In 2008 the excellent Old Man Logan by Mark Millar was released. Becoming totally cult, this comic has notably inspired Logan, the film by James Mangold. Since the Secret Wars event, old Logan has joined the classic Marvel Universe, replacing his namesake who died some time ago in the Death of Wolverine comics, some elements of which were also taken over in Logan. The character has seduced readers, so much so that Jeff Lemire has taken over the character to make a new saga, started since the end of 2016.
The Return of Wolverine
Since Wolverine is dead, the writers decided to replace the clawed mutant with other clawed mutants. In addition to the presence of X-23, a new Wolverine who is none other than Logan's son in the Ultimate universe, Old Man Logan is also back. Because of the events of Secret Wars, the Marvel universe currently has three Wolverines.
Jeff Lemire's story begins in the aftermath of Secret Wars. Wolverine is catapulted into the present after making his introduction in Old Man Logan Secret Wars (a parallel and complementary story). Old Logan will seek to protect the future. In the first Old Man Logan, the story takes place in a post-apocalyptic world in which supervillains have killed all the heroes and dominate the world. Hulk killed Logan's family, which awakened the Wolverine in him. When Logan is back in the present, he will seek to eliminate the individuals who are causing the destruction of the world and his family. On his list appear The Butcher, Hulk, or Red Skull. He also searches for Hawkeye, his partner in Old Man Logan, for help.
This new Old Man Logan retains the elements of Mark Millar by going regularly in the past. The flashbacks allow a return to the future, in the universe of Old Man Logan, which is none other than his past. These elements make it possible to vary the tone and the scenery. Jeff Lemire contrasts a New York urban setting with the desert universe of Old Man Logan. Exciting, these two places give rhythm and connect the two stories.
A painful loss of reference
But Logan is not at the end of his surprises and must readapt to a modern world. Some elements differ with his memories. And it starts when Logan bumps into Katherine "Kate" Elizabeth Bishop, the second Hawkeye. The latter will help him in his quest but will quickly realize that Logan is disconnected from reality, inhabited by a thirst for revenge, without knowing if his opponents are from the same reality as Old Man Logan. He's going to open his eyes when he goes to confront the Hulk. Just when Logan thought he was running into Bruce Banner, he confronts Amadeus Cho, the new Hulk. This inaccuracy makes him doubtful.
Eventually Logan will meet his own double, the Wolverine of the first reality, dead covered in pure adamantium. Aimlessly, in a hostile world that he does not recognize, Logan will wander, as in his painful youth, before falling on the X-Men. Has it come full circle?
This new saga, which does not reach the power of the original, remains entertaining and exciting as this old Logan is interesting. Old Man Logan by Jeff Lemire, it's just beginning.
