QUOTE: The funny thing is that it wasn't until Guggenheim's Civil War story where Wolverine recovered from being seared to the bone by Nitro that I thought Wolverine's healing factor became absurd. So unless that whole bit was editorially mandated (which I could see), to say that "I'm trying to make the best with what I was given" doesn't work for me. It's a bit disappointing, because I think he really gets Wolverine otherwise.

Well, there were previous indications, such as Wolverine's throat getting ripped out and his being torn in half (even though that was in another continuity) but I see what you're saying.  Guggenheim said he "always [took] it for granted that Wolverine can heal himself from pretty severe injuries" and says he was surprised at the criticism over Wolverine's being able to recover from Nitro's attack. 

He also cites X-MEN Annual 11, the story where Wolverine was "down to a single drop of blood,"  which seems to be misremembering the story.  He wasn't "down to a single drop of blood."  Rather, his heart was pulled out by the bad guy and a drop of Logan's blood fell on an enormously powerful crystal that the villain was guarding, enabling Wolverine to generate a new body (his old body was still lying a few feet away).

QUOTE: Sending a character who wavers between agnosticism and atheism to the afterlife doesn't work for me. (And yes, I recall that when he comes back to life he doesn't have any memory of being in the afterlife.) Neither does adding a mystical/spiritual element to Wolverine.

Can't disagree with that (it's kind of like the suggestion of Nightcrawler's half-demon origin).  I don't like the idea at all, really.  I guess I was just giving Guggenheim the benefit of the doubt.  BTW, (another ***spoiler warning***) the CSN article has a shot of a page with Dr. Strange and Wong looking at Logan's soul swirling around in some orange mist or something.

Also incidentally, Guggenheim said he welcomed Origin and thought the mystery aspect of Wolverine had become "played out."  That I, of course, completely disagree and offer no rationalization.

QUOTE: That's my rationalisation. If you know everything there is to know, why would you need to know more i.e. why would you need to read about him anymore?

Or the writer could just not focus on his past so much.  Or introduce little hints of his past every so often like Larry Hama did (though I can't say I was much of a fan of his work).

(Sidenote: how can they have a dozen X-teams and no Angel?)

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Because a rich, charismatic, good-looking winged man apparently isn't cool.

(I don't get it either.  He seems like a piece of cake to write: he's got an easy smile and a decent wit, he can friggin' FLY, and he's no dummy.  But he gets neglected while others get overused.)

(It's a sad comment on the state of comics, that something Roger Stern said years ago about one particular writer -- that he could not understand superheroes because he could not accept that anyone could be more noble than he was, ie not very -- has become representative of the bulk of the product.)

For instance, neither the Prof nor Dr. Cornelius initially knew Logan was a mutant.  Did they think a normal man would survive the procedure?

*******

I assume in Wolverine's time working for the Canadian goverment, he survived some very brutal injuries that would kill a normal man. Which is why he was chosen for the Weapon X program.

It occurs to me that the whole idea of having Wolverine get the snot kicked out of him - or killed - multiple times is fairly off base in the first place.  This is a guy who is comparable in skill level to guys like Captain America, Black Panther and Daredevil.  He has frequently been shown to be well-versed in various forms of combat just like those characters.  But we rarely ever had to worry about these guys getting severely injured or killed in combat.  Why should that be the case with Logan?  Isn't avoiding injury and death  one of the things he's supposed to be good at?  Yes, his healing factor (and heightened senses) are his mutant powers but not such that he could (or was willing to) die at will.  His powers never struck me as being the main draw.  To me, it was his unwillingness to take prisoners and his disdain for authority; also that his strength and fighting spirit were disproportionate to his size.

Wasn't Wolverine the ass-kicker at one time and not the chronically ass-kicked?

Who'd have thunk that Wolverine would have become Mr. Immortal?

But we rarely ever had to worry about these guys getting severely injured or killed in combat.  Why should that be the case with Logan?

******

Could it be the healing factor makes him flight sloppier?

Perhaps, but not to the extent that he would open himself up to be slaughtered like a pig.