Old Man Logan #50
Cody White
Recap
A year in the making, Logan's final confrontation with Maestro is here as Logan, with a fading healing factor, intends to put down Maestro once and for all. As Logan veers closer to death, he knows that the only way he can free the small town of Fort Wells, Canada from its tyrant "King" is with the help of Regenix, as healing factor booster that also threatens to kill him. Logan's persistence inspires the townsfolk, who incite a revolution to reclaim their town from the despot and aid Logan in recovering his lost Regenix, enabling Logan to eventually defeat Maestro, but at a cost.
Maestro's presence in our timeline is a clear indicator of some form of time travel equipment which Logan is looking for in order to return to his own time before he passes. Maestro indeed leads Logan to a time machine only to offer Logan the chance to leave him to lord over the town. Denied, Maestro destroys the machine, leading Logan to kill Maestro once and for all. In the aftermath of the fight, however, Logan feels his strength fade and collapses in the snow, thus ending Old Man Logan and leading into the swan song series, Dead Man Logan.
Review
With the return of Wolverine, the end was clearly nigh for Old Man Logan. The consummate anti-hero, in this final arc we see the trappings of the true hero that Logan could always be given the right opportunity. The truth of the hero is not the ability to overcome, but to inspire. The town of Fort Wells seeks and finds inspiration in Logan, and as inspiration turns to revolution, Maestro’s end was clear. We follow the town as they endure the consequences of tyranny. No longer is the tyrant the tormentor, but the townsfolk are turned on each other to carry out the bidding of a monster.
Logan’s spurning of his chance to return home in service to the greater good is a hallmark of Brisson’s storytelling through the latter half of this series. Logan has been dying for what seems like ages, but his sheer force of will seems to keep him going, held together by dirt and duct tape. As we prepare to say goodbye to Old Man Logan, I’ll leave you with the beginning of the end, a circular narrative that repeats infinitely. Next month, we begin the journey of Logan’s final death, a tale told by Brisson in 12 parts.
Final Thoughts
There was a time where I let my pile of Old Man Logan issues grow until it was an intimidating project to tackle. That was my mistake, but now that I have caught up, I'm happy to be able to share with you a wonderful close to this chapter in the saga of Old Man Logan.
Old Man Logan #50: To All Things, an Ending
- Writing - 9/109/10
- Storyline - 9/109/10
- Art - 6/106/10
- Color - 7/107/10
- Cover Art - 10/1010/10
