Logan is dead. Of course, Wolverine is no more, but more specifically Old Man Logan is no more either. Ed Brisson and Mike Henderson’s Dead Man Logan series allowed the character to go out about as perfectly as one might hope, setting the stage for a new generation of heroes in his future where America is a wasteland. The final act of their story is collected this week in Dead Man Logan Vol. 2: Welcome Back, Logan, a 138-page trade paperback collecting Dead Man Logan #7 through #12.
This book opens with Logan walking up to a bunch of hicks in the Wastelands. He ends up in a scuffle and they quickly end up with fewer limbs. He goes on a rampage across the Wastelands, which allows the creative team to show us a few colorful references to familiar moments in Marvel history–like an Absorbing Man gang–to help us get acclimated to this strange future. Soon he’s teaming up with those he left behind, namely baby Hulk and Dani Cage. It has been eight years since he left for the 616 and they’re not happy. Soon, however, Sabretooth is on their heels–and sporting a Frankenstein’s monster look–and the chase is on. Brisson and Henderson do a good job getting us into the narrative so that they can then do some good character work on Logan and Dani in particular.
Sinister needs to lay off the carbs.
Credit: Marvel Comics
It’s fun to see how the team has taken these characters forward eight years. We get to check in with other heroes like Forge, and there’s a surprising turn for a certain New Warriors character you won’t want to miss. Dani ends up being the most intriguing, which is maybe why she’s getting a new series in 2020 with Avengers of the Wastelands. Brisson makes me a believer in that series thanks to the good work he does setting up Dani, Hulk, and Ant-Man here.
Beyond this, the creative team has given Logan the ending he deserves. He gets to fight Sabretooth for the last time, gets the forgiveness from Dani and Hulk he earned and has a final moment of peace on top of all that. We also get further color on characters in this universe too. Somewhat surprisingly, that makes this less Logan’s story and more of a Wastelands tale. Given this character originated from a richly developed world by Mark Millar and Steve McNiven, that feels like the right call.
Eat claw, baby!
Credit: Marvel Comics
Art by Henderson is great, especially when the action kicks into gear. There’s a moment where Logan literally blows a character to pieces with his claws and it’s awesome stuff. Forge’s futuristic base and his gizmos look as they should in a desert wasteland with little respite, and I do adore how he’s made baby Hulk a chubby teenager who is a bit disconnected from those around him. Nolan Woodard chooses a color palette that’s a bit subdued and grounded in browns and muted colors. Nothing is too bright, as if there’s a layer of dust over everything. I also love how he’s made Logan so pale, as pale as death. The brightest thing in this book is the Hulk Killer which is bright pink, but that seems to be to serve as an opposite to the green Hulk.
I ended up trade waiting for this book and I’m happy to report it’s well worth a look. While it delivers an ending for Logan that is fitting, it actually does an excellent job setting up future stories in the Wasteland starting January 29th with Avengers of the Wastelands.
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