Wolverine: Old Man Logan Review

If ya didn't know before ya do now. Today marks the 5th anniversary of my favorite 2017 comic book film, Logan. And I thought what better way to celebrate such a great film than reviewing the comic storyline that inspired it. Yes, I'm doing another comic review. Only unlike I Am Not Starfire, this a comic that's actually loved by the comic book fandom (and yes, I know one's DC and one's Marvel, I'm just saying in general, one's loved the other isn't). So let's get into it.

Wolverine: Old Man Logan or simply just Old Man Logan, is a 2008 eight issue story arc about an alternate verison of Wolverine. The story can be found in 2003's Wolverine #66-72 and concludes in Wolverine: Old Man Logan Giant-Size. The storyline was drawn by Steve McNiven and written by Mark Millar.

The story is it's been fifty years since the day the heroes fell and the villians rose to power, and Logan is unrecognizable. No longer is he Wolverine, the hero who would go to his absolute limit and never stop fighting, now he's just simple farmer living with his wife and kids. Everything changes when the now blinded Hawkeye shows up offering him a job, at first Logan declines but after learning he needs to pay the Hulk Gang he accepts. On this journey, Logan learns that maybe, he gave up too soon.

• Negatives

I've got nothing to say. So let's move on.

• Mix

One thing that I found to be a mix bag was the Hulk's villainous persona. Now, I don't have a problem with the Hulk being the bad guy. I mean this is a story set in alternate universe, and this isn't the first time this has happened. Peter David's miniseries The Incredible Hulk: Future Imperfect is the biggest example of that. My slight issue has one aspect of his character that made me feel really grossed out. For any of you that read the story, you most likely know what I'm referring too.

• Positives

Now let's get into purely positives things about the comic, one of those being Steve McNiven's artwork. It's very detailed and can be very realistic. But what also made it good was how it matches up perfectly with the story Mark Millar is telling. Because this is a dark and gritty story, McNiven's artstyle reflected that tone nicely.

What I also want to praise is the world of Old Man Logan. This truly is a world that the villains rule, and they're loving every minute of it. But what I also liked about it was all of the creative things Millar did with it. I don't what do go into too much detail but, there's one awesome and yet very terrifying thing that involves a dinosaur. And I've also heard people talk about how it felt like a western, and I could definitely see that. Wolverine even goes full blown cowboy with his clothes during the final issue of the story.

Another piece from this story arc that I really dug was how broken Wolverine was. Mark Millar truly gave us a Wolverine who's a far cry from the badass we're use to seeing. But even then, as you're reading there is a slow transition throughout the story, of that Wolverine we all know and love.

The last thing I'll give Old Man Logan credit for is the hopeful ending. After reading the entire story you do see a nihilistic viewpoint filled with very graphic violence (oh yeah by the way, don't read this if you get queasy real easy), that not only with the ending but even some bits here and there there is hope. Millar could've just ending everything bad or bittersweet, but instead left us with maybe one day the villain's reign will come to an end.

Wolverine: Old Man Logan is one of my many favorite Wolverine storylines. It's got great artwork, a nicely built world, a great story revolving around a broken Wolverine, and a hopeful ending. The only mix bag I had with the Hulk's villainous portrayal was aspect that really grossed me out.

My final rating is Great.

Okay that's going to do it for me. I hope you liked this bit of something different than what I usually do. Anyhow, due come back on Saturday, Mar 5th for review of the much anticipated, The Batman. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day.