Old Man Logan #36 Review

Old Man Logan #36 begins the “Moving Target” storyline. Logan has gone from Japan to Madripoor and now to New York City. If you’re reading Daredevil, you know that the Big Apple has a new mayor who is not very keen on the superhero types. As my reviews for Daredevil reveal, I’ve been enjoying the hell out of that book. With the simplistic story that Old Man Logan has been telling, the prospect of it being weaved into the magical arc in Daredevil put my expectations high. I was on cloud nine, ready to be taken into an interesting story tackling the philosophies of righteous vigilantism vs corrupt law and order! My hopes were dashed and disillusionment took over in a fashion only a big city can accomplish.

First, I must address the art. Despite Old Man Logan’s watered down storytelling, the art has been glorious. Seeing Mike Deodato Jr.’s work on the cover compared to the work on the inside was a disappointing couple of opening pages. The art in this book was not impressive. The character drawing was middle of the road, which could be forgiven if the backgrounds were at all inspiring. A noticeable portion of the backgrounds were solid color with no dynamism. This can be a solid artistic choice in contrast to detailed, complex layouts alongside it but the more detailed scenes of this book were not what I’ve come to expect from a good comic book.

Accomplishing only consistency with the art, the story was bland. Ramen noodles without seasoning, bland. The arc dissolves into this overly told conspiracy tale. “I have a file to bring down the mayor and now they’re out to get me”. “Alright, let’s take down the mayor”. I felt like I was watching a B-list action/thriller. This is the kind of book that can kill a series. The only thing that is keeping me from dropping this book (besides my own addiction to comic books) is the prospect of a grade A villain being thrown into the mix. Here’s hoping Part 2 of the “Moving Target” arc picks up.