Comics / Comic Reviews / Marvel Comics

Old Man Logan #4

By Geoff Hoppe
August 29, 2015 - 01:03

In Old Man Logan #4, Logan fillets zombies, gets a She-Hulk fastball special, and drops in on New York.

The Obligatory Warning: gore, Wolverine-on-zombie style.

In Old Man Logan #4, Logan fights off Marvel Zombies, meets a variant of She-Hulk, and is dropped into (apparently) the Ultimate Marvel universe’s New York. If it sounds like very little happens in this issue, it feels that way, too. OLM #4 suffers, like #3, because it doesn’t give Brian Michael Bendis an opportunity to best use his talents. Bendis has a penchant for clever dialogue between multiple characters, so having him write a story about a taciturn loner seems like a misstep. Still, he squeezes some characteristic charm and personality out of a brief exchange between She-Hulk and Logan. “You sure you don’t have some french fries or a Waldorf salad?” she asks, on the verge of starvation. I wouldn’t pin the issue’s weakness on Bendis; the pacing leaves little room for dialogue or character development. That pacing, I’d guess, is dictated more by inter-title coordination and publication schedules than the creator’s prerogatives— in other words, it’s a function of the grand editorial project that is Secret Wars.

A main purpose of the Battleworld stories seems to be to mete out secrets about the broader Secret Wars universe. She-Hulk— whichever She-Hulk appears in OLM #4, the one from A-Force, or the one from the Civil War timeline, or another— metes those secrets in this issue. She reveals that Doom sentenced her to zombieland, and that she can’t escape, no matter how far she tries to jump. Since the most recent issue of Secret Wars itself is all about the nature and limits of Doom’s power, this tidbit about Doom’s ability to limit She-Hulk’s powers seems like a piece in the puzzle. I’m just not sure how or where it fits.

The visuals and the layout carry most of the weight, as in #3. Bendis and artist Andres Sorrentino’s layouts again lend a cinematic sensibility to the already superb draftsmanship.

Worth the money? If you like artist Andres Sorrentino, or the Marvel Zombies concept, yes. Otherwise, avoid.

Last Updated: August 31, 2023 - 08:12