By Mark Millar (Writer), Steve McNiven (Pencils), Dexter Vines w/Mark Morales (Inks), and Morry Hollowell (Colors)
Some Thoughts Before The Review: I’ll be honest and admit that I’m pretty torn about the conclusion of Old Man Logan before even reading a single page of it. Why? The $4.99 price tag.
The Story: Logan gets revenge against the Hulk clan…
What’s Good: As far as violent, brutal confrontations go, Logan’s strike against the members of the Hulk family is top-notch. The blood flies early and often as Logan’s rage is let out in full force. It’s entertaining as hell and suitably epic from start to finish.
While Mark Millar tosses in some cool dialogue here and there (“People piss themselves when I get angry.”), the majority of Giant-Size Old Man Logan is almost entirely a showcase for the talent of Steve McNiven and his art team. McNiven’s pencils are nearly flawless and do an excellent job of detailing the carnage that Logan unleashes. Simply put, the gore is something to see for those that like it bloody. Also, thanks to Morry Hollowell’s colors and the inking done by Dexter Vines and Mark Morales, nothing gets lost in all the chaos. Everything pops off the page in a way that really shows what McNiven is capable of.
The action is what you should buy Giant Size Logan for, but that doesn’t mean that action is all the book has to offer. Mark Millar wraps his tale up rather well and leaves the door wide open for more exploration of the universe that he’s created. In addition, a few of the slower moments of Giant-Size Old Man Logan deliver what I like to call “poster-worthy moments,” courtesy of Steve McNiven and his team. Wolverine staring at the Hulk kids, claws out… quite badass and iconic if you ask me.
What’s Not So Good: The biggest problem I have with Giant-Size Old Man Logan is how quickly it’s over. For $4.99, the comic is one hell of a fast read. Sure it’s pretty satisfying and damn impressive looking as a whole, but the extra padding that is supposed to help justify the price tag (cover images and pencil/ink work) just simply isn’t worth the extra buck.
Another complaint I have is that, occasionally, Steve McNiven’s storytelling seems to be a bit off. There’s either a jump in the action or the panel/page is a bit hard to follow. The best example of what I’m talking about comes when something tears through members of Hulk’s family. I’m still not entirely sure exactly what takes place in that scene or even how that scene came to be.
Conclusion: The great-looking Giant-Size Old Man Logan definitely caps Millar’s Wolverine arc well. That said, I’m not entirely convinced it’s worth the price tag. Check it out, but just be aware that, outside of the visuals, you aren’t getting as much as you might think for your five bucks.
Grade: B
-Kyle Posluszny
Filed under: Marvel Comics, Reviews Tagged: | Bruce Banner, Dexter Vines, Disney, Giant Size Old Man Logan, Giant-Size Old Man Logan #1 Review, Hawkeye, Hulk, Kyle Posluszny, Mark Millar, Mark Morales, Marvel Comics, Morry Hollowell, Old Man Logan, olverine: Old Man Logan Giant-Size #1, olverine: Old Man Logan Giant-Size 1 review, Steve McNiven, WCBR, Weekly Comic Book Review, weeklycomicbookreview.com, Wolverine, X-Men
I totally agree with you on that point Daniel. That said, i really don’t feel as though the bonus stuff alone is enough to justify the price bump.
-Kyle
A positive side to the sketchbook and cover material (besides that they look cool) is that it essentially saves me the trouble of buying the TPB. It felt like a gimme to to those singles readers who can’t wait for the trade.