Hey, everyone, jrpbsp here… It is going to be a full week of reviews, I might even have to postpone one or two until next week. So starting with a bang, here’s the conclusion to ‘Old Man Logan’.  Hope you enjoy it.

Giant Size Wolverine: Old Man Logan
(preview | thread)
Writer: Mark Millar
Penciler: Steve McNiven
Inker: Dexter Vines & Mark Morales

SPOILERS BELOW…

RECAP: The issue opens with two of the Hulk clan washing the blood of Logan’s family off them and discussing cannibalism and the movie they are going to watch that night. In a flash one of them is in pieces and as his kin looks around, he is taken down by Wolverine from the water.

Three more of the country behemoths are enjoying some booze and flesh in Stark’s bar. The lights go out suddenly and one of them is dead. By the time his family gets a light going, Logan is ready to take them down as well.

Another trio are out celebrating with prostitutes. When they emerge from the house Logan is standing there with claws popped ready for them.

At Banner’s lair the rest of the brood are gathered. Bruce himself waits confidently for Wolverine to arrive. One of the Hulk clan’s transports slams into the trailers outside of Banner’s cave and riding it is Beau, one of the Hulks from the whorehouse who is wired to a massive amount of explosive.

Before the rest of the family can recover from the explosion, Logan is among them killing with abandon. When they are all dead, Wolverine goes to the cave and calls out Banner who attacks in human form.

Treating it like sport, Bruce batters Logan around even swinging a cow at the mutant. But Logan is not there for games and slices up Bruce forcing him to change into his alter ego, the Hulk.

Hulk snatches up Wolverine and eats him. Hours later the last surviving member of the Hulk clan, Billy-Bob arrives home to find only Banner and baby Bruce left alive. The Hulk is convinced that they can start again but is soon overwhelmed by stomach cramps. Falling to his knees in pain, Logan explodes out of Bruce’s back.

A month later Logan has tended to his family and is preparing to leave. There is nothing left for him but memories but he now has a mission to free this land from villains. He says goodbye to the folks of his town and rides off into the sunset with baby Bruce on his back.

MY TAKE: This was a fun issue filled with blood and explosions and revenge, basically everything you need to make a big summer blockbuster. Unfortunately, it also contained plenty of the plot holes and inconsistencies that plague those same movies but so long as you do not want to think too much, you can really enjoy it.

This is not to say that I did not like the comic because I definitely did. The story is fast paced and exciting, and Millar has made the villains so loathsome and heinous that you root for them to die in horrible ways. And they do. It makes for a very quick read since you are constantly turning the pages to see how each batch of Hulks gets killed. The ending is satisfyingly vicious and you are glad that Logan gets his revenge and is back on the right path.

If you do not read it quickly, however, you start to notice some pretty serious plot holes. For example how does a poor farmer that cannot even pay his rent get his hands on what must have been a metric ton of plastic explosive? The scene is effective of course and I understand wanting to use an explosion but it does not make sense.

Another example is how Logan still has his adamantium skeleton after being eaten. Sure the Hulk could have swallowed it whole but I do not see why he would. After all he would then have to try and pass it later and that would be truly unpleasant.

The worse one to me was the inclusion of Banner Jr. as a child. While I certainly appreciate trying to tie the series to Fantastic Force’s Hooded Man, those heroes are from thousands of years beyond Old Man Logan. We see that the Hulk’s age so even if the child could survive that long he would not appear so young. It was this that pulled me out of the story the most, although people not familiar with Fantastic Force probably would not even notice.

But those are all minor quibbles. What the issue lacks in plot and characterization it more then makes up for in fun and excitement. It makes for a fitting and blood-soaked end to the plot line and it is what we have been waiting for more than a year to see. Logan finally getting mad. I, for one, was not disappointed.

Thanks for reading my review for Wolverine Files. I will be keeping to this format for the most part but please keep the comments coming and I will see everyone again next time.