Logan #3 (of 3) – Review

Brian K. Vaughn (writer), Eduardo Risso (art), and Dean White (watercolors)

Logan has been an odd miniseries right from the start. The whole story, while extremely interesting in concept, has been a letdown for me and probably could have been told in one double-sized issue as opposed to being stretched out. I understand why it was done, but that doesn’t let anyone off the hook in this case. The conclusion here is satisfying enough, but the story as a whole feels unnecessary since Lt. Warren is little more than a bad mutant tainted by the war and Atsuko’s not much more than a window into Logan. Let me explain both the good and the bad now that the series has, thankfully, wrapped up.

First with the good: Brian K. Vaughn’s take on Wolverine has been solid enough to keep me reading, although hardly breaking new ground. Jason Aaron is doing a better job with the “Logan in pain” monologues in his fun “Get Mystique” arc and I mention this mostly because this final issue has a good amount of “Logan in pain” moments (with good reason, I have to add). Lt. Warren is a decent enough villain. The contrasts between he and Logan are the most interesting parts of the story early on. If the dialogue between Logan and Atsuko weren’t so wooden at times, I would even say a nice, if short, relationship was developed here also.

Another nice high point is the Dean White watercolors which give the whole book a surreal feeling that permeate through the entire story. They fit the story well and had Eduardo Risso’s art been stronger, I think we’d have a nice looking book on our hands.

The final thing I enjoyed was the sufficiently brutal resolution to the Warren and Logan conflict. It lifts the book as whole, if anything, because it plays off the healing powers of both men well. And the monologue given as the battle comes to a close is excellent as well. A few lines were powerful enough that they will probably stick with me as a prime example of how to write of death.

And now the bad: As I said before, the book as a whole feels somewhat unnecessary and, at times, phoned in. Eduardo Risso’s art also brings the book down, simply because it came across as either sloppy or thrown together. It seems like everything could be stronger if the surreal aspects of the story were integrated into the artwork more.

Overall, the Logan series is extremely underwhelming. It has it moments, but not enough of them. It has a great concept, but just doesn’t run with it enough to keep it interesting. Other than a couple of nice looking scenes and a few bits of memorable dialogue, I see myself quickly forgetting I ever read this story. (Grade C-)

-Kyle Posluszny

Logan #2 (of 3) – Review

By Brian K. Vaughan (writer), Eduardo Risso (art), Dean White (colors)

After last issue’s stunning revelation of Wolverine hanging around Hiroshima near the end of World War II, I was very excited to see what would become of him and his new found woman. In a way, this is like Titanic. You know what’s going to happen, but the journey to that fateful moment is what’s going to make or break this book. Unfortunately, the journey thus far has been anything but exciting.

In an odd twist of fate, it appears that Wolverine isn’t the only around these parts who has a healing factor. The man he helped escape from the Japanese prison has a similar mutant power. Having a chip on his shoulder from when they last parted ways, he comes after Wolverine with reckless abandon, wounding him enough to where we’re given a face off between the soldier and his Japanese woman.

Everything plays out very stereotypically. The woman’s well versed in the ways of the sword and it gave me flashes of Elektra (I think it was the poses used). I just don’t understand why she couldn’t be a Japanese peasant girl? Why did it have to be something so predictable and dare I say it, lame? Of course, like all of Wolverine’s loves, she dies, too. Wow, I didn’t see that coming.

Logan’s narrative about Hiroshima and the effect of the bombing feels incredibly forced. It’s like Brian K. Vaughan is trying to say, “Look, I’m smart. I researched what happened and now I’m sharing it with you.” Really, it comes off like a book report. Most people know about the shadows of people being burned into ground when the bomb went off. This story’s a lazy one, and the art isn’t very far behind. Eduardo Risso does a decent job conveying the story, but his action sequences are too over the top for my tastes. Nothing he did this issue failed to capture my attention like he did in the previous, except for his accurate rendition of the lone building left standing from ground zero. (Grade C-)

– J. Montes

Logan #1 – Review

By Brian K. Vaughan (writer), Eduardo Risso (art), Dean White (colors)

If it were anyone other than Brian K. Vaughan writing this book, I probably would have skipped it. Wolverine is just in too many comic books each month. When I saw this book solicited, I thought, “Do we really need another one of these?” In fact, I didn’t even order it. But there I was, at the comic store yesterday, and this book was yelling my name. Begrudgingly, I decided to give it a shot.

Vaughan puts Logan back in familiar territory: Japan. If you skim through the book, you might think this is just a call out to Frank Miller’s old mini-series from the 1980s. Don’t worry, it’s not. The story takes place during World War II where Logan and a U.S. solider are held captive in a P.O.W. camp. Teaming up, the two escape their jailers and make their way through the rural Japanese countryside. When they startle a local woman, the U.S. soldier moves in the for the kill.

Logan and the man nearly get into a scuffle over whether the woman should live or die. Eventually, the two men go their separate ways with Logan escorting the woman home safely. What begins from there is another typical, and somewhat forced Wolverine romance. And in typical Wolverine fashion, this romance is destined for disaster (I’m not going to tell you why).

While the plot devices may seem familiar and even tired, what makes this story work is its setting. I don’t mean just being in Japan, but the actual time it takes place during World War II. Vaughan’s a good writer, and boy does he know how to write cliffhangers. I trust him enough that this issue is all set up and we’re going to get to the heart of the story next issue. Eduardo Risso’s cover is awful. Seriously, I don’t like it. It’s one of the reasons why I didn’t order this comic in the first place. Thankfully, the interior art is completely different – his art along with Dean White’s watercolors are gorgeous. Plucking down $3.99 for this, my initial thought was, “This had better be good.” Thankfully, it actually is. Not sure if the higher paper quality and cardstock cover justifies the price, though. (Grade: B)

– J. Montes

A Second Opinion

I agree and disagree with Jason on this one. I wouldn’t have picked this up if it were written by anyone other than Vaughan. I haven’t read previous Wolverine stories in Japan, so maybe I’m lost somehow.

I don’t really want to see a romantic story in an action series, and probably this is why they released this comic as “Logan”, the man, not the hero or the mutant. I’ve also seen this story many times; Vaughan must be working hard on Lost and probably didn’t put much effort into it. By the end of the story this woman will perish by either Warren or from the fires of war. Boring. But I’m going to keep reading. You can’t have all hits. I guess. (Grade: D)

-Daniel Yanez