It’s been a long and enjoyable run with our adamantium-laced, grey-haired grump. Dead Man Logan #1 starts the final leg of his story. With the original Wolverine back in action, it was only a matter of time.
***SPOILERS LIE AHEAD***
Writer Ed Brisson picks up the story right where it left off in the conclusion of Old Man Logan. We begin with the aftermath of our hero’s fight with Maestro, both of them getting scraped off of the ground.
Once Logan gets his bearings, we’re given a twelve-month (and twelve-issue) timeline to work with before the old man bites the dust. It’s a blast to see him start to cross the last few things off of his bucket list. Hunting down Mysterio leads us to another confrontation with another handful of villains at the Bar With No Name. Artist Mike Henderson puts on a show in the action sequences.
Miss Sinister almost steals the show in a brutal showing of strength, taking out Tarantula even after he didn’t snitch. Her involvement in this story makes it all the more exciting.
Especially when Sinister meets up with Quentin Beck. Catching up with a retired and broken Mysterio gives us a brief glimpse at the post-supervillain life that we don’t see very often. Brisson has a great voice for Beck, who’s tired of getting beat by all times of web-slingers.
Brisson gives us another great Logan and Hawkeye team-up, calling back to the original duo’s time in the Mark Millar Old Man Logan that started it all. Their digs at each other are enjoyable, Logan’s being especially grumpy.
As the plot develops further, we’re treated to a delightful extraction of information out of another patient that saw what happened to Quentin. Brisson has a knack for these little time-outs where we take a breather and just have fun with these ridiculous characters meeting an unreasonable human.
Mike Henderson’s artwork is fantastic, there’s just one problem – the tone. We’ve grown accustomed to some great art in this era of Old Man Logan comics, and there was a certain tone of darkness throughout. Henderson’s work is beautiful, but it’s a tad light for the finale of such a character.
It may even just be a personal preference of my own, but the more youthful look to Logan in this issue doesn’t help sell that he’s preparing to close up shop. Even still, Henderson’s pencils and layouts are a joy to gaze at. It also helps that Logan has all his lingering battle damage to constantly remind us of the meat grinder he’s been through since joining our timeline.
Aside from Logan, every other character flourishes with Henderson’s art. His lighter, cartoon-ier edge lends a hand to the chaos and interactions. This art style elevates the supporting cast and masks the odd tone for our protagonist.
Dead Man Logan #1 has it’s tonal issues, but it’s a complete package otherwise. The cliffhanger ups the stakes for our heroes, and there’s even an obituary for the Logan family attached to the end. Forge discovering the Wasteland timeline that Logan comes from promises to be juicy (I bet Logan’s family is alive because comics).
Whether you’re ready to say goodbye to grumpy Logan yet or not, this final chapter of his story looks to be a satisfying and fitting end. Dead Man Logan respects the characters and stories that came before. Where the issues are with Logan in the art, there is strength to literally every other character.
