Wolverine: The Long Night (2018)

History moves in cycles, even in technology. Television dealt a killer blow to radio dramas more than half a century ago, yet with the podcasts they might make a comeback. Marvel's first foray into this old-new medium is Wolverine: The Long Night.

Perhaps surprisingly from the superhero comics publisher giant, this is a good old fashioned crime/mystery. Two FBI agents arrive to Burns, Alaska to find a a man on the run. We learn his name is Logan. Almost immediately they are informed about the brutal murder of the whole crew of a local fishing boat; the men were hacked to pieces. Soon dead bodies of two women turn up in the woods, from what is left of them they seem to have been killed by a bear. To muddy the waters a strange new cult is operating in Burns as well, waiting for the end of all days, the "Long Night", that is supposed to arrive on the Fall Equinox only a couple of days away. The story of the town and its inhabitants unfolds as we accompany the agents in the investigation and the theme slowly turns from crime to suspense. Something more sinister than a lone fugitive, corrupt cops and greedy businessmen is lurking in Burns and the surrounding wilderness.

Apart from the idiosyncratic protagonist and some interesting twists the story builds up from conventional elements of the genre. But some tricks never get old and the creators' choice of keeping Logan at arm's length for most of the story  - he appears more in witness's testimonies than directly, up until the very end - greatly attributes to the atmosphere. The Long Night depicts the feral mutant in his most interesting form. There is absolutely no reference to Marvel's superhero world, which serves both the story and the character well. He is a man with fractured memories, blood on his hands, constantly on the run from some intangible enemy and in struggle with his own bestial nature. He is a consummate predator, a loner, a man who tries to right some old wrongs by helping people who are unable to help themselves. He fits smoothly in this more down-to-earth story.

It's great to experience a new medium for fiction and Richard Armitage as a voice actor was an excellent choice for Logan. I hope we see, or rather hear, him more in the future.