By Mark Millar (Writer), Steve McNiven (Pencils), Dexter Vines & Mark Morales (Inks), and Morry Hollowell & Justin Ponsor (Colors)
Some Thoughts Before The Review: Simply put, Wolverine #70 is, in many ways, a make or break point for the entire “Old Man Logan” arc. While I’ve enjoyed the slow burn storytelling, the unique setting, and the rather fresh take on Wolverine, I’m ready for some answers. And considering that the entire storyline is based around the “What If?” styled premise of Logan being a pacifistic farmer, there had better be a damn good reason behind the berserker’s rather unique (taking his past into account) new lifestyle choice. The ball is firmly in Mark Millar’s court. Time to find out if he can deliver something that finally makes the fundamental concept of “Old Man Logan” truly satisfying.
The Story: How much can I really say without spoiling the surprise? In Wolverine #70, Mark Millar finally reveals the reasoning behind Logan’s decision to keep his claws inside for over fifty years. As you probably guessed, the reasoning involves lots of bloodshed and general brutality.
What’s Good: While I have a few complaints about the big reveal, the good definitely outweighs the bad throughout the entire issue of the latest “Old Man Logan” chapter. And the credit for that goes almost entirely to Steve McNiven and his team. The action during the big flashback is brutal, visceral, violent, and extremely satisfying; thanks to the outstanding and surprisingly memorable visuals. It goes a long way towards making up for the rather simplistic story by keeping the reader engaged enough so that the focus is more on the ride than the details. I know that sort of sounds like a negative, but it actually works in the book’s favor quite a bit if you think of the arc as the comic equivalent of a bombastic blockbuster/popcorn flick.
What’s Not So Good: I know that more than a few people are going to take issue with the explanation for Logan’s pacifism. And in all honesty, I don’t think I can blame anyone that does. Long story short, the whole plan the villains use against Wolverine just doesn’t stand up to scrutiny all that well. In addition, the chaos that results from the plan seems to ignite far too easily considering all the factors that seem to be at play. I could go into a bit more detail about why the events are frustrating to me, but I could end up spoiling something. And I wouldn’t want to do that.
Conclusion: Wolverine #70 rocks as long as you don’t think about it too hard. That said, in regards to the grade, I still have to acknowledge the lingering disappointment that exists in the wake of the big reveal. My suggestion? Just open it up, soak in the bloody visuals, and enjoy the ride…
Grade: C+
-Kyle Posluszny
Filed under: Reviews, Marvel Comics Tagged: | Steve McNiven, X-Men, Marvel Comics, Mark Millar, Justin Ponsor, Wolverine, X-Men, Dexter Vines, Mark Morales, Hawkeye, Reviews, Old Man Logan, Morry Hollowell, Violent, comic reviews, Old Man Logan Chapter 5, Wolverine #70 Review, Villains, Bloody, Brutal, Pacifism
I try not to grade comics as a full arc…Sure the story is a lot of fun, but as a single issue Wolverine #70 was a bit weak. It had a sort of “check your logic at the door” feel that left me feeling the whole reveal could have played out better.
-Kyle
completely agree with this chap. C+ is bullshit. not a perfect story arc but its not to far off
C+? Thats a joke of grade right?
Wolverine is a weapon, as he was made to be – so the villain’s using Wolverine as such a weapon is a damn good plan. The plan went off without a hitch – the Villain’s know time after time again, that the good guys NEVER kill. The good guys are procrastinators, and as such if one of their own goes rogue, of course they would hesitate. Of all the good guys, Wolverine is one of the few that run head first into fights with his instincts blazing and blood lust rage up – so no wonder he cut through the xmen team so efficiently.
What did you expect? Sunshine and roses? Wolverine can’t kill himself, so a broken Wolverine that has to live with his sorrow represents the old man logan as we see. Hence the pacifism.
Also the chain of events that erupted, and the chaos makes total sense. One of the worlds biggest and best super hero teams are GONE. Judging by how many more super villains there are to super heroes it makes sense that they won. Who knows if Mysterio did the same trick to the other super hero teams too?
The important thing is that we follow logan’s narrative, a man who is stricken with grief, disbelief, guilt … thats the theme of the whole book. We take for granted heroes die when we see the broken protagonist.