Volume 57: Wolverine: Old Man Logan

Wolverine: Old Man Logan

Author: Mark Millar | Illustrator: Steve McNiven

"The past only hurts if we let it catch up with us."

Wolverine has survived multiple horrific injuries over the years, but he's not immortal. A bullet might not kill him but old age likely will because the passing of time is more deadly than lead from a gun.

Time is also a great pacifier. Old Man Logan begins fifty years after a cataclysmic battle saw the heroes lose their fight against evil. With no one left to oppose the tyranny, the world changed. Wolverine changed. He's bub'd but he hasn't snikt'd in almost half a century. The combative Wolverine is gone; only Logan remains.

The detritus of the past is a constant reminder that he failed, so he removes himself from the larger arena, partially easing the numb pain he feels. But nothing lasts forever (he knows that better than anyone), so when an old 'friend' offers an opportunity that'll enable Logan to extend his current situation, he has to take it seriously.

Millar loves movies. If you've read his work before, then you'll know that already. The book is a road trip that's influenced by the American Western movie; specifically Clint Eastwood's Unforgiven (1992). Like Unforgiven's William Munny, Logan retains the practical attitude he's always had but his focus has shifted to more personal concerns.

Millar also loves action scenes, so there's no shortage of those either. Amazingly, up until the final chapter he finds an almost perfect balance between the two things. The absurd nature of the post-hero world helps the more fantastical aspects of the story seem less at odds with the more introspective, quiet moments. The battle within the titular anti-hero remains of primary importance.

I'm not going to reveal who Logan's companion on the journey is, but will say he has a chequered past, so we're never quite sure of his real agenda. All we know for certain is that both men have very different personalities and that sooner or later the animalistic presence inside of Logan will be called upon to decide if his contentedness is more valuable to him than his morality.

The last chapter goes OTT, it's the kind of thing I normally associate with Millar, but everything prior to that is him restrained and his work is all the better for it.

A great story deserves a great artist. Steve McNiven's depiction of the old, hardened ex-heroes is fantastic. He's equally as good at evoking serenity as he is at framing explosive drama.

The book collects together Wolverine #66-72; and Wolverine: Giant-Size Old Man Logan.

Verdict:

Volume 56: Thunderbolts: Faith in Monsters

Thunderbolts: Faith in Monsters

Author: Warren Ellis  |  Illustrator: Mike Deodato Jr.

"Maybe killing as fast as he creates makes me God's only friend."

I expected Thunderbolts to be just as bland as most of the other team-based crossovers, perhaps even more so because of the gimmicky nature of it, but it turned out to be a pleasant surprise.

They're a super-villain strike force employed by the government to apprehend the remaining post-Civil War unregistered superheroes.

Each of the members is forced into the contract, but each will also eventually profit from inclusion; they're getting what they want, just not straight away. Until then, taking down rogue superheroes and getting paid for it is something they enjoy. So right from the start we have a situation that's a double-edged sword for everyone involved, the desperate employers and the dastardly employees.

The highlight of the book is Bullseye, the long-time thorn in Daredevil's side. Killing is an art form for Bullseye, one that he takes great pride in – but only if the subject deserves his special attentions; he'll commit multiple civilian murders but they don't sate him the same way. It would've been easy to have him always upfront, to have him lead the strikes, but instead Ellis keeps him in the background, and in so doing keeps him deadly and secretive, serving the narrative much better than he probably would otherwise.

Like Bullseye, the remainder of the team have no real loyalty to the cause or to each other. They have personal agendas that they indulge when the situations allow, and most recognise that discrediting the public's heroes is as important as capturing them.

Because we're on the darker side of the fence, the content is more adult in tone. Mistrust, selfish actions, violence for its own sake, and even references to casual sex are all treated as everyday occurrences.

There are times when it has to forego interesting character work in order to satisfy fans of explosive action, but the biggest flaw in the book isn't in its compromises, it's that the page count ends before the story does - what we get is just half a story.

The book collects together Thunderbolts #110-115; and Civil War: Choosing Sides (one-shot).

Verdict:

Volume 55: World War Hulk

World War Hulk

Author: Greg Pak  |  Illustrator: John Romita Jr.

"[H]e is the green scar. The Worldbreaker. The Eye of Anger... The Hulk."

We read previously about how Hulk was exiled from Earth by his "friends" (Vols 45+46: Planet Hulk), about his landing on an alien planet and his struggles whilst there. And then, without warning, something tragic happened, tearing apart his chance at inner peace.

The green giant is now as mad as hell—madder than he's ever been, which means he's more powerful than he's ever been—and he's returning to Earth to make the people he holds responsible for his loss pay for their crimes. He's not alone, either, the friends he made on planet Sakaar, the Warbound, are by his side and ready to kill.

Events prior to and during the World War Hulk mini-series were explored across multiple titles. I've not read them, but I'm wondering now if they manged to do any better with the premise than WWH did, because, while the thing that put Hulk on his rampage of revenge was emotionally affecting, the result is little more than page after page of the titular (anti)hero smashing superheroes and levelling buildings.

Considering that WWH was written by the same author that gave us the enjoyable Planet Hulk, I'd hoped it would at least equal it. And while there are a couple of interesting scenes, most of which involve Doctor Strange, overall it's a SMASSSH! and BRAKKKOOOM! and THOOOM! bore-fest that isn't a worthy sequel of its predecessor.

The Hulk's story was continued in the subsequent Planet Skaar story arc, which was also written by Greg Pak, but I've not read it and it's not even included in the initial 60 volumes of The Ultimate Graphic Novels Collection, so I can't comment on whether or not it manages to scrape back some dignity for all involved.

The Book collects together World War Hulk #1-5.

Verdict:

Volume 54: Captain America: The Chosen

Captain America: The Chosen

Author: David Morrell |  Illustrator: Mitch Breitweiser

"I'm no hero. All I want is to get out of here. To go home. To hold my family. To sleep without nightmares."

We're told in the introduction to The Chosen that David Morrell, the author of the work, is the same David Morrell that wrote First Blood (1972), which most of us will probably know better as the first Rambo film starring Sly Stallone. I mention that because First Blood was Morrell's début novel, and The Chosen is his début comic book. If you do the maths, there's 35 years between the two, and it's clear while reading the Captain America story that it sprung from the mind of someone who had little experience with the comic medium.

Please don't take that as a purely negative comment, having a comic that doesn't read like a comic is a refreshing change from the norm. The novelist's mindset that Morrell had meant he was more used to building characters from the ground up, whereas with Capt. he had to work within an existing, established framework. Perhaps that's why he chose to focus on what Steve Rogers in costume represents; i.e. the hero as inspirational, totemic symbol for the common man.

The man in question is a US soldier stationed in Afghanistan, a Corporal by the name of James Newman. Morell gets deep inside Newman's head, exploring his emotional state and the affect conflict has on him. I got the feeling that the author was more comfortable with the blank slate soldier than he was the super-soldier.

Besides the 'USA = Freedom' stuff that many new writers of Capt. America default to, the human parts of the story are well-told. But there's a bizarre element upon which everything else is built that I was less involved with. It wouldn't be out of place in an X-Men story, but in Steve's own world it was all a bit too left field to be believable.

As such, while I enjoyed the book, especially that it wasn't all set in boring New York, a part of it was also off-putting to me. But the partial ambivalence made me curious about how Morell might structure something with characters that are 100% of his own making, something that's completely non-superhero. Maybe someday I'll take the plunge into one of his novels.

The book collects together Captain America: The Chosen #1-6.

Verdict:

Volume 53: Eternals

Eternals

Author: Neil Gaiman  |  Illustrator: John Romita Jr.

"Tell me, is it the slime of the tentacles that upsets you or the way they twine bonelessly, the faceless snaking of them..."

Taking place in an era and location far removed from his previous work for Marvel (see Vol 32: Marvel 1602), Gaiman's second book for the House is much better than his first, in my opinion. I've not read the original Eternals stories from yesteryear, so the heroes were mostly all new to me, but, as far as that goes, Gaiman's version of the group is a fascinating one that occasionally bears a strong resemblance to some of his previous works for other publishers.

It doesn’t even feel like a Marvel title for a long time. Building a world around a creation myth that isn't actually a myth is the kind of thing that Gaiman's really good at. When coupled with a peculiar state of affairs in which something that has existed for a very long time but until now has remained unnoticed by almost everyone, the created world feels like it has life – it's the fantastical made convincing.

The story references the super-human registration act that was happening within the Marvel universe at the time, but it doesn't dwell on it, which is a good thing for me because, frankly, I'm sick of it already. Its inclusion was probably an obligatory one, but, happily, if you weren't aware of the act or the many events surrounding it, then you might not even realise how widespread it really was.

Not knowing really wouldn't matter that much because, while the story takes place inside the extended superhero universe and will surely affect it at a later date, the text itself has pleasing borders.

Unfortunately, that doesn't mean finality when the last page turns, because nothing ends for real in Marvel world; even death can be just a temporary setback. The closing chapter leaves a door or three open for subsequent creators to enter through and mess up the sandpit.

The book collects together Eternals #1–7.

Verdict:

Volume 52: Thor: Reborn

Thor: Reborn

Author: J. Michael Straczynski  |  Illustrator: Olivier Coipel

"It is not for the gods to decide whether or not man exists — it is for man to decide whether or not the gods exist."

I read standalone Thor stories for over two years because they were part of a monthly collection I used to buy, but I never really liked the character very much. I always felt he didn't fit in the superhero world; he was a Norse god, not a costumed hero with overpants.

Thor: Reborn, however, I like very much. I'm a fan of much of J. Michael Straczynski's work. His Thor is a rebirth for the character, three years after it was cancelled. It's not a traditional origin story from Day 0, it picks up the threads that Michael Avon Oeming's Ragnarok (2004) arc left for whoever would follow him. I haven't read Ragnarok but it didn't matter too much, JMS gives enough of a recap to help figure out what happened back then.

The best thing about the book is that at times it reminded me of some of the better Superman stories. Not the leap tall buildings version - I mean the inner-vulnerability, weight of the world on his shoulders, lost little child in an adult body version of Superman. Thor's alone in a post-Civil War universe, and he's none too happy about how that turned out. There are obligatory fight scenes but they aren't the main focus. It's a character piece exploring the inner-feelings and the outer actions that a rebirth, both spiritual and physical, can have upon a person. He's forced to reacquaint himself with his humanity and duty.

Olivier Coipel, who illustrated House of M (Volume 40), did great things with his panelling and perspectives. His art is fantastic, alternating between close-ups and large open vistas as needed. His poses help humanise the man behind the musculature.

There are hints of where the story would eventually go, and I'd be excited to find out if JMS managed to keep the fragility of the character as a focus when the shit hits the fan... as I'm sure it did.

The book collects together Thor (V3) issues 1 – 6.

Verdict:

Volume 51: Fallen Son: The Death of Captain America

Fallen Son: The Death of Captain America

Capt America #25: Author: Ed Brubaker / Illustrator: Steven Epting
Fallen Son Miniseries: Author: Jeph Loeb (from a premise by J. Michael Straczynski) / Illustrators: Leinil Yu (#1) / Ed McGuinness (#2) / John Romita Jr. (#3) / David Finch (#4) / John Cassaday (#5)

"...[A]nd one day, it'll be different. The load won't feel as heavy. 'Course, then you'll hear a song or somebody will laugh or the wind will blow the wrong way...and the hole will tear wide open again."

A number of heroes died during the Civil War arc (Volume 50), and while every human life should be equal in value, it's a fact that those closest to us leave the biggest vacuum in the world, an absence that's immeasurable in size. For many of the superhero community the death of Captain America cuts deeper than any of the others because of how inspirational he was. He's the reason so many of those able to protect the innocent were moved to do so in the first place. Steve Rogers was a man, but his costumed self was an almighty symbol that had the power to speak in place of the person beneath it.

The stories of how the death affected those closest to Steve is structured like the Kübler-Ross model (aka The Five Stages of Grief, as observed by Swiss psychiatrist Elisabeth Kübler-Ross), with each issue exploring one of the stages: Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression, and Acceptance. The particular hero chosen to lead each issue isn't random, there's a method at play whereby the emotion will have a special resonance with that particular character.

Before we get to the Fallen Son issues, we're given the issue of Captain America in which the hero was killed (#25). It's a great issue, with the focus split between Steve's situation and the world around him, but favouring the latter, surprisingly.

Stage 1: Denial: Wolverine. No stranger to loss as one of the X-Men, Wolverine needs confirmation of the death before he can begin to heal. The sketchy lines and dark colours suit the tone.

Stage 2: Anger: the Avengers. The team who lost a friend and leader. While some grieve openly, some choose distraction. Choosing not to vent anger doesn't necessarily make it go away; it still affects but quietly, and can do even more damage in the long term.

Stage 3: Bargaining: Capt. America. It's named for Cap, for reasons that will be obvious upon reading, but it's mostly about Iron Man and one specific other. Without going into detail it was the best issue so far, by quite a margin. I loved how the chill of the rainy night adds to the cold reception.

Stage 4: Depression: Spider-Man. Another good issue. Peter carries the weight of the world on an ordinary day, but when his failures (real and imagined) gang up on him as one, past and present blur and the web-slinger aches like only he can.

Stage 5: Acceptance: Ironman. The acceptance doesn't mean an end to the grief, but allows reflection. The future is changed, but for the superhero community it must go on.

The book collects together Captain America #25; and Fallen Son #1-5 (i.e. Fallen Son: Wolverine; Fallen Son: Avengers; Fallen Son: Captain America; Fallen Son: Spider-Man; Fallen Son: Iron Man).

Verdict: