Logan: Black, White, & Blood #1 Review

Few comic book characters have a life as storied as Wolverine, better known outside of his iconic yellow costume simply as Logan. For over half a century, Marvel's most violent Canadian has been slicing his way through countless enemies (as well as friends on occasion), leaving a bloody path in his wake. Quite the fitting subject for the newest run of Marvel's Black, White, & Blood anthologies. So fitting, in fact, that this is technically his second run in the series. So without further ado, let's break out a cigar and jump into Logan: Black, White, & Blood #1.

*Mild spoilers ahead for Logan: Black, White, & Blood #1*

Like the Black, White, & Blood series that have come before it, this is an anthology containing a trio of untold stories from a Marvel character's incredible life depicted in a limited color palette of, you guessed it, black, white, and blo- I mean, red. In this case, those stories (written by Tom Waltz, Saladin Ahmed, and Larry Hama, respectively) take us through the long and violent life of one Logan Howlett, AKA Wolverine. Specifically, the years of his life before he donned the iconic yellow costume.

The first story takes us to Korea, where our favorite Canuck is fighting in the Korean War. Or rather, more specifically, he's awakening in the midst of a carnage-filled battlefield, his body trying to stitch itself back together from some unknown assailant. It's a grisly opening, and the perfect way to set the tone for the rest of the book.

As his body heals and he pulls himself to his feet, Logan tries to think back over the events that led to this point. He and his fellow Canadian soldiers had been attacked in the night by enemies so fast and deadly that all he can recall is a blur before they sliced him apart and left him for dead. Unfortunately for them, Logan doesn't die easily, and with the rest of his unit dead, he's out for blood. Like a predator stalking prey, he tracks down the assailants, following their bloody footprints through the snow back to where they came from. What he finds there is a shocking surprise with a surprising connection to another Marvel hero.

From Korea, the comic finds its way to 1970s New York City. Specifically, a seedy bar in a, shall we say, less-than-savory part of town. There we find an older Logan, now working for an unnamed organization, leaving after enjoying a few drinks. On his way out, though, he bumps into a woman named Candy Cane, the lover of the bar's owner. She tells him that there's been a murder, one whose unusual circumstances match four others in the area in recent days. Though this Logan is not yet the hero that he would eventually become, he decides to investigate the crime.

After finding the body, Logan quickly deduces the murder isn't the work of some master assassin. The killer isn't even attempting to cover his tracks, leaving bloody fingerprints all over the Bible-page stuck onto the knife left in the dead man's chest. Fortunately for the killer, the cops couldn't be bothered to even pretend to investigate a murder in this neighborhood. Unfortunately for them, they've given Logan all he needs to track down the killer and dispense his violent brand of justice.

Lastly, we find ourselves in the wilderness of Northern Saskathewan, shortly after Logan broke free from the infamous Weapon X program. The Logan we find here is a far cry from the one found in the other two stories. While both of those stories had their share of savagery from the clawed Canadian, there was a degree of consciousness to it. Here, however, he's little more than a feral beast, roaming through the wilderness like a furless Sasquatch.

That's not to say that he's a bloodthirsty monster, however. The story opens on him coming upon a mortally wounded wolf and her pups. Seeing the poor creatures, he drops the deer he had been carrying for sustenance in order to tend to the dying mother. He pulls the bullet from her with his teeth, then proceeds to cut a chunk of meat from the deer to give to the hungry pups before doing the same for the mother. He then goes after the poachers who put her in this state.

While the three stories differ greatly from one another as far as setting and context, each shares a common trait: the savage bestial side lying within Logan. Waltz shows us this when Logan fights off cybernetically augmented soldiers in Korea, allowing the fury to come forth unrestrained to satisfy its bloodlust. Ahmed shows us how Logan fights to restrain this side of himself when dealing with the murderer, forcing back his instincts to allow logic to dictate his actions. And Hama shows us a Logan completely regressed to his primal side, acting purely from a place of instinct after enduring such a horrific experience as Weapon X. Each of these do a fantastic job of showcasing a side of Logan that he usually keeps restrained once he becomes Wolverine.

Waltz in particular does a great job with this, allowing us not only to see Logan allowing his savage side to come forth, but also giving us a glimpse into his mind as he does so. We see how he's fully aware of this animalistic part of himself, and how hard he works to keep it hidden away not only from the world, but from even himself.

As fun as it is to see this side of Logan depicted, however, it does create a bit of a problem for the issue overall. While each story is different as far as setting and context are concerned, they each follow a fairly similar progression. The story begins with Logan in the middle of something. A conflict arises, causing him to go off in hunt of someone. A bloody display of savagery that wouldn't feel out of place in a slasher film. Then Logan continues on his journey. Granted, one could make the argument that this is simply the way Logan's life tends to unfold. The immortal warrior, doomed to never know peace simply because he's the best at what he does. And in the context of that limitation, all three writers do well in crafting stories that fit within its bounds. But it does make for predictable stories, especially when presented with three in a row.

That's not to say the stories aren't enjoyable, though. Like blockbuster action movies whose focus is more on spectacle than plot complexity, part of the fun of Logan/Wolverine is not to experience some groundbreaking storytelling, but simply to enjoy the ride. Yes, the core story has been told countless times in the past. Yes, we know how it's most likely going to end. But does that make it any less fun to watch Logan tear through enemy soldiers with the ferocity of a wild animal?

As I mentioned in my review of Venom: Black, White, and Blood #2, the limited color palette strengthens the stories being told rather than hindering them. Artists Alex Lins, Adam Kubert, and Dave Watcher respectively, each use this limitation to the fullest, bringing the ferocity of the character and the stories to life in a grisly display. In the case of Lins and Watcher, they use their stories' snowy settings as a canvas upon which the brilliant reds of Logan's fury shine through clearly. Lins also uses this to contrast the two sides of Logan, as once he surrenders to his fury the white backdrop becomes consumed by red, bringing with it a feeling of chaos that covers the pages.

Kubert, meanwhile, utilizes red and black primarily to bring to life the neon-lit New York neighborhood in which Logan finds himself in the second story. It's such a simple thing, making everything in shades of red, yet it creates an unmistakable atmosphere that you can practically hear and feel as you read the story. Kubert adds to this by limiting the use of white, reserving it primarily for Logan and other important things the story needs your eye drawn to.

While ultimately nothing groundbreaking, Logan: Black, White, & Blood #1 is a fun read that really showcases exactly who Logan is. It's gritty, it's grisly, and it's guaranteed to be enjoyed by fans of the character or just fans of bloody action stories.

 Logan: Black, White, & Blood #1 is available now from Marvel Comics.