Did I mention he’s a pacifist?

I love a good illustration and these next two gems from my BookTube-A-Thon challenge really raised the bar. Wolverine: Old Man Logan is the first comic book (graphic novel? I don’t know) that I have properly engaged with, usually preferring a good solid novel. However, this text combines three things I love – a post-apocalyptic landscape, Wolverine and a heathy dose of gratuitous violence, the gorgeous artwork is just the cherry on top. As far as the narrative is concerned, it’s an engaging and tragic story and of all the Marvel superheroes, Wolverine/Logan was the ideal choice for the protagonist. His raw physical strength contrasted with his emotional vulnerability, as well as the fact that he is far from a pure and moral hero, have always drawn Marvel fans to him and make him the perfect tragic hero, torn between a paralysing guilt and his natural tendency towards violence. My only real criticism of this text is the writer’s insistence on reminding readers, on almost every page, that Wolverine is now a pacifist and refuses to fight under any circumstances, up until the inevitable event which changes his mind. I get that this is enough of a break from character for Wolverine to justify some attention, but please give us readers some credit, we can probably remember that he is a self-proclaimed pacifist for at least twenty or so pages.

Now for The Savage, and what a lovely little treat it is. Again, the illustrations are beautiful, though very different from those in Wolverine in that they reflect the instinctive and adolescent style of the younger narrator and the Savage character. The story moves between a tale written and illustrated by a young boy as part of his therapy and his reflections on the events that motivated the story as a adult looking back. I won’t say too much about it because as soon as you finish this paragraph you need to order/buy/steal/manufacture a copy of this book (don’t steal it, or if you do don’t tell them I told you to), but this is essentially a reflection on both grief and bullying and the way a child might process these traumas through the telling of a story and the creation of a character who can carry the weight of their own sadness, anger and powerlessness. In this way The Savage is of the same breed as I Kill Giants and A Monster Calls but should not be dismissed as unoriginal. This is a story that needs to be read, if only as a reminder to not only accept the savage inside ourselves, but also to give it a little love and maybe even forgiveness.