himself vulnerable to Magneto's infection. 

X-amining Wolverine #103

"Top of the World, Ma!"

July 1996

In a Nutshell

Elektra begins training Wolverine in the hopes of restoring his humanity

Script: Larry Hama
Pencils: Val Semeiks
Inks: Chad Hunt
Letters: Richard Starkings & Comicraft
Colors: Joe Rosas & Malibu's Hues
Editor: Bob Harras

Plot
Wolverine climbs to the top of the World Trade Center, the first task set to him by his new sensei, Elektra, who is working to restore his humanity. Inside, she sets up a dojo inside an abandoned restaurant, hanging a scroll on the wall which seems familiar to Wolverine. She proceeds to train with him relentlessly, believing that if he regains his reasoning skills & mental conditioning, the rest of his humanity will follow. Later, Wolverine is meditating calmly, but Elektra still likens him to an unsheathed sword. She proceeds to lock him inside a refrigerator as a test. Inside, he realizes he saw the scroll Elektra hung in their makeshift dojo inside Ogun's dojo years ago, and summons the wherewithal to escape. He grabs the unsheathed sword Elektra left behind and tracks her to a nearby rooftop, where they spar. Elektra seems to win, but his defeat is jut a ruse for Wolverine to get close enough to sheath the sword in the scabbard Elektra is carrying, thereby completing the test. 

X-amining Wolverine #101

"The Helix of an Age Foretold"

May 1996

In a Nutshell

Wolverine saves Cyclops & helps the X-Men defeat Ozymandias

Script: Larry Hama
Pencils: Val Semeiks
Inks: Chad Hunt
Letters: Richard Starkings & Comicraft
Colors: Joe Rosas

Separations: Malibu's Hues
Editor: Bob Harras

Plot

With the rest of the X-Men occupied fighting Ozymandias' stone avatars, the now-feral Wolverine dives into the chasm surrounding Ozymandias' historical helix after Cyclops. On his way down, Cyclops hits his head against the wall, but Wolverine is able to catch up to him and dig his claws into the rock, stopping their descent. Above, Jean briefly senses that someone is watching them during the fight; it is Elektra, who covertly intervenes to destroy two statues threatening Wolverine & Cyclops as they reach the top of the chasm. As the X-Men gain the upper hand against the avatars, Ozymandias senses that his defeat is imminent, and destroys the helix so as not to give up its secrets, before turning to dust himself. As the X-Men escape the collapsing temple, Wolverine briefly senses Elektra watching him from the shadows. 

X-amining Wolverine #99

"Of Mythic Metal Forged"
March 1996

In a Nutshell
Wolverine is captured by the Dark Riders, who intended to rebond his bones with adamantium!

Script: Larry Hama
Guest Penciler: Val Semeiks
Guest Inkers: Dan Green, Dan Panosian, Chad Hunt
Letters: Richard Starkings & Comicraft
Colors: Joe Rosas
Separations: Malibu's Hues
Editor: Bob Harras

Plot
Wolverine & Zoe Culloden emerge from the Madripoor warp chamber in Akkaba, birthplace of Apocalypse. Spotting Chimera's trail, she tells Wolverine she'll meet him at Apocalypse's former citadel, then departs. Just then, the young mutant Jamil appears, offering to guide Wolverine to the citadel. Meanwhile, in Madripoor, Cannonball, on the trail of Wolverine, is accosted by a group of thugs amidst the wreckage of the Princess Bar, but they are chased off by Tyger Tiger. In Egypt, the citadel emerges from the sand as Wolverine & Jamil draw closer, and Wolverine, sensing Jamil is leading him into a trap, breaks off, entering the place his own way. Back in Madripoor, Tyger Tiger brings Cannonball to the Landau, Luckman & Lake warp chamber door, and sends him through to Egypt. In the citadel, Wolverine observes the Dark Riders herding prisoners into the citadel, as Cannonball takes off, following Wolverine & Jamil's footsteps towards the citadel. Inside, Wolverine is spotted by Dirt Nap, who brings him before Genesis. After Wolverine is captured, Genesis reveals he intends to brainwash him into serving as the captain of the Dark Riders, once they've completed bonding the adamantium taken from the deceased Cyber to Wolverine's bones!