Wolverine

Wolverine 119-122

The Warren Ellis arc, a fast and furious four issues where a believed-dead killer from Logan’s past returns to hunt him down.  I remember people making a big deal about this when it first came out, which probably colored my opinion of it as well. Having read a lot more Ellis in the ensuing years, I’ve since downgraded my personal rating of Not Dead Yet.

It’s perfectly serviceable, but doesn’t do anything groundbreaking that I haven’t seen before.  The Leinil Francis Yu pencils are equally fine, and do nothing to enhance or detract from the reading experience.  If it weren’t for the names of the creators, I’d probably have cut this.

Regret buying: No

Would buy again: No

Would read again: Yes

Rating: Fine

Wolverine 1-8

This totally reads like Garth Ennis’ Punisher, which is probably why I’m responding so positively to it.  It hits all of the same beats: Logan’s minding his own business when a seemingly regular girl brings some kind of trouble to his doorstep.  She sees in this silent, remorseless loner a heart of gold, and indeed, he easily slips into the role of protector/avenger/righter of wrongs.  These wrongs aren’t supervillain schemes. They’re real world horrors - cults, child brides, and coyotes bringing illegal immigrants across the border.  

The whole first issue is devoted to the tragic plight of the girl, so the emotional underpinnings of Logan’s motivation are crystal clear.  From there, the story moves at breakneck speed to its violent conclusion. As Logan learns more and more about the bad guy and crimes being perpetrated, his righteous wrath swells up into an inferno that inevitably leads to a death-filled reckoning and the extinction of one more little patch of evil.  And then there’s the female government agent who’s inexplicably drawn to Logan, and starts spending her free time tracking him down…

Greg Rucka’s almost as good at writing this kind of story as Ennis.  I stopped buying midway through the second arc, and I’m strongly considering finishing it out.  (Rucka’s third and final arc sounds a lot more superhero-y, so I’m going to skip that one.)

Regret buying: No

Would buy again: Yes

Would read again: Yes

Rating: Good