Old Man Logan is one of the few Marvel Comics I read these days. Unlike when I was 10 years old, life's responsibilities make it pretty difficult to make comic book reading the only thing on the daily to-do list. Perhaps if I work hard enough and save enough money, I can retire early and go right back to reading comic books on a full-time basis.
Old Man Logan: The Marvel Comic for the Middle-Aged
Why do I pick Old Man Logan as one of the comic books I am still able to read? Two reasons stand out in my mind: the writing and the artwork are both excellent. Each issue of Old Man Logan leaves me wanting to buy the next one to see the tale of the former Wolverine unfold. I'm not alone. Marvel's sales are far lower than D.C.'s these days, but Old Man Logan does 50,000+ copies per month. Not exceptional by any means, but a lot of the Marvel books are selling below that number.
And then there is another reason - I'm old, too. 44 years old is not exactly over the hill. I'm still younger than Hugh Jackman and he is pretty youthful in style and appearance.
Old Man Logan is way, way older than 44 - but he's still middle-aged considering his tremendous life expectancy. The themes and style of Old Man Logan do play well to someone like myself - an older person who pop culture sensibilities are not in tune with someone who is 17. Old Man Logan's musings on life, the universe, and everything reflect an aged, world-weary person who wants to find peace but is dragged back into the difficult and violent life of his past. The character connects with older readers while not alienating younger ones.
Goodbye to Hugh Jackman's Wolverine
And Old Man Logan is the perfect swan song for Hugh Jackman always excellent portrayal of Wolverine in the X-Men movies and solo projects. Even when the films were subpar, Jackman delivered a great performance that truly captured the essence of the angry, detached Logan/Wolverine. When the films were outstanding (such as Days of Future Past) Jackman turned in some of the best onscreen superhero performances a fan could ask for.
Things do come to an end and Marvel Studios wants to reboot the X-Men series. That means a new Wolverine. Rather than simple let Jackman fade away, he is getting the perfect material to say goodbye to the character that made him famous.
Old Man Logan Trailer Musings
Old Man Logan is renamed Logan, which makes better sense from a marketing perspective. The themes of old age, loss, and sadness permeate the trailer. The use of a very sad Johnny Cash song sets the tone for the somewhat depressing, melodramatic trailer. The film is clearly targeting older audiences, an audience that has grown in the 16 years since the first X-Men feature debuted.
Logan is much older and burned out in the trailer. He is seemingly targeted by the military - presumably because mutants are no longer supposed to be in existence in this dark future. Logan is pained and living outside of the humanity he never truly belonged to....and it seems he discovers a daughter who makes life worth living for him again.
"Logan, you still have time" intones Patrick Stewart's Professor X as the trailer reaches its conclusion. Maybe that is a lesson for all.
