Comicbook Review: Wolverine #66

Creative Team:

Writer: Mark Millar
Penciler: Steve McNiven

Inker: Dexter Vines

Colorist: Morry Hollowell

Issue Rating:

Story: 8 out of 10

Art: 10 out of 10

Overall: 9 out of 10

Issue Summary:

In a battle were the heroes fell and the villains took over the whole country Wolverine, who suffered serious damage from said battle, disappeared with no one knowing were he went. 50 years later we find Wolverine, now going only by the name Logan, in the deselent wasteland formely Sacramento, California were he has become a pacifist farmer with a wife and kids. Logan and his wife, Maureen, are having a hard time coming up with the rent for the month. Maureen suggest selling their kids, Scotty and Jade, toys which Logan refuses to do.

Two days later the Bruce Banners (aka The Hulk) hillbilly grandchildren have come to collect the rent. After Logan says he does not have the rent for the month two of the three hillbilly Hulks decide to beat Logan within a inch of his death. After beating Logan they tell him they will be back next month and expect double the rent money or he and his whole family will be killed.

That night while Logan is recovering from his beating a now blind Hawkeye pays Logan and his family a visit. Knowing that Logan has money problems Hawkeye offers him a delivery job that pays $500. Hawkeye says the job calls for them both to deliver a package to the East Coast in two weeks.

The next morning after saying his goodbye's to his family, Logan sets of with Hawkeye in a new customized Spider-Mobile and Hawkeye says "Get ready for the ride of your life." End of issue.

Review:

Wolverine 66 was a great way for Millar and McNiven their Old Man Logan. From what I know both Millar and McNiven are on Wolverine for only this story arc which will be six issues. While that sucks that does not deter my enjoyment for this story they are both cooking up and I have high expectations for this story arc. There is no doubt this team can get it done since I loved what they did with Marvel's Civil War event last year. From an interview Millar did a while back when this story was first announce he said that he wants this story as one of the stories that defines him in this industry. So I expect the team that delivered the Civil War to give me another entertaining story worth my money.

I really like the idea of Wolverine becoming a pacifist and settling down with a family of his own after all the heroes fell in a battle with the villains. I know that this probably doesn't take place in regular Marvel continuity and this type of story has already been done to death with stories like Days of Future Past, Age of Apocalypse, The End series, etc. but I am just a sucker for these alternate reality stories.

I'm interested to learn what was this battle that saw the down fall of all the Marvel superheroes and the villains to be able to take over the whole country. My theory is that this battle happened during the alternate ending to the Civil War were all the villains united together and attacked the Marvel superheores at the end of the war right after all the heores had fought against one another in the battle over New York since that would have been the time all the heroes were at their weakest.

From the flashbacks scenes it looks as though this battle also weakend Wolverine's mutant powers since we see a Wolverine or Logan, as he likes to be known now. Millar shows the reader a Wolverine that has given up his past life and has really settled down with a family and accepted a life as a pacifist. And I kind of wonder that if it is because of Wolverine finally having a family of his own and not fighting for so long has actually caused Logan to look like he does becuase it has always been the case were his mutant healing ability that has keep him looking like he is in his late-thrities or early-forties. And it might be the case were Logan has finally excepted death and that he will die soon that cuse his mutant powers to become weak.

Millar showed in this issue how Logan has left his past life as a warrior behind and has become a pacifist. This new life choice was reinforced with Logan taking the beating from the grandchildren of the Hulk and not even fighting back. But the reader knows that even though Logan says and shows that he has taken the path of a pacifist their is still a warrior inside of him who inching to kick some ass which was shown in that quick fantasy scene were Logan imagines taking down the hillbilly Hulks.

And Millar truly presents villains that you can utterly hate in the hillbilly Hulks. These are the type of villains were you hope at the end are torn apart by Wolverine or by one of his kids. While it might of been a little much to have Hulks grandchildren be hillbillies but that something you expect from Millar and that is just his style.

Also this issue had an Aww! moment for me by finding out that Logan named his son Scotty which is an abvious nod to Scoot/Cyclops. Cyclops is one of my favorite X-men and I have always like the relationship both Logan and Scott have because even though they haven't always gotten along, especially when it came to Jean, you know that when the chips are down these two guys always had each others back. The only thing that I was a little suprised about was that he didn't name his daughter Jean to pay respect to one of the most important loves of his life. But I did find it funny that if you take away some of the wrinkles Maureen, Logan's wife, kind of looks like Jean. The scenes with Logan's family were some really nice moments because you can tell Logan has finally found some form happiness and that he really loves his family.

I also love seeing a blind Hawkeye since he is known to be one of Marvel,s greatest marksmen and now in his old age he has become blind. But what was greet about the Hawkeye is that even though he has become old he still has that big ego of his and it shows when he doesn't even let Logan drive the Spider-Mobiule even though he is blind. Also the inclusion of Hawkeye makes this story feel more like a Marvel Universe story and not just another X-men story since the X-men have always seemed to live in their own universe separate from the rest of the Marvel heroees.And let me just say any apperance of the Spider-Mobileis a hit in my book.

I am a big Steve McNiven fan and his art in this issue art was just awsome. Like in Civil War McNiven really brought Millar's story to life. I love seeing how Old Logan looke because Mcniven really drew a Logan that is really at the end of his life and has accepted his fate.

Closing Comments: While I loved this issue the truth is I will only be reading this story arc and mostlikely dropping it after the story is done. It's not because I don't like Wolverine but for me there really hasn't been a good run on this title since the Millar and Romita Jr. run a while back and I can get my Wolverine fix by ready one of the X-titles he is in since he is in almost all of them plus the Avengers. But if your a Wolverine fan this is definetly a story that is worth reading.