It’s a little bit Moby Dick, a little bit Jaws and a whole lot of Wolverine in this volume’s final pre-hiatus issue from Benjamin Percy, Javi Fernandez, Matthew Wilson, Cory Petit & Tom Mueller!
Tony Thornley: So this volume of Wolverine wraps up with a strangely quiet and introspective action story… I was highly impressed with this wrap-up from Percy. I hope we see more of it soon.
Pierce Lightning: I think this has to be one of my favorite issues of the run. There is an absolute total package showing from the whole crew, even if it does lean on a few tropes to get its point across.
The Old Man And The Sea
Tony: So stop me if you’ve heard this one before. A grizzled older man takes up a mission to hunt down a maneater to save his paradise home. He knows there’s a chance of failure and grievous bodily harm. He does it anyway for the greater good.
But we’re not talking Brody or Quint. We’re talking Logan.
Pierce: In a way, you have kind of summed up this whole run, and I think in Wolverine #19, in particular, sees Percy punctuating his run. Logan likes being the guy who does what needs to be done so that others can be comfortable. In many ways, he sees himself as the “man on the wall” for Krakoa, and this issue bears that out.
But is this necessary in this current era, murderous sea monsters aside? Or is this just a manifestation of Logan being uncomfortable with being comfortable?
Tony: I think that might be the theme of the run right there. I just wish it had been more textually clear. I love the idea of Logan (or any of the Wolverines) being the one person who has to do something hard, distasteful, unethical, or even just dirty to protect Krakoa. It’s kind of always been his role, but now on an island paradise, it’s even more explicit.
And you’re right. Does he need to do it? The fact Krakoa has enemies outside of freakish sea monsters makes me think yes, but what do you think?
Pierce: I think he needs to do it for his mental health, but I don’t know that it’s entirely necessary given the resources at Krakoa’s disposal.
Ahab He Ain’t
Tony: After Logan makes the call to go out, he takes his boat and heads out into the open ocean. Now, the fact that Logan is using a massive, heavy metal pirate ship is hilarious. It’s Percy and Fernandez leaning into the ridiculousness of comics and bringing the silly back to being a lot of fun.
Logan’s internal monologue as he casts off is stereotypical Logan. Percy has a talent for taking Logan’s dialogue that would seem cliched and melodramatic and making it work. Maybe it’s because Percy is a real-world Logan? I don’t know. But that’s a long way of saying even though it’s kind of cliched, it works.
From the moment he casts off to when the whale attacks the boat, Percy takes a step back and lets the issue be an artist showcase for a few pages. Since I last saw his work, Fernandez has grown a lot as an artist, and I dig it. His quiet, introspective panels have great composition. His layouts drive the story even while nothing is happening. Wilson also does excellent work with the colors, especially as Logan is on the deck while the sun is setting. It adds a level of quiet introspection. The colors in that passage, clarify that Logan is alone with only his thoughts much longer than the reader might think. Then the story goes man versus nature as Logan struggles with the creature.
We’re Gonna Need A Bigger Boat
Tony: I love that Logan stole Sevyr Blackmore’s ship after defeating him. I hate that it gets eaten by Monstro the Whale here. It is such a common trope in these man versus nature-type stories. Seeing the boat get eaten and Logan just hanging out on debris was all too familiar. Despite the trope, Percy writes the heck out of it in Wolverine #19. Sure, can you see inspiration from Brody and Matt or Ishmael? Absolutely, but that provides an opportunity to show that Logan isn’t those iconic characters. Logan is Logan, so he suits up and jumps into the water.
This final fight was so much fun. After seeing how Fernandez depicts Logan versus the beast, I can’t help but think I’d love just to read a Logan: Monster Hunter comic. Logan dives into the black, knowing this could be his end to fight this monster. It’s the best kind of noble Logan, though the self-sacrificing side of it didn’t quite sit well with me.
It’s not about the nobility or the selflessness, as those are solid qualities for a Logan story. It’s something I feel Logan has grown past, even before the Krakoa era. It probably goes back as far as Wolverine & the X-Men. Yes, knowing a fight could be his last, that’s fine. That works. It’s the “Well, maybe this will be the one that does me in, and I guess that’s about time” attitude is off. Logan hasn’t been that character for a long time. Ever since he grew past the lone feral wolf and into a leader and father, he has pulled more away from being so alone. He has adopted more of a family mindset. As readers have seen that shift, we’ve seen less of that lone wolf version of Logan. Considering we know Logan is starring in an event starting next month, we know he’s going to make it through, so it is all a false tension.
Otherwise though? I thought Wolverine #19 was a lot of fun. I would love to see Fernandez pick up as part of the regular art team when the series returns in April!
X-Traneous Thoughts
- Oh boy, Wolverine and Deadpool, literally my least favorite thing of the last two years.
- I’m fine with Logan and Deadpool as long as Krakoa plans to devour Staten Island. Is Deadpool still the king of Staten Island or whatever? Did Pete Davidson succeed him?
Tony Thornley is a geek dad, blogger, Spider-Man and Superman aficionado, X-Men guru, autism daddy, amateur novelist, and all around awesome guy. He’s also very humble.
Pierce Lightning is a longtime comics journalist and critic, singer for a band called Power Trash, and staving off the crushing heel of capitalism with every fiber of their comic book loving being.
