Comic Book Review: Wolverine #68

Old Man Logan has been at hit with The Revolution. The basic premise is this is Wolverine’s personal Days of Future Past type story. In the first 2 parts we learned that it has been 50 years since the heroes fell. Super-villains carved America to pieces. Each claimed their own empire.

One man does not want to remember. He is Logan, the hero formerly known as Wolverine. He has not used his claws since that final battle. Logan settled in Sacramento and is raising his family. His family is threatened by the Hulk Gang(Bruce Banner’s descendants). They want rent money that Logan does not have.

The now blind Clint (Hawkeye) Barton calls on his old friend. Clint is crossing the country while he tries to take some cargo to New Babylon. He needs a guide. The pair fight their way through a San Francisco overrun by the Moloids. They make their way to Hammer Falls where Clint meets up with his ex-wife Tonya(the daughter of Spider-Man).

They have a daughter, Ashley, who is trying to become a superhero. But she is captured by the Kingpin. The blind archer Clint reminds me of the blind archers from the old Manhunter series by Archie Goodwin and Walt Simonson. Any comic that reminds me of that series is a good thing. Let’s see if they can continue the quality shown in the first 2 parts.

Creative Team
Writer: Mark Millar
Pencils: Steve McNiven
Inks: Dexter Vines

Art Rating: 9 Night Girls out of 10
Story Rating: 8 Night Girls out of 10
Overall Rating: 8.5 Night Girls out of 10

Synopsis: Clint is telling Tonya and Ultron-8 that he never thought Ashley would be the superhero type. Tonya replies that is because Clint left when she was 3 years old. Ultron-8 has been the only father she has ever known. Ultron-8 asks her not to start a fight.

Tonya says that Ashley can’t help herself. When your father was an Avenger and your grandfather was Spider-Man you have to become a superhero. Clint still thought she was more of an evil type. Tonya wants to know why they are having this arguement when their daughter is about to be executed by the Kingpin. Clint says that he will help her, he is not a total dirtbag. Logan tells him to speak for himself.

Logan reminds Clint that he joined him as a map reader not as a fighter. Clint can’t believe that Logan is arguing about his contract. Logan’s deal was to help him get to New Babylon not to take on the Kingpin. Clint offers to pay Logan double the agreed on amount. That will be enough to cancel his debt to the Hulk Gang.

Logan agrees with the condition that he still won’t fight. Clint only wants him to read the map. Logan reminds him that he will die before he pops his claws again. Clint says he will fight his own battles. They need to get going, it is a 12 hour drive to Salt Lake City.

Ultron-8 stops Logan and hands him something for luck. It is a X-Men keychain. Logan’s eyes get wide as he flashes back to him kneeling on the ground. Bright lights are all around. Logan’s face is bloody. Clint snaps him out of it.

The pair is back on the road in the Spider-Mobile. Clint says that Salt Lake City is on the way to New Babylon. He will get Logan back in time to pay his landlords. Clint can’t believe that his daughter is trying to be a superhero in a world run by villains but he is proud of her.

They roll into Cedar Rapids. The town is underground. The top of some buildings are still showing. One man is clinging to the top of a church spire. When asked what happened, he says the Moloids attacked and everyone else died. Clint pulls out of town saying that Ashley needs their help more than this man does.

In Rice-Eccles Stadium, Salt Lake City the announcer is introducing the crowd to Daredevil and the Punisher. They are 2 of the heroes who came to rescue everyone from the Kingpin. Now they are chained to a pole. The Kingpin says that the heroes forgot one thing. He is the man who killed Magneto. Magneto took over after he engineered a superhero holocaust with Doctor Doom, the president, and others. But Magneto made one mistake. He got old.

Daredevil asks what happened to Ashley. Kingpin is still thinking up something nasty to do to her. Daredevil and Punisher got off easy. Two dinosaurs are released into the stadium. They tear the heroes to shreds while the crowd cheers. The crowd cheers for Kingpin. One of his guards can’t believe that they tried to take out the Kingpin. He says that this is healthy. He needs to remind everyone who the top dog is.

From a roof top, Logan is spying on the Kingpin with a pair of binoculars. He can’t believe that people are cheering for the Kingpin. Clint says that just shows how bad things were under Magneto. The people respect the new Kingpin for working his way up from being a street fighter. Clint asks if Logan spotted Ashley. She is in a heavily guarded Wal-Mart. Clint has a genius plan. Logan reminds him that it had better not involve him fighting. Clints calls Logan “powder puff” and says that he just needs a driver.

Inside the guards are tormenting Ashley. She just smiles.

Next we see the Spider-Mobile driving on the side of a building. Clint says they need to get to 200 miles per hour. Logan asks if the genius plan is smashing through the side of the building and killing everyone. Clint says yes. Logan responds “that ain’t genius”. Clint says it is if it works. They launch off the side of the building and go through a window into the building.

As they crash through the wall, Ashley says that would be her dad. Logan sits in the Spider-Mobile while Clint attacks with a sword and his bow. When the guards yell, that gives Clint a target and he cuts through them. When he gets to the door to Ashley’s cell, he puts his sword through the door and a guard’s head.

Clint yells for Ashley to tell him where the control panel is. Ashley directs him. Clint shoots 2 arrows at the same time. One goes through the remaining guard, the other through the control panel. Kingpin comes through the door. He wants to know what happened. Ashley grabs a gun and tells him that he got old. She smashes his head with the gun.

Clint asks if that was as messy as it sounded. Ashley says it was worse. She hits Clint with the gun. He wants to know what Ashley is doing. She is doing what she came here to do. Take over the Kingpin’s territory. Clint thought she came to free everyone. Ashley says that is because he is stupid. She killed the Kingpin like he killed Magneto. Now it is time to show the boys what their new boss is made of. She raises the gun to finish off Clint.

Logan is watching from the car. He says “Damn you to hell for making me do this, Hawkeye.”

Comments
The Good: Another amazing chapter in Millar’s tribute to Clint Eastwood’s Unforgiven. You knew it was just a matter of time before Logan would be put in a situation where he would have to fight. Millar has created a post-apocalytic world that is the perfect setting for Logan. Next issue should be out of this world with Logan unleashed.

We did learn that the superhero disaster was orchestrated by the joint efforts of Magneto, Dr. Doom, and the president. What led to this situation? I hope Millar reveals this during the series.

The shock ending with Ashley not wanting to be a superhero was great. It caught me off guard. I love it when an author lays the groundwork for a revelation and still surprises you when it happens. Even though Clint thought she was evil, we “knew” that she had to be good. Hats off to the writer.

The art maintains the excellence shown in the first 2 parts. McNiven and Hines are perfect for this story. In many ways, the art is inspired by the Lone Wolf and Cub series drawn by Goseki Kojima.

The Bad: This is not a comic for all fans. The level of violence and blood shed is for mature readers only. If you are squeamish, do not read this story.

Overall: Another great chapter in Old Man Logan. Millar continues to surprise me. Worth picking up if you are a Wolverine fan or just like seeing another version of the future America. If you like this story, you might want to try Kazuo Koike and Goseki Kojima’s Lone Wolf and Cub. It is a classic story set in feudal Japan.