Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ

What did you think of Wolverine: Old Man Logan? If you've read any other Wolverine comics, how did you think it compared? If you've seen the movie "Logan," which version of the Old Man Logan character do you prefer?

This month's BotM episode will be recorded on August 27th. Tune in to the IRCB Podcast on Wednesday, August 30th to hear our discussion of this book. If it's ok to read your comments on the show, please include "OK TO AIR" in your post!

OK TO AIR

I have actually read this twice in 2017 for a book club and also for before watching Logan.
I really enjoyed this story, I think the team of Millar and McNiven were way ahead of their time to where they wanted to take this story.
I am always surprised at the amount of Violence and graphic imagery that they were allowed to portray, and i feel that although it fits the story it is not something Marvel might allow today, (at least without including a PARENTAL ADVISORY warning)
Millar is great at world building an McNiven brings his vision to the page very adeptly.
I always recommend this to any Wolverine fans

I actually think Old Man Logan as a concept is much better than the actual story Millar ended up telling. I've always considered the original Old Man Logan story to be kind of a bloated mess, wonky fan-fiction kind of stuff that plays fast and loose with one guy's ideas about a lot of Marvel characters (and does a real disservice to Hulks both He and She). The main story thread is a heavy rip-off of Clint Eastwood's "Unforgiven" with the whole "I've settled down with a loving woman and changed my killin' ways" vibe. Protecting them kicks the story off, their deaths provide the catalyst for the perverse revenge schtick at the end. It all seems cheap, grotesque and juvenile to me. That being said, what James Mangold and Hugh Jackman did with it in "Logan"--turning it into an elegaic '70s-style bleak character study and a meditation on mortality, legacy, and the search for meaning in a chaotic world, was goddamn beautiful. It's not just the best X-men film, or the best comic book film, it's a deeply profound and beautiful movie exploding with heart and soul and truth in a way that Millar's graphic novel never even grazed with its claw-tips. Likewise, the use of the Old Man Logan character over in the Marvel 616 Universe has been an interesting exploration of the character, especially in a world where his younger "self" is dead and X-23 is the main Wolverine in the big show. So while I'm not a fan of this book, I do give credit to what it inspired in more thoughtful and expansive storytellers.

OKAY TO AIR
Note: I have been reading comics in earnest for about a year and, prior to this, have read exactly one X-Men book (X-Men Gold #1) so� yeah� there is a good chance I have no idea what the hell I’m talking about!

This book is bonkers! It really laid bare how woefully uninformed I am regarding the Marvel Universe. Does Wolverine regularly call people “Bub�? I thought the Hulk was a good guy? The Hulk’s kids are cannibals??? What the holy hell is going on!?!?

Overall, the story arc(s) felt rushed and, oftentimes, incomplete. For instance, the chapter (issue?) involving Hawkeye’s spider-daughter (what?) just sort of� ended. Wolverine drove the Spidey Mobile (what?) through two buildings (while dragging Hawkeye by the arm) then just moseyed along to the next town. I was on board right up until Hawkeye was shot between the eyes by Pudgy Hitler. After that, it felt like things really went off the rails.

The art is fantastic. Evidently, I am a Steve McNiven fan. I recently completed Guardians of the Galaxy, Volume 1: Cosmic Avengers and really dug his artwork on that project. The artwork throughout Wolverine: Old Man Logan is incredibly detailed. McNiven does a wonderful job creating extremely expressive facial expression (is that redundant?) with an incredible attention to detail.

Based on the first two-thirds of the story along with the gorgeous art throughout, I’ll give this one a 3 out of 5 Popping Claws (yeah, that’s what they called ‘em!).

Ryan wrote: "OKAY TO AIR
Note: I have been reading comics in earnest for about a year and, prior to this, have read exactly one X-Men book (X-Men Gold #1) so� yeah� there is a good chance I have no idea what th..."

Your description of this book makes me even more interested in reading it. Thanks for sharing!

Ok to Air

I don't have the deepest attachment or reading knowledge of the X-Men lore. It's something that I've always wanted to catch up on, but invariably got distracted with something else. So, I was excited to read Old Man Logan.

The story itself is a really great concept and for the most part was executed well. Millar takes simple problems (as one character said there was like 30 to 40 super villians to every super hero) and simply says "What happens if for one unfortunate period, they fight together?" More than likely, Millar's interpretation isn't far from what would happen.

Millar's writing is always very clear and potable. You know what you are going to get. However, I did have a few problems with the book. I thought the use of the Spider Mobile was incredibly lazy. It really was so horribly convenient of a device as to say "Well of course you would drive the mobile through buildings and have it show no signs of distress. We are trying to advance the story."

The other major problem that I had was, wouldn't it have been much more satisfying for Wolverine to defeat Mysterio, rather than Red Skull? I understand that he needed the Iron Man suit to get home, but I feel like that was a huge detail that just went unattended.

At the end of the day, if you like X-Men and Wolverine, you are going to like this book. In general I enjoyed the book too. But, like any action movie or story there plot holes that if exposed can just really dilute the story. I'd recommend the book to anyone, but it's not a book I'm chomping at the bit to pick up again.

I also read this in anticipation of Logan being released.

I really loved this story in the comics. The world that the team created was very interesting to me and the personalities of Logan and Hawkeye are always at their best when bouncing off someone else. But in this case, I think I liked the movie version a little more.

I thought I would've been very upset if I didn't see the live action fallout of Wolverine's actions caused by *SPOILER*, but how they did it in the movie carried so much more weight and was incredibly grounded, in a mutant-world kid of way.

However, the book was fantastic. I'm a huge fan of the western time period in any story as well, so this fit in very well.

I'd recommend this book to almost anyone.

OK TO AIR

The idea of putting Wolverine in a spaghetti western is a good one - Logan always had that squinty-eyed Clint Eastwood vibe around him: a solitary man of few words who kept his emotions in check but when unleashed, the carnage was usually complete and horrific.

Essentially Old Man Logan was one long build up to that final ejaculation of violence and revenge. The fact that it took a special giant size final issue to contain it underscored how that was the story's central focus - what it would look like when Wolverine releases 50 years of bottled rage and guilt in one grand snikt.

Millar does a good job in building anticipation with lots of interesting What If style moments and subplots to an Ennio Morricone soundtrack. Not to mention, lots of inside jokes and shocking, eye-bulging revelations.

It was a tight and methodical story that hit all the plot points you would expect to see in a story like this, laid out much like the map connecting the dots at the beginning of each issue. It served as a slow burning fuse that burns bright until that final issue.

Millar certainly keeps us entertained along the way. Slowly unveiling the fate of many heroes from the hero/villain war was a high point for me. Pym Pass? Nice. The story doesn't get bogged down with much character development (nor should we expect it) and I consumed each issue with vigor waiting to see what twists and revelations would come next.

A fun evening read that made me realize that Logan and William Munny from Unforgiven would have made great drinking partners.