Old Man Logan #1 Review: Killing Tomorrow

Comics that pose an interesting philosophical question are always welcome. In the case of Old Man Logan #1, it’s one that has been asked before, though not necessarily by this particular character: If you were convinced a horrifying future was on the horizon, how far would you be willing to go to stop it?

The reason writer Jeff Lemire and artist Andrea Sorrentino are able to have their title character explore this quandry is that this particular version of Logan is in a unique set of circumstances when it comes to the new, post-Secret Wars Marvel Universe. He remembers his life in the “Old Man Logan” storyline, and he possibly recalls a smidgen of Marvel’s last big event, the one that’s given him a new lease on life. But when he wakes up in the present, his past, his first thought is to prevent the future he knows from coming to pass.

What makes Old Man Logan #1 so compelling is that Lemire gives Logan a sense of urgency combined with a surprising lack of uncertainty. As far as he’s concerned, once he realizes he’s “a few years before everything went bad,” he gets right to work on his personal checklist of how to stop the villain apocalypse. Yes, it involves being the very best at what he does.

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Sandwiched in-between his grand realization and the beginning of his new mission is an extended flashback sequence set during the time of the original “Old Man Logan.” It’s here where Sorrentino’s art shines the brightest, giving the seven pages of Logan and his son Scotty trying to come to grips with life in the Wasteland and wrongs that can’t be easily righted a nightmarish quality even though they’re set under the harsh desert sun.

Once we snap back to the present, the images flow right into Logan’s hunt with a gorgeous two-page spread of this alternate Wolverine leaping between rooftops while illuminated by a lightning bolt, followed by the kind of violence you’d expect from an arc titled “Berzerker.” There’s something about the giant sound effect lettering that makes the issue’s final confrontation that much more visceral. Certainly, I can’t remember any louder “snikts” in quite some time.

Best of all, this is a book that manages to fill in the main character’s motivation while simultaneously hitting the ground running. The blurb for the next issue makes it seem that Logan’s quest is going to get complicated awfully fast, which should only make it that much more entertaining. Whether you read the original comics or not, Old Man Logan #1 offers you the beginning of a fascinating journey toward some difficult truths.

SPOILERS PAST THIS POINT!

Three Burning Questions

1. Does Logan realize that undoing the future might rob him of his family –or is it worth it to him since he also knows the horrifying fates that await his loved ones?
2. Wouldn’t it make some sense to at least try to get help from some of the present day heroes, particularly some that aren’t afraid to cross the same line he is when it comes to killing (paging Frank Castle …)?
3. If Bruce Banner is the next person he wants to kill, and Banner isn’t currently the Hulk, issue #2 is going to have one heck of a case of mistaken identity, isn’t it?

Favorite Moment

A badass image of Logan that’s also an homage to the cover of one of the most revered comics of all time — complete with Sorrentino giving the “After Miller” credit on the splash? Yeah, that works for me.