While newer readers may be pointing fingers at "who's who" with all the different characters, I really can't recommend this book enough, despite anyone's familiarity with the X-Men. Plus, there's an index in the back of the book with everyone's names. Aaron and Bradshaw show us why Wolverine and the X-Men is the must-read X-book on the market. Read Full Review

And that's what makes this issue so enjoyable. It's conveyed in a fun, light-hearted tone despite the very serious overtones of the story. And as crazy as the concepts are, it does actually form a coherent plot. There's a lot of entertainment value for a comic that involves a school bent on creating evil mutants and it's not just because Mystique is in a sexy teacher's outfit. This issue is the first of the five-part “Hellfire Saga” and based on what it established, it's shaping up to be a hell of a saga so to speak. Read Full Review

The one downside for this particular issue is that the gag goes on just a little bit too long " there's a subplot with Wolverine and his faculty that helps give this issue a jolt, but ultimately the idea of supervillains as unqualified teachers is a joke that eventually feels a bit one-note. But one could easily argue that's the price you pay for decent setup " you know exactly what you're getting into in the Hellfire Academy, and it's nice to see Wolverine's students demonstrate what they've learned while deep inside enemy territory. If this issue is any indicator, the Hellfire Saga is going to achieve high marks for Wolverine and the X-Men. Read Full Review

Whilst the prelude issue wasn't fantastic, the Hellfire Saga is already hitting the high notes, and with four more issues to go, I'm sure that the only way is up. Bradshaw's artwork, and the culmination of Aaron's long-term storylines are going to work even more in tandem than before, and that means great quality comics for us readers. Read Full Review

Wolverine and the X-Men #31 was another strong issue that moves the war between the Jean Grey and Hellfire Academies forward. With this issue spotlighting the Hellfire Academy Jason Aaron develops the villains of this conflict by showing us how they are going about teaching their students. The cast of the Hellfire Academy had a lot of distinct personalities with Mystique, Sauron and Kid Omega being the standouts in this spotlight issue. At the same time Aaron is able to develop the X-Men's side of this conflict with Wolverine making a big decision while he and Rachel Grey look for their missing students. Read Full Review

Overall, Jason Aaron and Nick Bradshaw's work on "Wolverine and the X-Men" is the most energetic book in the X-Men line right now. It's funny, it's tragic, and it perfectly complements its high stakes and dire situations with a bittersweet light-hearted tone that keeps the title from falling into the typical X-Men pitfall of coming off too strongly. "Wolverine and the X-Men" is one of the funnest comics out right now and where it goes will be incredibly exciting. Read Full Review

Wolverine and the X-Men #31 is yet another reason why this series is a great addition to Marvels current X-Men books, a mixture of gravity and comedy that hearkens back to the Marvel heyday. Read Full Review

It was critical that this issue hook readers into wanting to continue reading the Hellfire Saga. This is the biggest storyline that this book has seen so far, and, in my opinion, Jason Aaron did a wonderful job making it something that readers will want more of. If you have been a fan of this series, you will love this issue. If you haven't been reading it, I encourage you to pick up this issue and start doing so because you are missing out on one of the most fun books on the shelf. Read Full Review

This is all fun to experience, but there's not the clear sense of danger you'd expect for Quentin even though he's essentially an undercover agent. The art by Nick Bradshaw is as wildly creative as Aaron's kooky world. The new Hellfire uniforms look like something out of a rejected military design book (in a good way), and the school grounds are never without a morbid surprise. There are a few instances where the character work gets a bit too loose, but that's a tiny complaint on an otherwise stellar looking issue. Read Full Review

With a familiar artifact from "Uncanny X-Men" situated in the cliffhanger that's been gone since the early '90s, Aaron provides not only a nice callback for long-time readers but also a storyline in which anything and everything can happen. After an all right prologue in the previous issue, this first official chapter of "The Hellfire Saga" has grabbed my attention quite nicely. Bring it on, Hellfire Club. Read Full Review

If this first issue tells us anything, it is that readers of this series are going to greatly enjoy the upcoming story-arc. And despite the fact that it has been a long time coming, frustration over the wait for this story will quickly melt away as you find yourself smirking at Quire's latest quip or somebody covered in snot. Read Full Review

If you've ever felt school was a pain, you've never experienced the new Hellfire Academy. We've seen a big focus on the craziness of the Jean Grey School for Higher Learning, run by Wolverine. In this issue, Jason Aaron shows us Wolverine's school is as safe a walk in the park compared to the Hellfire Academy. Nick Bradshaw's art and Laura Martin's colors are great to see, as usual, and helps to establish the look and feel of the school and the students. The Hellfire Club has been a problem for Wolverine since the beginning. With this arc focused on them, we're only going to be getting more of them. This was a fun look at a darker concept of a mutant school. Jason Aaron continues to make this X-Men title feel different from the others. You can never tell what's coming next and with the cliffhanger at the end, it appears it's only going to get crazier. Read Full Review

The art was a bit disappointing given how well it was for the prequel. Most of it felt consistent, but you notice those small inconsistencies like with Mystique's appearance and facial expressions. Read Full Review

I’m not entirely sure how I feel about the arc so far; I love the Hellfire Club, I love majority of the characters, but I’m not yet feeling incredibly moved by the plot, it’s light, which is what I normally enjoy from the series, but when dealing with the Hellfire Club I suppose I was expecting bigger dramatics. Maybe I’m asking too much to start with. Read Full Review

I talked about it at length in my synopsis, so I won't dwell on it here, but the issue really hangs on how much you love or hate the Hellfire Academy. It's basically Jason Aaron's silly sensibilities pushed to the extreme, and part of me loves it, but another part of me thinks he goes too far over the line of ridiculousness. Considering how serious all of the other characters are taking the Hellfire Academy, it's just a little too ridiculous. At the very least, artist Nick Bradshaw draws an amazing comic. The pages are just so colorful and full of life and detail, it's great. I also really like what Aaron might be setting up for Toad. The poor guy gets stuck as the janitor of the Hellfire Academy, and I'd hate to think that's where Aaron plans to leave him. I'm hoping Toad gets a big moment down the line, but we'll see. For now, I'm content to keep reading about Quentin Quire's adventures in Evil Hogwarts. Read Full Review

WOLVERINE AND THE X-MEN #31 is the worst Marvel comic I've read in some time, the sort of low quality that causes a reader to give up on a book entirely. Taking away Bradshaw's great artwork, there's nothing worth praising. I don't doubt Aaron's abilities as a writer, and I do hope he can get the series back to what made it so refreshing in the first place – it was a different kind of X-men book, sure, and that's always bound to turn many zealous fans away, but the anything-goes energy and zany childish humour was a welcome respite to a book that had been moody and pensive for so long. WATXM originally felt fun and whimsical, it reminded us that we used to all dream to be a mutant at the Xavier Institute, that it was possible to long to be an X-man again. But if it gives itself away entirely to it's unique sensibility, we walk away feeling exhausted and empty. Read Full Review