Written By: Jeff Lemire
Art By: Andrea Sorrentino
Colored By: Marcelo Maiolo
Lettered By: VC’s Cory Petit
Release Date: 8/10/16
Price Tag: $3.99
Plot:
Old Man Logan returns to his Japanese roots and faces off with with another enemy from his past (his future) in part two of the four-part story arc, “The Last Ronin.”
Story:
In Old Man Logan #9, our world weary ex-heroes hunt for Lady Deathstrike has led grandpa Logan back to the Land of the Rising Sun. Unfortunately, his little walk down memory lane came to a halt as he once again found himself in trouble. In issue ten, things continue to look grim for Logan. How grim you ask? Well, he encounters his greatest obstacle yet: a well. All kidding aside, this issue is really exciting.
We open with a very bloody and delirious Logan trapped at the bottom of a well. It doesn’t take long before he comes to his senses and begins planning his escape. The only problem is, his enemy is waiting for him on the surface.
The action this issue is split between the well and flashbacks. For new readers this dual storytelling might be a little jarring at first, but but it works. Lemire excels at jumping back and forth from past to present storylines without missing a beat.
Logan tries but fails to scale the walls of his watery prison. Despite all his rage he is still just a rat in a cage (well). But not for long. To his masked enemy (who he quickly finds out is an old foe named Sohei), he is a defenseless animal, but never underestimate him. No matter what version of Logan you’re dealing with, he never goes down without a fight.
Like his other encounters, grandpa Logan has had an significant advantage over his enemies despite being, well, you know, old. His secret? He has already faced them before which means he’s always several steps ahead of them. For Logan’s current predicament, he uses his prior knowledge of Sohei to his advantage in order to try to catch him off guard.
The main appeal of this series is seeing a much different Logan than we’re used to encounter many familiar faces that are tied to his past. So it’s more than just a physical fight Logan has to contend with every time he encounters an enemy. There are significant mental obstacles in his path as well.
Art:
Reading this comic has truly been a delight. Not only is Lemire’s writing impressive, but Andrea Sorrentino’s stunning art and Marcelo Maiolo’s jaw-dropping colors is a sight to behold.
Every single panel illustrates both Sorrentino and Maiolo’s combined strengths making this book stand out on its own. A particular favorite is the implementation of different shadings of reds like the bright vibrant red used for Logan’s blood that really makes the action spring to life. VC’s Cory Petit’s lettering acts as the final piece to this masterpiece of a comic.
Verdict:
Overall, Old Man Logan #10 continues to prove why this series is a must not only for Wolverine fans, but lovers of spectacular art and writing as well!