Review- WOLVERINE- OLD MAN LOGAN VOL. 0: WARZONES

WOLVERINE- OLD MAN LOGAN VOL. 0: WARZONES (Marvel, First Printing, 2015; Softcover)

Collects Old Man Logan #1-5 (cover dates July- December, 2015)

Writer: Brian Michael Bendis

Artist: Andrea Sorrentino

Colorist: Marcelo Maiolo

I am cautiously continuing on my journey down the path with Old Man Logan, buying one book at a time, reading it, and then deciding to buy the next one. I realize that this is how most of the comic book world functions, but my acquisition rate has historically outstripped my rate of reading productivity, so I usually end up with entire runs without so much as cracking one book open before beginning my marathons. I hope it's good, I usually think to myself as I crack a book open, knowing full well I have another 5, 10, 20 volumes of the series ready to go right after it.

Despite assurances that I should read this, it almost didn't happen because Brian Michael Bendis' name is on it. I survived his reign of terror on Avengers and vowed to never purchase his work again. I enjoyed the original Mark Millar Old Man Logan arc and was told that I need to read this to understand what comes next. I had to shower with steel wool and a wire brush to scrub the grimy feeling that giving my money to Bendis gave me.

To be fair, if someone handed me this and there was no mention that it was written by Bendis it would have taken me a while to piece it together. His usual ticks and pet phrasings are all but absent here, and even his once consistently nauseating “witty” writing has been pared down to something palatable, and even...dare I say it...almost enjoyable? The Bendis that I knew and loathed would pad out issues with fluff to meet a requisite six issue, made for the trade arc. While this is still a brisk read it is a far cry from his decompression days. Don't get me wrong, the guy still deserves a shot to the jaw for his Avengers run, but here he has come dangerously close to becoming a competent writer.

This spins out of Secret Wars (the new one, not the classic one), so I can only assume that Wolverine was sucked into that and then spit out into this alternate timeline. Given that, OML (Old Man Logan) stumbles through a few territories, each with their own multiverse-style set of doppelgangers and structure. I've seen those too many times to enjoy them, cynical old bastard that I am. My son digs that kind of stuff, so I take them with the grain of salt that I probably would enjoy them if I hadn't wasted my entire life  spent too much time  been reading comics as often as I have over the years.

In typical Bendis fashion, this entire book is nothing but set up. The main difference between this and his old style is that there are things that occur in each issue. In the past he would have lazy talking heads filling up pages and pages, accomplishing nothing. The times that he does go on with his long winded exposition here he crunches it onto one page. Credit where credit is due, he has tightened up his dialogue style since his Avengers run. The characters aren't all same sounding and filled with snark. Bendis does insert the occasional bit in there still, but it is not noticeable even when looking for it. Most of it even serves the story and furthers the plot. Did Marvel editorial pay for him to attend a writing class?

At one point Bendis would have milked four or more pages out of this exchange.

Andrea Sorrentino's artwork seems to model Wolverine after Hugh Jackman, which is understandable seeing that he is what the general populace associate with the character. I do enjoy her flow of action sequences across multiple panel double page spreads. Very effective. Bendis has always had the luck of the Irish when it comes to being paired with top talent.

Things end well enough and I am intrigued enough to read Volume 1. I will continue my journey through this possible future of a Marvel Universe that I have all but given up on. Have I lost my mind? Do I hate my money? Let's find out together!

Junk Food For Thought rating: 3.25 out of 5.

The OCD zone- Nothing unusual to report here.

Paper stock: Fair weight coated stock with a slight sheen.

Binding: Perfect bound trade paperback.

Cardstock cover notes: Laminated cardstock coating. I am not sure what it is with these 2013-on thinner Marvel trades, but the front cover tends to get a curl to it, even when the book is handled gingerly.