TITLE: Wolverine: Old Man Logan TPBssue #1
YEAR: February 2017
COMPANY: Marvel Comics
Writer: Mark Millar
Penciler: Steve McNiven
Inker: Dexter Vines with Mark Morales & Jay Leisten
Colorist: Morry Hollowell with Christina Strain, Justin, Ponsor, Jason Keith, Nathan Fairbairn, Paul Mounts
Letterer: VC’s Cory Petit
Assistant Editors: Aubrey Sitterson, Michael Horwitz, Jody Leheup
Editor: John Barber, Jeanine Schaefer
Cover Artists: Steve McNiven, Dexter vines & Morry Hollowell
With the release of the film “Logan”, the film has drum up interest in the character known as “Old Man Logan”.
The character first appeared during Mark Millar’s “Fantastic Four” run but the storyline of “Wolverine: Old Man Logan” would be featured in “Wolverine” issues #66-72 in 2008 and “Wolverine Giant-Size Old Man Logan” in 2009.
The character would receive his own series in 2015 during the “Secret Wars” storyline.
Old Man Logan is a character that is set in an alternate future on Earth-807128 where super villains have defeated all superheroes.
The United States has been conquered and ownership of various areas are divided among the Abomination (later by the Hulk), Magneto (later by the new Kingpin), Doctor Doom and the Red Skull who has named himself the President of the United States.
Many have wondered what happened to the X-Men’s Wolverine, a superhero who has not been seen for 50-years.
Now known only as Logan, he lives in barren land somewhere in Sacramento, California with his wife Maureen and two children, Scotty and Jade. Because times are tough, he owes rent to property owners, the Hulk gang (the hilbilly children that came from an incestuous relationship between the Hulk and his first cousin She-Hulk). Because they are late with payment, two of the hillbilly Hulk grandchildren beat Logan severely until his son Scotty aims a rifle at them.
That night, an old friend, the Avenger known as Hawkeye (who is now blind) has come to visit Logan and offers him money for a job. Money that would help pay for rent.
The job requires Logan to be his guide and help him get a package to the East Coast by driving him there and becoming his navigator for $500.
As Hawkeye tries to get Logan to explain why he no longer fights, the drive shows Logan of how much has changed in the world. The Moleman’s Moloids now eat humans to help with the staggering overpopulation.
And as the duo drive and arrive to Las Vegas, they make a quick visit to Hawkeye’s ex-wife Tonya (the youngest daughter of Peter Parker) and learn that his daughter Ashley is about to be executed by the Kingpin. Despite Logan not wanting to fight anymore, he is dragged in by Hawkeye to save his daughter Ashley from the Kingpin.
But during this road trip, Logan reveals to Hawkeye on why he quite being a superhero and what really happened to the X-Men.
But this road trip will surely change Logan. But what happens when Logan returns back home to Sacramento?
When I last read a Wolverine comic book, it was back in the ’90s when he had his adamantium stripped out but yet, he was still the dangerous X-Men member with a mysterious past. And since then, so much has changed with the character. So much that I was not even aware of.
Finding out that Wolverine lost his healing factor, that he has died and so many things that I am unable to comprehend considering the popularity of the character. Why did they kill of Wolverine? What is wrong with Marvel? Wasn’t these super hero deaths what turned me off to comic books to begin with?
But I have read that “Wolverine: Old Man Logan” had to be read. I’m going to love it and become a fan of Wolverine once again.
And I have to say that reading this storyline, I’m absolutely hooked.
First to see Logan a family man who has not fought or killed anyone for fifty years was interesting. Especially considering how messed up the world has been on this planet Earth with the supervillains in control and to find out that Bruce Banner has become evil, had an incestuous relationship with his cousin, Jennifer Walters (She-Hulk) and now they are all hillbilly’s and have hillbilly offspring who are just as strong and ruthless.
And needing money badly, he decides to take on a job offered by a blind Clint Barton (Hawkeye), who has made money as a drugdealer.
And as they go on a road tour from California to the East Coast, they run into a lot of crap. And the more Logan, holds out from fighting, the more he infuriates Clint. Especially when Clint’s daughter Ashley (daughter of Tonya, who is Peter Parker’s youngest daughter, mother is never named) is going to be executed by the Kingpin.
But I’ll just leave it at that because so much craziness, death and tragedy comes right after and it’s a unique story that takes you on a wild ride!
I can only compare it to DC superheroes for DC’s Elseworlds stories. But the crazy thing is that this old man Logan is now in present-Earth (Earth-616) in the current comic books. What?
It’s interesting because before I stopped collecting comic books, the Ultimates line of Marvel Comics were being released and also the 2099 comic books and while I purchased them, I was too heavily invested in the dozens of titles that were available for the current Marvel comic books (which also was a reason why I stopped because it was becoming too costly just to follow all X-titles). But alternate storylines, I could take the DC Elseworlds because after one TPB, I knew that those stories were self-contained. But the Ultimate line for Marvel was an ongoing series and I decided that it was one of the titles I had to cut out of my comic book purchases, because it was tough enough living on whatever income I had as a college student.
But Mark Millar’s “Wolverine: Old Man Logan” is one of those storylines that captivated me. As did the artwork of Steve McNiven.
The tragedy, the violence, to see an alternate storyline where the superheroes have been decimated and the supervillains rule the land. That was very interesting! But most of all, made a unique storyline that literally won me over!
“Wolverine: Old Man Logan” is highly recommended!