One of the most memorable Wolverine stories of recent times was Mark Millar and Steve McNiven’s Old Man Logan. An alternate future where a guilt ridden Logan has abandoned his Wolverine identity. But his relatively peaceful new life with his family is disrupted when an older and blind Hawkeye asks requests he accompany him on a delivery job. Since then, Old Man Logan has not only found his way into the main Marvel Universe to the fill the void left by Wolverine’s death but was also the influence for the Hugh Jackman’s 2017 Wolverine swansong Logan. Now Marvel present an opportunity to delve into the history of the original story arc in this new prequel starring Hawkeye.
The super heroes have fallen. The country has been divided into territories controlled by super villains. Among the wastelands lives Clint Barton – one of the few Avengers to survive. But it’s been 45 years, and he’s no Avenger. Trying to eke out a living any way he can, the former Hawkeye is confronted with a startling discovery: the sharpshooter is going blind. With time running short, Clint realises there’s one last thing he wants to see: revenge for his fallen comrades-in-arms.
Ethan Sacks is relatively new to the world of comics, but he has acquitted himself very well in his debut ongoing series. He does a great job of sticking with the tone Millar established in Old Man Logan and keeping the rather twisted take on classic characters and themes present in the regular Marvel Universe. His take on Bullseye is particularly strong with the already twisted villain getting an even nastier streak than usual. Likewise, his Hawkeye is right on point as whilst he possesses a grittier edge, he still maintains his dedication to his profession despite his failing eyesight which his abilities depend on. Fans of this universe will also appreciate the time taken to show what happened to the Avengers and other Marvel heroes in this world (if you’ve read Old Man Logan, you should know what happened to the X-Men).
Marco Checchetto has proven he can fit any genre he is assigned to whether it be street level action in Daredevil or Punisher, mainstream superheroics in Avengers, or space opera as seen in his multiple works in Marvel’s Star Wars comics. Here, he manages to capture the grim and gritty atmosphere Steve McNiven created in Old Man Logan whilst keeping it in his own style. All the character are highly detailed and there are some great redesigns with Bullseye in particular standing out.
This is definitely a series fans of Old Man Logan will want to pick up and is also a further addition to the many great Hawkeye comics that have been released in recent years. A more than worthy prequel to a modern Marvel classic!
Old Man Hawkeye Vol. 1: An Eye for an Eye is published by Marvel and Panini on 28 August (9781302911249, p/b, £14.99) / 8 August (9781846539091, p/b, £13.99)
