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Old Man Logan #31 Review

Comic Books

Old Man Logan #31 Review

Logan goes to Japan where he slices and dices. So what else is new?!

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Old Man Logan is an interesting series, even if Marvel has revealed the original 616 Logan is back in action. Ed Brisson and Michael Deodato Jr. are making magic with this one. It has a gritty look and a gruff, no-nonsense Logan charging forward.

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So what’s it about?

The official summary reads:

Old Man Logan – the man who was Wolverine – is up against a foe like no other…the Hand! Logan’s past comes back to haunt him when a former love drags him into battle with the Hand, who have bolstered their forces like never before. Just when things couldn’t get any worse, Logan encounters the mysterious Scarlet Samurai! Will Logan be able to discover who she is and take down the Hand?

Why does this matter?

If you’ve ever liked Wolverine you’re probably going to like this series. Though he may not be the 616 version he’s still got that chip on his shoulder after years of battle and history. That history includes Japan, which is the new location set up in this brand new story arc.

Fine, you have my attention. What’s good about it?

Old Man Logan #31 Review
Sweet opening page.

Logan embarks on a new mission this week as Ed Brisson kicks off “Scarlet Samurai” part 1, dropping the character in Japan to face off against all sorts of baddies. It seems like a running joke at this point that Logan wants some peace and quiet yet always seems to get the opposite. Brisson opens this issue with Logan walking down the street minding his own business when a bar fight sends a man through a window. This is when Logan discovers these gang members aren’t just assholes — they’re super powered assholes! Something fishy is going on with healing factors in Japan and Logan is probably the best man for the job given his own personal relationship with the power.

This plot allows Deodato Jr. to draw Logan carving up many bad guys as he does some detective work the way only Logan knows how (walk into an ambush, cut your way out!). There are some great bits of action and violence in this issue with limbs flying off and if you’re interested in massive amounts of ninjas on a page you will be delighted by this issue. I really dig how he draws the claws coming out of Logan’s hands too, making the metal look like thick slabs that are highly dangerous. The book is set at night which adds to the gritty nature of Deodato Jr.’s art and he continues to use symmetrical layout designs that are pleasing to the eye.

As is customary for Logan, he’s also getting involved in something way bigger than he could imagined. Brisson lays out the political side of things well with Silver Samurai leading the charge as the heavy of the issue. It’s interesting how this character has a souped-up tech suit, but I’m not well versed enough in the character to know if this is new or not. Either way, Brisson does a good job fleshing out this character and the villains he faces in the shadows.

Old Man Logan #31 Review
Damn, those claws look cool.

It can’t be perfect can it?

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Dropping Logan in Japan is all well and good, but it’s not made clear why he’s here. I didn’t read the last issue, so that’s egg on my face if it was explained there, but there’s no reason given here. I guess we should just roll with it, much like Logan rolls with this adventure nobody asked him to go on. The theme of Logan mucking up bad guy plans simply because he starts to sniff things out due to boredom is a well-tracked plot device, but it does seem a bit weak here. There’s not enough purpose to his mission just yet aside from the goal of stopping bad guys because that’s what he does.

Is It Good?

After a rousing story arc involving Old Man Logan and a gang of Hulks, it seems fitting Brisson takes this character to Japan. He’s sure to turn up interesting things tied to his past and kick samurai ass. Old Man Logan is the grittiest portrayal of the character in years.

Old Man Logan #31 Review
Old Man Logan #31
Is it good?
A solid start to a Japan-focused story.
Excellent gritty art style with some crazy violence too
Silver Samurai is well written. I like this dude!
The villains are just the right amount of evil
Right now there's nothing personal to Logan's mission which makes the entire thing seem a bit empty
Why is Logan in Japan?
9
Great

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