WOLVERINE: LOGAN [NEW PRINTING]

Collecting: Logan 1-3 (miniseries)Bonus Material: Scripts & sketch gallerySynopsis:Wolverine and an American with similar healing powers are POWs in World War II Japan. They escape and run into a beautiful Japanese girl. The American wants to kill her, but Wolverine stops him and so begins a grudge that the GI would hold against Wolverine for the next 60 years. Their feud might have ended in 1945, except it was interrupted by the atomic blast at Hiroshima which happens to fall practically on top of the fighting mutants. The graphic novel sets up the double entendre that Wolverine becomes a man both through the passionate night with Atsuko and through the nuclear flames of war.Pros & Cons:The dichotomy drawn between Wolverine and the truly feral US GI works well because in this contrast we are shown the merciful and rational side of wolverine (who is famous for his rage). Moreover we are given an original Wolverine story with a powerful choice to be made at the end. Vaughn and Risso also leave Wolverine's decision about whether to keep the memory and the pain or to forget artfully ambiguous.For a book with such a nuanced Wolverine, I was a bit disappointed by the "bad guy." The nemesis is a totally warped, racist, gung ho American GI (who also has a healing factor). While I get it that the Japanese tortured and experimented on him and thus makes him crazy, the GI character never gets beyond a two dimensional comic book villain. I can't say exactly how the villain could have been done better, but against a wonderfully complex Wolverine it seems as though the story would have worked just as well if not better without the enemy GI.Summary:I believe this is one of the better Wolverine history episodes ever written. There are plenty of pre-x-men wolverine tales, but few of them render a whole person. Even a reader new to Wolverine mythology will find much to enjoy.

As a long-time Wolverine fan, I found this one to be pretty good with a few flaws.I felt a little disappointed that the cover doesn't really give a true picture of the vibe of the book. Yes, there is an old saying about book covers, but in the world of comics, for me at least, the cover art is an important component, and from this absolutely killer image by Eduardo Risso and Dean White, I envisioned a story with a little more of an "Apocalypse Now" or "Deer Hunter" feel (although I knew it was about Japan and not Viet Nam). There is a backup Wolverine story in another book, "Enemy of the State," that has more of that aspect, but that one takes place in a Nazi concentration camp. Anyway, this story trades in the POW story line for more of a romance tale, and it's not much of a SPOILER, if you know about Wolverine, but the romance is doomed to tragedy.In addition to the Japanese army, we have some other complications that are pretty interesting. One is an American soldier who sincerely believes in duty and patriotism, but takes it to the point that he forgets how to be merciful. He is an interesting foil because Logan gets to play the peacemaker role for a while (When you have Wolverine telling you to take it easy, you know you've gone a little too far.), but also because this soldier is a mutant with a healing power similar to Logan's. I found this a little far-fetched, but author Brian Vaughan does throw in a little "That must be why their eggheads locked us away together," although again, this is a Japanese prison camp and not a Weapon X facility, so it still seems like a bit of a stretch, but that's OK. It's kind of literature, but it's still comics, so I can suspend disbelief.The other complication in the story has to do with the setting. This is not just any old run-of-the-mill Japanese prison camp at any old time during WWII. This is Hiroshima, and Logan will experience an extremely important historical event there. By the way, I am writing this review on August 4, which just happens to be about the time of year that the story takes place, give or take a few days. If these references don't give you enough of a clue, check your history books. Anyway, this historical event will push the healing factors of both mutants to their very limits, and it's pretty cool to see how that plays out. I do feel, however, that writers of Wolverine stories sometimes take this healing factor thing a little too far. I feel that there are injuries that can be healed, from which Logan should be able to recover at an accelerated speed that saves his life, and then there are immediately fatal wounds, that would kill him. It seems that since the character was first introduced, he has gone from being extremely durable to nigh indestructible. Again, we suspend disbelief to go along with the story.How about that artwork? It is stunningly beautiful when Risso and Dean aim to capture that sense of Japanese serenity, and fierce as hell when they are showing us violence and destruction. This book has a fair share of each, and each page looks great.So there is some cool stuff going on here, and although it wasn't quite what I was hoping for, it's got that feel of a book that I will probably come to appreciate more and more as I re-read it again and again. If you're a Wolverine fan, it's a worthy addition to your collection.

A quality Wolverine story set to some fantastic arywork. Instead of pure action this story delves into Wolverine's character and history. Fret not there is still action though and the inspiriation for a certain scene in the latest Wolverine film comes from this book. It's beautifully written and drawn/colored and a must buy for the Wolverine collector, the only problem is it's only 3 issues, if it would have been 6 this could've easily stood up with the other classics.

What's more important? A LONG story line that spans across five or six issues? Or a SHORT limited series that hits every note to have a good story? That's what Wolverine: LOGAN is. It's a short Three issue story that has every checkmark to make this a great book. It has a love interest, a great villain, a great hero and wonderful art. This has become one of my favorite Wolverine books. The book also includes concept art with script layouts and Black & White covers in back. Between the issues you'll have the original colored covers that was released on stands. You'll even get a pin-up of Wolverine in the back (You Can't Remove It From The Book). I recommend this book to every comic reader. Casual fans will enjoy this for what it is. Wolverine fans I can't express how much this needs to be on your shelf.

While it's definitely not Vaughan's best work and not the best Wolverine story, it still makes for a worthwhile read. Risso's fantastic art elevates the very minimal storytelling here. And it is most definitely minimal. The story just felt a bit rushed. I think if we could have spent more time with the characters, the ridiculously over-the-top climax would have felt a bit more earned.

While this tale has a lot of typical cliche'swe've seen before the villain with a contempt for Logan and another doomed love interestIt's done with a good pace and execution of the story. The Art work in some panels is hauntingly beautiful and symbolic

Old School Wolvie... If you're a fan just jump in and stop reading this. Go be entertained by a great ride.

good story

I am a massive wolverine fan. Really liked this story and the art work is what I used to when I was a kid.Works well as a stand alone story.

I like it when i get what i ordered.

This is a good little story about Logan's time in Japan, some of my favourite parts about Wolverine. It is well written and drawn, the only drawback, as mentioned already, is that it is quite short. I got this for £0.72 though so not a bad deal. To summarise, of you can get it cheap, it is a decent comic for Wolverine fans.