REVIEW: Logan #1

Reviews

Writer: Brian K. Vaughan

Artist: Eduardo Risso

Colour Art: Dean White

Publisher: Marvel Comics

Woo hoo – another Wolverine story. This is going to have to be mighty good to impress me. At risk of great exaggeration, the seeming omnipresence of Wolverine in the Marvel Universe seems to fit into two camps (ok three – there are those that dislike the character and would be quite happy to stray clear of him altogether – but those people are surely insane) – one group just love the ol’ canucklehead so much that they just can’t get enough of him, so much so that they’d happily see him appear in every comic under the sun; and those that probably love him just as much, but get increasingly frustrated by the apparent dilution of the character as he is more and more frequently dispersed throughout the Marvel tapestry, as the mystery surrounding his long life is slowly but surely exposed.

The tone of that last paragraph probably gives my particular stance away. I am a huge Wolverine fan, so much so that I even named my son after him (Logan, not Wolverine by the way – no chance I could get away with that!); however, I am strongly against the proliferation of (616) appearances that currently stretch to 3 team books, 2 solo titles, and a range of guest appearances (although to be fair, in my younger years I did pretty much pick up any title with him on the cover). Surely one X-Men book, and one solo title, would be more than enough for any mutant? Thing is, the strength of this character is that he is a loner, and only works with selected others; yes, of course what makes that interesting is when he is forced into a team situation, but surely he’s not masochistic enough to continually do this to himself? I know this isn’t the real world, but it isn’t even on the verge of possibility that Logan can simultaneously be exploring his own past, tracking down Mystique, unearthing Skrull plots with the underground New Avengers, exploring Russia with Colossus & Nightcrawler, and hunting the Purifiers with X-Force (Oh, and I missed out the Breakworld, sorry Joss.)

Apologies, that may have been a rant. As a stand-alone mini-series, the only thing that really should matter is whether it is any good. So what I’m trying to tell myself is that I should just enjoy it for what it is, and try and forget the baggage that comes with a modern Wolverine tale. Have I convinced myself?

Well, the start is good, and the first couple of pages hit the tone just right – to some extent, setting a Wolverine story in Japan, such a seminal part of the character’s history, the place where he experienced both dramatic triumph and despairing sacrifice, should be fertile ground for any decent writer. What impresses most is that the creators manage to fully convey the anguish of the situation so succinctly, without curbing any of the emotional impact. For those that know the back story, this perfectly matches the source material, and for those that are coming into this fresh (if there is such a thing anymore) then the emotional context, if not the intimate detail, is clearly set…

…And then, without missing a beat, we’re into the action, as Wolverine seemingly finds his target – but is quickly taken down by some sort of creature on fire….

…And then, flashback to World War Two, though still in Japan, as Logan finds himself interned as a prisoner of war with a fellow soldier. From there, it’s a fairly standard escape story (yeah, sneaky goes out the window pretty fast), as the two team up and flee into the nearby forest, only for them to encounter a strange, almost ghost-like woman, who takes Logan in and does an excellent job of looking after him. And then the cliffhanger, as you realise that they are in the worst part of Japan to find yourself in in 1945.

Both creators do a fantastic job in portraying the clearly strained state of mind of Logan’s impromptu partner, Lieutenant Warren; the effects of fighting a bitter war and then his subsequent incarceration have understandably left him on edge, so much so that he attempts to murder the woman, thinking she was responsible for his capture, before Logan stops him. Of course, chances are, Warren’s probably right, but that is no doubt a story for another issue. There is so much to admire here in the work of both Vaughan and Risso; they work so well together that this has the feel of a real auteur piece, like Frank Miller or John Byrne. Equal parts high violence and picturesque romance, this is lovingly crafted, and all the characters ring perfectly true. The power in the artwork is not in what Logan does, but in the other characters’ reaction to it; often off-panel, impressively conveying the meaning of violence without having to show it graphically. Risso also has a lovely sense of perspective and knowledge of how to frame a scene, such as Logan opening his eyes when waking up in the PoW camp.

Somewhat disappointingly though, the overall narrative of the story in terms of progression doesn’t feel quite right, as there is no flash forward to return to the present and Wolverine’s current mission. We spend 5 seconds with him, exempt from any knowledge of his current mission, and then we spend the rest of the issue thrown back to 1940s Japan. As such, it’s very hard to say much in terms of this first issue’s substance – but stylistically, the quality of this work is top notch, atmospheric, moving and powerful; both Vaughan and Risso capture the essence of what makes such a great Wolverine story – they just need to tie it all together in a meaningful way, without sacrificing the quality of their current work.

So far though, this is a beautiful take on a historical Wolverine story – if you are going to put Logan here there and everywhere, then something like this is how it should be done, with creators really invested in crafting something that matters emotionally. Story-wise, I’m still none the wiser as to whether this is an adventure that really needs to be told, especially alongside Logan’s current workload. But Vaughan and Risso deserve the benefit of the doubt based on the quality of this so far.

RATING: 7.5/10