Hey, everyone, jrpbsp here… Got a number of reviews to try and get through this week so without further “adieu”, here’s ‘Wolverine: Under the Boardwalk’. Hope you enjoy it.

Wolverine: Under the Boardwalk (preview)
Writer: Stuart Moore
Artist: Tomm Coker

SPOILERS BELOW…

RECAP: The issue opens with Wolverine waiting at the airport for a flight to Alaska. He gets a text message from an unknown person calling him to Atlantic City. The message shakes loose a memory of an old murder and beating by a mobster named Phil DeBlasio. After a moments thought, Logan changes his plans and goes to the indicated casino. He is on a big winning streak when he meets a strange girl and takes her upstairs.

The next morning, Logan sneaks out and goes to find breakfast. His waitress is an old flame, Katrina McCann, the girl from the night of the murder. They talk for a while but she says she is not the one that sent the message. Katrina does tell some of the details about what happened afterward and reminisces about the night they spent together. The conversation is interrupted by the girl from the night before.

The ladies know each other and Katrina refers to the younger woman as Amber. Amber is not supposed to be at the restaurant but she uses Logan as an excuse to stay. Wolverine manages to ditch her shortly after and goes hunting through town looking for clues. He does not turn up anything until he spots a familiar lamp post. Logan tears down through the Boardwalk but can not find the body. He is stopped by the police and surrenders peacefully.

Wolverine spends some time in jail until Amber bails him out. He promises to pay her back and then goes to visit Katrina. He talks to her and then tries to threaten the woman. She grabs a knife to fight back and in the struggle she tells Logan that the murder happened on Coney Island not Atlantic City. Wolverine flees the room and travels to New York.

He finds the lamp post quickly and digs down to the body. He is shot during the retrieval, his attacker is Amber whose last name is DeBlasio. She is the daughter of the gangster that committed the murder and she is looking for her missing father. Since she did not learn anything about her dad by stirring up the past, and now that Logan had uncovered the body, she decides he has to die. Logan takes her down quickly as well as the thugs she brought along. He leaves before the cops show up and tells the girl to look him up when she gets out of jail.

He goes back to the scene later and runs into a familiar seeming old man. It is Phil DeBlasio who has chosen to disappear to keep his family safe. Logan chooses to walk away rather then pursue revenge and the next morning he takes a flight out of JFK to Alaska.

MY TAKE: This is a pretty decent story, for a one shot. It actually reads more like a detective novel than a super hero adventure. That is not a bad thing in this case. I am not usually a big fan of mysteries but this was an interesting tale with some unexpected twists along the way. One shots are usually a mixed bag but this is well written with a strong plot and some good character moments as well.

While the overall plot is the strongest part, there are some very good characterizations as well.  Logan is done very well but I think the best good moments are given to Katrina. The role could easily be a simple damsel in distress type but she has an actual personality and quite a bit of spunk. Amber was a lot more cliche though and really did not have much time to develop. It was obvious from the beginning that she was involved somehow so the final reveal did not have much of an impact.

My favorite part of the issue was Logan having the entirely wrong boardwalk. But it does raise a problem of the issue. Logan was supposed to have all of his memories back so why does he not remember any of this? He also could not figure out who Amber was although her smell should have been similar enough to her father to give a hint. He recognized Phil immediately so it did not make much sense.

While this is a pretty simple story and not exactly my favorite genre, it is still a good read. I like plots that delve into Wolverine’s past at least when it is done properly. This would have made a good tale in the ongoing Wolverine: Origins title. As it is, it is better than most of the recent stories I have read about Logan. Although that is not saying much, the quality was still a pleasant surprise. I just wish all of Logan’s history stories were this good.

Thanks for reading my review for Wolverine Files. I will be keeping to this format for the most part but please keep the comments coming and I will see everyone again next time.