Old Man Logan #40 // Review
In Old Man Logan #40, by Ed Brisson, Ibraim Roberson, and Carlos Lopez, the Purifiers implement their latest plot to hurt the X-Men. Will Logan and a bunch of students be able to stop them?
Glob comes back to the mansion after his date with the Purifiers’ bomb strapped to his chest. Logan smells it on him and follows him inside, but the bomb goes off. Luckily for his fellow students, Glob set it off in the lobby. Unluckily, it was equipped with EMP generators and it shuts down the mansion’s security system. The Purifiers attack and Logan orders Anole to get the younger students to the Danger Room while he and some of the more veteran students deal with the Purifiers. Glob finds out that the mutant girl who the Purifiers captured and blackmailed him with was really one of them wearing makeup to look like a mutant. Logan, Shark Girl, and Rockslide come to Glob’s rescue and go to check on the younger students. The lead Purifier is able to get to the Danger Room first, and takes Eye Boy hostage, but Glob is able to take him out before he can kill Eye Boy. After the attack, Glob beats himself up for getting tricked, but Logan reminds him that the X-Men are all about family and forgiveness and that if Logan can find a woman, there’s someone out for Glob, too.
This story doesn’t break new ground, but it’s quite entertaining. It’s barely a Logan story and that’s okay. Much like the last issue, it’s mostly about Glob Herman. Glob has been around for over a decade, but has never really had a hero moment, but this two issue story gives it to him. It makes sense that Glob would be an easy mark for a catfishing scam, especially one where he believes that a someone else’s life is in danger. Even though this is fraught with peril, he still manages to detonate the bomb in a place where no one can get hurt. After the explosion, he does everything he can to make up for the mistake he made. When the Purifier reveals she was playing him all along, his dejection is palpable to the reader. However, he overcomes it and saves the day. Glob gets to the big hero and learns a lesson that a lot of the X-Men have learned over the years, that the team is more like a family than anything else and no matter what mistakes a member makes, they are always there to pick each other up.
Even though this is Old Man Logan, Ed Brisson writes a perfect little X-Men story in this two-parter. It feels a little out of place with what’s gone in this book prior, but that doesn’t mean it’s not entertaining. It’s a good gateway story for the X-Men, though. Even though it doesn’t really deal with any of the A-list mutants besides Logan, it captures the themes of the X-men rather well. As opposed to other teams, the X-Men have always been more family oriented and that’s one of the main themes of this story. No matter how alone Glob feels, he has people that love him in the X-Men no matter what happens. It’s a lesson that Logan needs to learn as well, but at the end of this affair, he’s off again. Because of this, it’s ironic that he’s the one who imparts this lesson to Glob.
Ibraim Roberson’s art is better this issue than the last. His figure work remains strong and he draws Glob like a champ. The scene where Glob reacts to the Purifier mocking him is heartbreaking. It’s doubtful that Glob Herman will ever get his own mini series, but if he does, Roberson should be the one to draw it.
Old Man Logan #40 isn’t much of a Logan story. It showcases a character who has rarely gotten any starring roles and is better for it. The plot is tried and true, but Brisson’s script is brimming with emotion and is easy to connect with, and Roberson’s art is expressive and dynamic. It’s all very cliche, but it works in the best possible way.
