Marvel Comics
Wolverine is back and dying again, and this time, it's probably for good. Writer Ed Brisson continues his run on the now-finished Old Man Logan series, ending his time with Wolverine in the potentially spoilery title Dead Man Logan. The Wolverine from the alternate future is now tracking Mysterio, the villain who fooled Logan's mind and forced him to murder the entire superhuman community.
The first issue picks up where Old Man Logan #50 left off, but instead of dwelling on the recent past, Dead Man Logan moves forward to the next thing, not wasting any time to set up Logan's mission, major players, and motivations with a final page that reveals a familiar threat. For a story about an old man trying to avenge the death of superheroes he was forced to kill, the first issue has some fun moments thanks to some lighthearted moments with supporting characters Glob and Hawkeye. Even Wolverine's scene with the psychiatric hospital patient is a nice break from Logan's darkness.
Marvel Comics
Deadpool Vs. Old Man Logan artist Mike Henderson knows how to ramp up the tension with a single panel. There's an early brawl scene in a bar and Henderson does a great job showing us Wolverine's way of fighting a crowd of thugs by crafting the scene in a double-page, with Logan moving across from left to right, hitting villains down as he goes. Henderson's emphasis on emptiness shows in a scene when Wolverine meets Hawkeye in an abandoned warehouse. There's also a sense of desolation in a scene with Forge, and it looks like Dead Man Logan will explore more of Forge's story that the Old Man Logan series didn't get the chance to reveal.
Marvel Comics
Dead Man Logan #1 is a good start for a 12-issue series, and while it's hard to know why we need another series to conclude Old Man Logan's tale at this point, it's good to see how the series is tying into the character's beginnings without being dragged by the character's grim future (or past?). With only a few months to live, it looks like Logan's tragic fate is already written, but I'm hoping that the rest of the story won't be a predictable drag. Hopefully, the opening issue's lighthearted moments would reflect the ending of Logan's story. Ed Brisson, who's also one of the writers of the ongoing Uncanny X-Men, is expanding Old Man Logan's tale with a strong start by clearly showing us the main conflict but even with Henderson's well-paced action scenes, I can't help but feel the barren possibilities of Logan's future.
Dead Man Logan #1 is now available.
Published by Marvel Comics
Written by Ed Brisson
Art by Mike Henderson
Cover by Declan Shalvey