WOLVERINE: THE ORIGIN #4
"Origin, Part IV of VI: Heaven and Hell"
Recommended (8/10)
|
Marvel Comics
Writers: Paul Jenkins, Bill Jemas & Joe Quesada
Pencils: Andy Kubert
Digital painting: Richard Isanove
Letters: Comicraft
Editor: Mike Marts
Price: $3.50 US/$5.25 CAN |
Marvel's period piece about one of its most popular characters continues to entertain. I'm impressed and surprised that the story hasn't proceeded more quickly in order to immerse the title character -- and the reader -- in the more traditional super-hero and espionage genre stories for which he is known. The emphasis on an emotionally scarring coming-of-age is a welcome change of pace for this character.
James, using the alias "Logan," continues to be abused at the hands of others in the northern Canadian mining community, notably by Cookie, the tall, portly man who feeds everyone. He becomes even more emotionally closed, not only to Rose but even perhaps to himself. His soul hardens and his body grows into that of a man, but still, he is not a fighter. But he is becoming a hunter.
Kubert's sketchy style and the digital coloring job by Richard Isanove combine to take the reader to a barren, almost alien place, in a time that's forgotten for the most part. The landscape takes center stage in this issue, and Kubert manages to take the reader to barren quarries and lush forests. His style is even more evocative of his father's -- Joe Kubert -- work than usual, and appropriately so, given the historical tone of the book.
Though more common in comics, it's not often we see a character crafted in reverse order. Jenkins reconciles this new origin story with all we know about the title character since his debut in the 1970s, and he's doing an incredible job. He's not only explaining the character, but he's telling a riveting, even touching story about a young, confused man. Though Logan's story is far more tragic than what most people experience, it's not hard to relate to his sense of isolation, helplessness and confusion about who he is.
Though Jenkins picks up the pace a little in this issue, overall, this limited series has progressed slowly, and it works. This is a reflective tale, and the more leisurely pace at which it's being told suits it. I'm surprised, though, at how Rose's role in the story has been reduced in this fourth chapter, and it leads me to believe that her fate will prove to be a catalyst and turning point for James/Logan.
Email Don MacPherson comments about this review, or discuss it on the Fourth Rail message board.
|
