Creative Team
Writer: Mark Millar
Artist: Steve McNiven
Inkers: Dexter Vines and Mark Morales
Colorists: Morry Hollowell and Justin Ponsor
Story – Old Man Logan: Part 5
Review
After having to wait a bit longer to be able to read this issue, since my LCS did not get their shipment of Wolverine #70 last week, I have to say it was worth the wait. I’ve never been a big fan of alternate timeline stories and the only real alternate timeline stories I have enjoyed have been Days of Future Past, Age of Apocalypse, and Kingdom Come. I have always found tales that take place in an alternate world/future to be average at best, except for the three stories I mentioned. But Mark Miller and Steve McNiven’s “Old Man Logan” story is one of the best alternate timeline stories I have read and one of my favorite stories in the past few years.
Miller and McNiven have been able to create such a compelling and textured world that it really feels like their is no hope in world. Even the heroes of the story, Logan and Hawkeye, aren’t the heroes they used to be but are two characters that are old and beaten that are only awaiting their deaths. All the people in this future world aren’t ones that think a hero will swing in and save them from the lives they live. I will be interested to see who the one in charge of this world, even though we saw his face on Mount Rushmore.
The one thing about this story that was a question mark is how in the hell did the villains break the man that is always has said, and back upped, “I am the best at what I do.” It was this part of the story that I have been having my doubts about. For the first four issue of “Old Man Logan” Miller has slowly be showing brief glimpses to Wolverine fighting all the villains. With all the build up Miller did not disappoint.
While some people saw this coming I did not. I was completely surprised in the villains were able to break/kill Wolverine. Throughout Wolverine’s fight with the villains you could feel that there is something wrong with this scenario. We all know that Wolverine is one of most feared heroes and it would probably take more than one villain to defeat Wolverine. But the way Wolverine was able to so “easily” kill all the A- and B-list villains was hard to believe even for Wolverine.
Then you hear Bullseye say “Why are you doing this? You’re supposed to be our friend…” That moment were I saw a bloodied Jubilee in Wolverines arms was simply an amazing reveal. Then to see the body of all the dead X-Men it really hits home that this would be the thing that would break Wolverine.
For all the big name villains that could have pulled this of Mysterio was the the last villain I thought Miller would use to break Wolverine. Miller pulled this off brilliantly and made a long time Spider-Man villain one seriously badass character. I don’t even think Wolverine and Mysterio have ever met before this issue, someone will have to look it up, and for Mysterio be the one to break Wolverine shows that in this world the villains really did get their act together and think how they should take out all the heroes.
Miller did a great job in with the reveal and I especially like that it was Jubilee that was the last one killed by Wolverine. Wolverine and Jubilee have always had a a father/daughter relationship. The only other relationship that Wolverine has that is that close is the one he has with Shadowcat, which was also another father/daughter relationship Wolverine had. Any parent will tell you that they will always want to die before their children because that feeling of loosing your child is something that is unbearable. And it is worse for Wolverine because not only does he hold the body of a girl he came to think of his daughter but he has to live with the fact that he killed her with his own hands.
To make things worse Wolverine does not have anyone to help him through the him being responsible for all these deaths since he basically killed everyone close to him and people who he also considered not only his friends but also his family.
With no one else in the world it is understandable Wolverine would kill himself and only leave a pacifist Logan in his place. It is understandable that the Logan that we have been reading about throughout this story would be the pacifist and would vow never to pop his claws again. It makes the journey to New Babylon a lot more interesting especially if the package they are delivering turns out to be Logan.
While I am not a big Venom fan I have to say that seeing the Venom T-Rex was a great hook ending and it is going to be interesting to see how Hawkeye and Logan will be able to escape Venom.
The real star of this issue, and this story, has been the artwork provided by Steve McNiven and Dexter Vines. Miller was smart to allow McNiven tell the story in this issue and there wasn’t a lot of dialogue in this issue. McNiven is the best when it comes to drawing character expressions and Wolverine’s expression when he finds out he killed everyone he cared about is dead was incredible and how Logan looks when telling Hawkeye telling him the story. Also the spread pages were also a sight to behold especially the scene that reveals Wolverine standing in the middle of all the dead X-Men he was responsible for killing. McNiven and Vines were just money throughout the issue with their art.
Issue Rating
Story: 10/10 – Miller did an incredible job with the reveal of why Logan is now a pacifist in a way that was realistic.
Art: 10/10 – McNiven and Vines artwork was breath taking and the art really told the story in this issue
Overall: 10/10 – This was just a fantastic issue. “Old Man Logan” continues to be a great story by Miller and McNiven that this story is certainly worth the wait.