moebius
05-23-2006, 01:27 AM
Short Version: "Ugh...", and "Hmmm..."
Long Version: We get more talking heads and exposition about how scared the President is about Wolverine. Silver Samurai pops up to exposition that the Murasama Blade is the most powerful weapon ever made. Personally, I'd vote Ultimate Nullifier.
Wolverine is sitting in an apartment in New York thinking about his past. We flash back to Vietnam, where Logan is posing as a Soviet advisor to the Viet Cong and torturing Frank Simmons, the man who will become Nuke. In case you were wondering, Logan is responsible for the Red, White and Blue tattoo on Nuke's face; he carved it with a knife. Ow.
However, Way's point is that Logan was actually "reverse-torturing" Nuke...instilling a hatred of America's enemies in him so that when he does get free, he will be insanely anti-Communist. Nuke escapes his torture in a scene remeniscent of Ennis and Dillon's Punisher run, then turns his guns on the village where the VC torture caves were being hidden, a not so subtle one-man Mai Lai takeoff. In short, Logan created Nuke and is complicit in doing to others what has been done to him, likely a theme for future issues.
In the present, Wolverine confronts Nuke in the same Vietnam village from the flashbacks (Nuke has just re-killed the village). No fighting yet, but Way does manage a nice cliffhanger.
Dillon's pencils feel more appropriate in this issue, and I think his characterization of the Logan is particularly well done.
Better than the first issue, in that there are actually words and it's not just Way being coy to be coy.
On the other hand, I have two misgivings:
1. I think we're in danger of getting into "Young Indiana Jones" syndrome, where Logan is instrumental in the origin of every marvel character introduced before him. Fantastic Four? Logan sabotaged their rocket. Spider-Man? Logan turned the machine on that spider.
Nuke was at least hinted at being related (programmatically) to Wolverine, so it's appropriate here. But I worry.
2. Way seems to be setting up Wolverine as the Chief Man in Black for some sort of G-7 conspiracy during the Cold War. The flashbacks here may or may not take place after his Team X days.
What I worry about is that the Logan who comes out on the other side of this will be completely unsympathetic...complicit in so many war cries and abuses of human rights. that we don't WANT to know his origin.
We'll see.
Long Version: We get more talking heads and exposition about how scared the President is about Wolverine. Silver Samurai pops up to exposition that the Murasama Blade is the most powerful weapon ever made. Personally, I'd vote Ultimate Nullifier.
Wolverine is sitting in an apartment in New York thinking about his past. We flash back to Vietnam, where Logan is posing as a Soviet advisor to the Viet Cong and torturing Frank Simmons, the man who will become Nuke. In case you were wondering, Logan is responsible for the Red, White and Blue tattoo on Nuke's face; he carved it with a knife. Ow.
However, Way's point is that Logan was actually "reverse-torturing" Nuke...instilling a hatred of America's enemies in him so that when he does get free, he will be insanely anti-Communist. Nuke escapes his torture in a scene remeniscent of Ennis and Dillon's Punisher run, then turns his guns on the village where the VC torture caves were being hidden, a not so subtle one-man Mai Lai takeoff. In short, Logan created Nuke and is complicit in doing to others what has been done to him, likely a theme for future issues.
In the present, Wolverine confronts Nuke in the same Vietnam village from the flashbacks (Nuke has just re-killed the village). No fighting yet, but Way does manage a nice cliffhanger.
Dillon's pencils feel more appropriate in this issue, and I think his characterization of the Logan is particularly well done.
Better than the first issue, in that there are actually words and it's not just Way being coy to be coy.
On the other hand, I have two misgivings:
1. I think we're in danger of getting into "Young Indiana Jones" syndrome, where Logan is instrumental in the origin of every marvel character introduced before him. Fantastic Four? Logan sabotaged their rocket. Spider-Man? Logan turned the machine on that spider.
Nuke was at least hinted at being related (programmatically) to Wolverine, so it's appropriate here. But I worry.
2. Way seems to be setting up Wolverine as the Chief Man in Black for some sort of G-7 conspiracy during the Cold War. The flashbacks here may or may not take place after his Team X days.
What I worry about is that the Logan who comes out on the other side of this will be completely unsympathetic...complicit in so many war cries and abuses of human rights. that we don't WANT to know his origin.
We'll see.