Brandon Borzelli's Geek Goggle Reviews
Wolverine #72
Marvel Comics
Millar, McNiven, Vines & Hollowell
The penultimate chapter in the Old Man Logan story arc has what we’ve been waiting for: the return of Wolverine. While the finale of this story probably won’t show its head until after the summer, we have a good issue to help ease the pain. It’s a good issue but the series (and this issue in particular) has one core problem that I’ve been wondering how it would be resolved since the beginning. And I’m just not convinced it will all tie up neatly, but we’ll see.
The issue picks up right where the previous one left off with Logan and Hawkeye in some body bags, presumably dead. The President, Red Skull, is hanging out in his trophy room. While the room is pretty cool, it doesn’t rank with the George Perez trophy room in the Hulk story Future Imperfect. However, what’s different about this trophy room is that Red Skull actually pulls out his toys and plays with them while he remembers back to when he killed some of them, like Captain America. This whole sequence was very jarring and very cool.
Logan wakes up and battles the Red Skull. You might read through this scene and feel like it’s a little ridiculous that the President would be alone fighting someone one on one, but it did seem to be a quick fight making the reasoning at least a little plausible. The second question is: why wouldn’t Logan pop his claws in this scene?
One of the nagging questions from the very first issue was the pondering of how Logan could possibly make his way across the country and back in such a short time. This comic answers it very well.
Logan returns home but all is not well. He freaks out and … well…you can probably guess what happens next.
The issue is a lot of fun to read through. It takes full advantage of taking things in this alternate future and turning them on their ear. The key problem that seems impossible to resolve is not tackled in this issue. Back in the day, Wolverine attacked his fellow X-Men and killed them because he didn’t know who they were. This led him to never pop his claws again, so how could he ever pop them again knowing that whoever he is attacking could be his family or some old friends? Even if he spotted their bodies, how can he be sure he isn’t being misled again? It seems like an impossible puzzle to solve.
This issue shines because of the art. It’s got Logan, refusing to use his claws, fighting against Red Skull in the Marvel hero trophy room. Nothing could have been cooler. It’s got Logan transforming into Wolverine in the very end. It’s an epic ending to the issue and the art makes twice as grand as it sounds.
This issue is a very good read and it only failed in one area and that’s explaining how Logan can go berserker knowing he could be hallucinating as he had fifty years ago when he killed his fellow X-Men. However, the comic is a lot of fun because it doesn’t need to continue beyond next issue. Anyone and everyone can die and they can all have gruesome exits. This issue is the kind of story I was expecting when this series kicked off a year ago. If you don’t think too hard about the story and you disregard the filler issues in the story arc then this issue is very satisfying.
4 out of 5 geek goggles
