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 50: Civil War

Civil War

Author: Mark Millar  |  Illustrator: Steve McNiven

"What are they trying to do? Turn us into civil servants?"

When a small team of rookie 'heroes' publicly screw up in a very major way, on camera, no less, the people they're supposed to be protecting start to feel nervous, and a large percentage of public opinion regarding all costumed heroes begins to shift.

The argument that police officers undergo years of training and psychological testing before they're allowed to hit the streets, whereas all a superhero has to do to qualify as a defender of public interests is to put on tights and they're good to go, understandably begins to upset a lot of people.

In some ways a mandatory registration of heroes makes a kind of sense, making them accountable for their actions may make them more sympathetic champions, but any kind of mass unmasking will thrust the families of each person into the limelight, making innocents a prime target for evildoers. Hard choices have to be made. Is the comfort of many worth the danger it poses to a select few?

The events in Civil War are some of the most logical reasons Marvel has ever had for a large number of costumed heroes being gathered together in the same place at the same time. And as with any such gathering, there'll be a difference of opinion about the underlying cause. The proposed reforms split the costumed community down the middle. On one side are people who want to go on the government payroll, who want the security and respect that legitimacy brings. On the other are people who value their personal life and feel that it's a grave error to mix their two states of being. They believe that their autonomy and freedom of choice is under threat.

It inevitably ends up in a giant punch-up, but heroes do actually die this time, and Millar manages to at least make the clash serve a dual purpose, one that leads to a devastating result for the community at large and worse for one individual in particular (Volume 51).

I was on board will it all until a single event made it feel forced. The event in question is something that I believe simply wouldn't happen. Maybe the person at the centre of it got swept up in the moment, but considering their painful past it's unlikely such a decision would be made without due consideration. Shortly thereafter people began switching sides and it started feeling silly.

The book collects together Civil War #1–7.

Verdict:

Volume 29: The Ultimates: Homeland Security

The Ultimates: Homeland Security

Author: Mark Millar  |  Illustrator: Bryan Hitch

"Why would she put up with that?"
"I don't know. Why would anyone?"

By the end of Volume 1 Millar had taken steps in setting up a real opportunity to tackle a subject that needed to come out from behind closed doors. He could've did it in a powerful and sensitive way, but for some reason he pushed it aside too soon and instead exploded the main story into a boring three and a half issue battle with some pretend Nazis. I was bored out of my mind by the end.

I'd be interested to know why he ignored such a prime opportunity. Was it his idea to neglect it? Or maybe his editor's? Was there a more satisfying draft that got rejected? Or did he just get bored and decide to blow shit up because it's the easy way out? So many questions.

Conversely, if lengthy combat scenes like the one at the end of The Avengers (2012) movie is something you enjoy, then maybe you’ll get even more jollies from Volume 2 than you did from Volume 1.

Prior to the mind-numbing events, Hawkeye gets an action scene and proves how problematic a character he is to write for; there's not much you can do with a guy whose superpower is the ability to magically not run out of arrows. He's teamed with Black Widow, a lady with a similarly limiting condition. It played out fine, regardless, but it felt like it was forced into the narrative just to give the pair something meaningful to do. Hawkeye has his own current title but I've not read it; I wonder how he fares in it.

The addition of two guests from another title seemed superfluous, unless Millar was setting up something that he'd develop further in Ultimates 2. But, because I don't have the subsequent books, I don't know if that was the case. I'd hate to think it was pointless fan-service or in place simply to undermine the main team dynamic.

At almost every turn Homeland Security left me wondering about things that were outside of the story; but it wasn't in a pleasing 'food for thought' kind of way, it was the less enjoyable 'I wonder would something else be better than this?' kind of way.

The book collects together The Ultimates #7-13.

Verdict:

Volume 28: The Ultimates: Super-Human

The Ultimates: Super-Human

Author: Mark Millar  |  Illustrator: Bryan Hitch

"Listen, I'm really sorry about breaking your nose back there, General Fury."
"Take it easy... This nose has been smashed more times than Robert Downey Jr."

The team with the modest name are like an Ultimate Universe version of the Avengers. (See Spider-Man post if you need Ultimate Universe info.) It's not a typical origin story; it's more of a recruitment story.

General Nick Fury of S.H.I.E.L.D. (who was comic book Sam Jackson years before real life Sam Jackson was movie Nick Fury) puts together a team of the best and brightest superheroes he can find because he fears an attack on the U.S. by some as yet unknown super villain(s); he's the ultimate paranoid Boy Scout. There's only one problem with that strategy: they've got no one to fight.

When that many egos are gathered together in one place some members of the team begin to get anxious.

Millar's heroes are part warrior, part pawn and part celebrity in a world not unlike our own. I was a little annoyed by the many references to the real world he kept throwing in. Some of it was blackly humorous (I think he was mocking the kind of sad individual that believes name-checking celebrities will grant them some kind of enviable social status) but mostly it was just irritating, and is the thing that will cause the book to feel most dated the further we're removed from the pop culture events mentioned.

It's a good thing Millar was able to balance it out with some excellent pacing elsewhere, and some fast but deep character developments.

His style is as cinematic as they come. In fact, both the first Captain America and Avengers films stole large chucks of his story for their scripts, and all they gave him was a thank you in the screen credits.

Bryan Hitch's artwork is great, and some clever use of thick shadows by colourist Paul Mounts means it isn't ruined by the digital colouring techniques.

The book collects together The Ultimates #1-6.

Verdict: