Old Man Logan 8 review

The last three issues of Old Man Logan, while very good, didn’t give Old Man Logan much relief when it came to preventing his apocalyptic future from happening. A man like him truly needs a break, so that’s what this issue does for him.

Old Man Logan 8 does three things at once, all of them very well handled by writer Jeff Lemire. First, it explores how brutal the villain uprising was in Old Man Logan’s home universe, both through flashbacks and Logan telling Jean Grey what happened. Second, it further establishes the growing friendship between Old Man Logan and Jean Grey, as she helps him get through one of his nightmare filled nights by taking him on a tour of the key locations in the villain uprising. It shows how much Logan is willing to trust Jean and how much Jean truly cares for the old man. Third, it ends with a happy moment for Logan when he meets up with some of his closest friends for a party that Jean set up for him, including a long-awaited reunion for fans and the confirmation that Jubilee is still alive in the Marvel Universe (although we don’t know whether she’s still a vampire or not).

The art by Andrea Sorrentino is excellent. The whole comic has a bit of a painted look. The splash page toward the beginning shows a helicarrier crashing into the buildings of New York, with a lot of explosions and buildings following down in a well detailed spectacle. There’s great use of written sound effects in large letters containing action shots. Facial expressions do a great job at conveying emotion, whether it’s She-Hulk’s fatigue during the villain uprising, Jean’s guilty smile when she admits she lied about how many stops she planned for their little trip and the smile Logan gives when he finally reunites with Jubilee. Marcelo Maiolo’s colouring is also good. The apocalyptic scenes are always shaded orange to emphasize how dreadful those days were, with mostly red and white panels for the particularly brutal moments, while the rest of the scenes are more subdued and much more colourful.

Old Man Logan continues to be a great series about a man more broken than anyone else in the Marvel Universe. This issue is a story about reflection, friendship and emotional recovery. That doesn’t mean there aren’t dark stories to come, but Old Man Logan needs a break every now and then.

8/10