The Logan Legacy 2 review

I may have gone a little too easy on The Logan Legacy 1 last week. Sure, the writing was solid, but that didn’t change the fact that it did little more than set up the rest of the mini-series. It’s only worth picking up if you’re either very interested in Wolverines, are picking up more than half of the Legacy mini-series, or both. That’s not to mention the obnoxious teasers regarding the character one shots or the bad art. Anyway, while Logan Legacy 1 isn’t good, Logan Legacy 2 is. Not great, but good.

I first encountered Tim Seeley’s writing about 5 issues into his Witchblade run, and it’s what got me hooked on the series. He’s also written a lot about Cassie Hack from the Hack and Slash series. I read a few issues of it way back, and finally just read Cassie’s crossover with Army of Darkness earlier this month. Considering how Cassie and X-23 are similar characters in how they’re damaged people who are trying to be better than their upbringing, he would seem to be an ideal choice to write X-23.

This issue kicks off with Laura destroying robots in the danger room on “Ragnarok setting”, and that alone is pretty hardcore. Even before any dialogue is spoken by her, you know she’s angry about Wolverine’s passing. She later states how she feels betrayed by Wolverine’s passing, which isn’t an uncommon reaction for someone who just lost the closest thing they have to a father. It feels true to her character, and the brief moments touching on Kitty Pryde’s reaction are also well done. The comic starts off very well.

The rest of the issue has her hanging around in Toronto, ending up in a bar that is soon attacked by what is best described as a gang of hired anarchists. Some of her actions feel a little weird and she says a couple jokes that feel off. Laura ends up teaming up with a local vigilante. While she doesn’t trust him at first, he later gives her a lot to think about that’s best left unspoiled. It’s a great tragic moment that puts things into perspective. It feels like, while Seeley may not be an X-23 expert, he must have done his research. It references various bits from her past while also keeping up with some of her recent character development in All New X-Men. When she’s not making jokes, Laura’s voice sounds right.

The art by Ariela Kristantina is great for the most part. There’s a lot of detail in nearly every panel, from the vast Canadian wilderness outside of the old Weapon X facility to the Toronto club with all sorts of colourful lights. The action flows smooth, and when Laura moves fast her hair appears to flow naturally. Facial expressions do a wonderful job at conveying emotions from pretty much everyone. The only noticeable flaw is that in a sort-of montage of X-23’s past, it shows her with Uncanny X-force members when she was never a part of that team. One could interpret that as feeling left out when Wolverine kicked her off the team, but it’s more likely a mistake.

If this comic’s ending is any indication (along with Sabertooth appearing on the covers shown for the upcoming Uncanny Avengers relaunch) it appears that Laura will still be with the All New X-Men after Wolverines begins. Personally I hope she does, because while Bendis often doesn’t get her voice right, he is progressing her character more than any other writer has since her solo series ended. It would also mean that if I don’t stick with Wolverines after the first 4 issues, I can still read her somewhere. In any case, this is worth picking up for people interested in the aftermath of Wolverine’s death or X-23 fans in general. It’s not perfect, but it’s good.