The final issue.
This series has been an interesting experiment, especially for someone like myself who likes Wolverine, but doesn't love him. We've seen him during just about every war of the last 200 years, as a spy, as a sailor, as a rabid animal loose in the woods. What final three tales are in store for us now?
Let's find out.
"The Monster in the Dark" by Ethan Sacks and Garry Brown
We begin in Northern Quebec in 1979, where a young girl and her grandfather are waiting out a snowstorm in their cabin. We then jump back to 1913, also during a snowstorm. Logan enters a town where he receives a very harsh reception, with the locals accusing him of being the “Evening Man” who has been stealing children in the night. Not looking for another fight, Logan leaves and makes camp nearby. He soon overhears a mother screaming that her son has been taken, and because it involves children, Logan finds himself on the trail. It doesn’t take long for him to track down the real “Evening Man”—a ghoulish mutant who abducts children and eats them. The creature tries to convince Logan that they are kindred spirits, which… doesn’t work out too well for him.
After returning the children to their parents, we learn that the grandfather from the beginning of the story is the boy Logan saved—one person who will never see him as a monster.
This was a simple story, but it was told effectively. The irony of Logan being dressed normally and looking far less intimidating than usual—yet the townspeople still immediately assuming he’s the monster taking their children simply because he’s different—was well handled. When he tries to stay out of it but ultimately can’t because it involves children, that feels true to his code. The “Evening Man” being a mutant makes sense. Mutants were still largely unknown at this point in time, so he would naturally defy explanation. I also liked his appearance—somewhat ghoulish, almost like a Skaven from Warhammer. Logan’s line about there being “no place in the world for monsters anymore” can be seen as foreshadowing his efforts to become a better man—efforts that would eventually lead him to the X-Men.
I’m not familiar with either Ethan Sacks or Garry Brown, but I appreciate their efforts here. Sacks’s storytelling is lean, as dictated by the short page count, but he doesn’t waste any time. He smoothly sets the stage with Logan entering—and then exiting—the town, before leading him directly into the hunt. Brown’s art is very detailed, although I’m not sure a black-and-white format is the best choice for a story set during a heavy snowstorm—some details do get lost in the mix. Still, his Logan looks great, and the “Evening Man” comes across like a true fantasy monster. He also makes good use of speed lines when the two clash, with one panel in particular standing out as especially striking.
Overall, a solid effort from all involved.
SCORE: 7.5 out of 10
"Kintsugi" by Giuseppe Camuncoli
Some time ago, in the island nation of Madripoor… Logan, in his guise as Patch, arrives at the mansion of Chua the Collector, seeking a mask that had been placed there some time ago. Before leaving with it—after being warned of the danger it holds—Patch finds himself face to face with… Logan? Of course, one of the two Logans—the one with the mask—is actually the shapeshifter Mystique. Logan is unable to stop her from putting on the mask, which transforms her into a monstrous version of him. Even her claws are real, thanks to the mask’s power. Unable to match her rage in a straight claw-to-claw fight, Logan relies on his wits—headbutting her with his adamantium skull and shattering the mask.
Logan leaves Mystique behind, telling her to gather the broken pieces of the mask and return them to Chua.
This one is nothing special; it’s just Mystique being Mystique, followed by a Logan-versus-Logan fight scene. The “some time ago” setting feels like a bit of a cop-out. Between the presence of Mystique and the appearance of various versions of Logan, it has to fall somewhere relatively current in the timeline.
It’s not a bad story—it’s just clearly the kind of story where an artist really wanted to draw the character doing certain things, and then wrote a script to make that happen.
Giuseppe Camuncoli serves as both writer and artist for this story, which is really just an excuse to draw a variety of different versions of Logan in the same issue. Patch, Ninja, Weapon X, Yellow Suit, Brown Suit—they’re all here. The story moves quickly, but it’s nothing special, if I’m being honest. The art is what really carries it. The Logan-versus-Logans fight is dynamic and brutal, as it should be. Mystique is also a strong character choice for a story like this, even beyond the shape-shifting aspect. Her red hair and eyes look especially striking on the page.
SCORE: 6 out of 10
"End of Days" by Phillip Kennedy Johnson and Piotr Kowalski
Earth, the far future. I’m going to be honest—I’ve got no clue what’s going on in this one. I think the sun is dying, and aliens (or maybe robots?) are harvesting planets, and they’re now on what’s left of Earth. There are X-shaped grave markers everywhere, along with the remains of Sentinels. A mysterious figure moves through the wasteland, which is, of course, Logan—but he looks… different. I’m not entirely sure how to describe it. He fights off the Harvesters before eventually collapsing in a field of X-shaped graves.
I… I don’t get this one at all. It’s obviously set far in the future—most everyone is dead, and the solar system itself is dying—but I have no clue how any of that happened. Logan is still alive, of course, since it’s his book and all, but I’m not sure if he’s still flesh and blood or if it’s implied that he’s become something else.
It’s just… I’ve got nothing. I’ve read it twice, and I’m still not totally sure what’s going on, let alone how I feel about it.
I'm usually a big fan of Phillip Kennedy Johnson, and I know he probably had a very specific tale in mind when he did this, but I have no idea what it would be. It's alien and weird and I'm assuming that's all intentional, so I'll give him plenty of kudos for that. The art by Piotr Kowalski is very rough and European in feel, again I'm not sure if Logan is still flesh and blood or if there's something else going on with him, the art doesn't make that clear. The landscape is suitably desolate, the Harvesters are weird and creepy, and the field of X-shaped graves is impactful. I hate to say it to PKJ, but this was probably my least favorite story of the entire series.
SCORE: 4 out of 10
Logan: Black, White, & Blood #4 gives us one strong story, one enjoyable artist showcase, and one story that I couldn’t explain if I had to—the very definition of a mixed bag, which actually sums up the miniseries as a whole. For a character with a history as varied as Logan’s, the range of stories throughout this series just wasn’t quite there, as it spent too much time focusing on his presence in various wars.
This issue breaks from that trend, giving us a monster tale, a “mirror match” fight, and some far-future weirdness. I give the creators credit for trying different things, but most of it just didn’t land for me.