mercredi 22 février 2017

Old Man Logan Comic Book Reading Guide


Get to know Wolverine's grumpy self from the distant future.

With the movie Logan featuring an aged Wolverine, you may have heard talk of the Old Man Logan comic book. The movie isn’t a direct adaption of this comic by any means, but rather a film that was strongly inspired by it.

Check out this list of all the comics featuring Old Man Logan and what they’re about.

Old Man Logan (2008-09)
Cover by Steve McNiven. (Marvel Comics)

Cover by Steve McNiven. (Marvel Comics)

Wolverine: Old Man Logan

By writer Mark Millar & artist Steve McNiven | Marvel Comics

This is the original Old Man Logan story, eight issues collected into a graphic novel that tells a complete tale. It takes place in a future where supervillains rule the United States, the X-Men and other superheroes are gone, and Wolverine is an elderly pacifist living in isolation with a family and a healing factor that isn’t what it used to be.

We see firsthand that Wolverine is a shadow of his former self when he chooses to take a beating from one of the Hulk’s brutish, hillbilly children rather than pop his claws to defend himself. But that all changes when Hawkeye shows up on Logan’s farm asking him for getting to the other side of the country now ruled by Marvel’s worst bad guys. And thus ensues a grim road trip filled with more than a few dangerous stops. As the journey goes on, we learn more about what happened to the X-Men and why the notoriously scrappy Wolverine decided to put away his claws for good.

The series made a strong impression with its cinematic presentation, western trappings, and brutal, grisly violence. Watching the trailers for Logan, it’s easy to see how it was inspired by this comic. However, we should point out that the Old Man Logan comic makes full use of the Marvel Universe, including elements from Thor, Captain America and Spider-Man, which won’t be in the movie. New elements are being used in Logan instead, like X-23, Donald Pierce and the Reavers, so don’t expect to see those in the comic.

You could just stop reading here, as Old Man Logan tells a complete story with a beginning, middle and satisfying end. But if you're itching for some more stories about this version of Wolverine, then read on.

Old Man Logan in Secret Wars (2015)
Cover by Andrea Sorrentino. (Marvel Comics)

Cover by Andrea Sorrentino. (Marvel Comics)

Wolverine: Old Man Logan Vol. 0 - Warzones

By writer Brian Michael Bendis & artist Andrea Sorrentino | Marvel Comics

The next volume of Old Man Logan came when Marvel’s Secret Wars event shattered the Marvel multiverse and stitched the world back together made from different realities. This means the worlds of Marvel Zombies, Marvel 2099, Planet Hulk, House of M and more existed all on the same planet. Old Man Logan’s hellish future was one of these, and so we got to see grumpy, elderly Logan take a tour of the different zones and try to figure out how the heck this happened.

The first issue of this five-part mini-series shows us an emotional meeting between Logan and Emma Frost in the Old Man Logan reality, but the rest is essentially Logan traveling around getting his mind repeatedly blown as he encounters different versions of iconic Marvel characters that are long dead in his world.

It’s not much of a spoiler to say that after Secret Wars ends and the world is returned to normal, Logan finds himself in the main Marvel Universe, which leads to the next entry on our list.

Old Man Logan in the Present Marvel Universe (2016-present)

After joining the main Marvel Universe, Old Man Logan got a new ongoing comic book series by writer Jeff Lemire and artist Andrea Sorrentino that is still running today. Here’s what each volume is about.

Wolverine: Old Man Logan Vol. 1: Berzerker

Cover by Andrea Sorrentino. (Marvel Comics)

Cover by Andrea Sorrentino. (Marvel Comics)

When Old Man Logan arrives in the present day, he’s understandably confused. After finding his bearings and realizing that the horrible future of his reality has yet to occur, he decides to set out on a mission to make sure it never happens. He makes a hit-list of key villains (and heroes) that he plans to assassinate in hopes of preventing his future.

Wolverine: Old Man Logan Vol. 2: Bordertown

Cover by Andrea Sorrentino. (Marvel Comics)

Cover by Andrea Sorrentino. (Marvel Comics)

Old Man Logan had a family back in his reality, so he goes on a journey to find Maureen, the woman he would eventually marry and have children with. He winds up in the small town where she’s from, but it’s not long before Lady Deathstrike and the Reavers find him there. Considering that the real Wolverine is currently dead, having an older version him suddenly pop up out of nowhere obviously gets the attention of his greatest enemies. They want to take out Logan for good and will go through everyone in the town to get to him.

After that story ends, one extra chapter sees Jean Grey using her gifts in an attempt to help Logan deal with the looming threat of his future. The storytellers use this as an opportunity to reveal some crucial events in the war the heroes lost against the villains that weren’t covered in the original series.

Wolverine: Old Man Logan Vol. 3: The Last Ronin

Cover by Andrea Sorrentino. (Marvel Comics)

Cover by Andrea Sorrentino. (Marvel Comics)

Wolverine wakes up at the bottom of a well, only to be shot full of arrows when he climbs to the top, causing him to plummet back to the bottom. You eventually find out who put him there and why, which leads to a conflict with a new Omega-level character. We also get some flashbacks to when Logan first fell in love with Maureen and the harrowing circumstances that eventually led to them starting a family together.

What’s Next

Cover by Andrea Sorrentino. (Marvel Comics)

Cover by Andrea Sorrentino. (Marvel Comics)

The next volume of this series (Wolverine: Old Man Logan Vol. 4: Old Monsters) hits on June 13 and sees Logan team up with the monsters of the Howling Commandos to take on Dracula and save Jubilee. You can wait for the trade paperback collection or just read the single issues (Old Man Logan #14-19).

After finishing that, you’ll catch up to the current storyline (starting with Old Man Logan #20) that sees Old Man Logan go to space. Yup, space.

Other Old Man Logan Appearances

There are a few other comics where Old Man Logan pops up, so be sure to read these if you want the full experience.

Fantastic Four: World’s Greatest

Cover by Bryan Hitch. (Marvel Comics)

Cover by Bryan Hitch. (Marvel Comics)

By writer Mark Millar & artist Bryan Hitch | Marvel Comics

Even though this was written before Old Man Logan was published, this story takes place afterward and features Logan (now going by The Hooded Man) and the Hulk’s fully grown son teaming up with The New Defenders.

Fantastic Force

Cover by Bryan Hitch. (Marvel Comics)

Cover by Bryan Hitch. (Marvel Comics)

By writer Joe Ahearne & artist Steve Kurth | Marvel Comics

And if you want even more of that team, you can check out this continuation from 2009, now called Fantastic Force, although it’s admittedly hard to find as it’s not on Comixology. The team features Old Man Logan/The Hooded Man, Banner, Lightwave, Natalie X, Psionics, and Alex Ultron.

Extraordinary X-Men

Cover by Humberto Ramos. (Marvel Comics)

Cover by Humberto Ramos. (Marvel Comics)

By writer Jeff Lemire & artist Humberto Ramos | Marvel Comics

Logan is eventually convinced by young Jean Grey to join the main X-Men squad in the pages of Extraordinary X-Men. The story doesn’t explore Old Man Logan with the same depth as the solo series, but if you want to see him fighting on a team led by Storm along with Jean, Colossus, Nightcrawler, and Magick, then you’ll want to check this out. Start with Extraordinary X-Men, Vol. 1: X-Haven.

All-New Wolverine

Cover by Bengal. (Marvel Comics)

Cover by Bengal. (Marvel Comics)

By writer Tom Taylor & artist Ig Guara | Marvel Comics

With the real Wolverine dead, Laura Kinney aka X-23 has taken over as the all-new Wolverine. This volume of her solo series sees her cross paths with Old Man Logan, which also acts as a tie-in to the big Civil War II event. This takes place in All-New Wolverine, Vol. 2: Civil War II.

Civil War II

Cover by David Marquez. (Marvel Comics)

Cover by David Marquez. (Marvel Comics)

By writer Brian Michael Bendis & artist David Marquez | Marvel Comics

We don’t want to spoil why it happens, but there is a short scene in Civil War II #7 that concerns Old Man Logan and his world, so be sure to read this if you want to be an Old Man Logan completionist.

Joshua is IGN’s Comics Editor. If Pokemon, Green Lantern, or Game of Thrones are frequently used words in your vocabulary, you’ll want to follow him on Twitter @JoshuaYehl and IGN.

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