Wolverine by Mark Millar Omnibus

Wolverine (2003) (Collected Editions) #4-5, 12

by Mark Millar (Writer), John Romita Jr. (Illustrator), Kaare Andrews (Illustrator)

Superstar writer Mark (Kick-Ass, Ultimates) Millar's two classic Wolverine epics are collected in one gorgeously illustrated hardcover! When Wolverine is brainwashed by Hand ninjas, he slices and dices his way through friends and foes alike, carving a swath of terror through the Marvel Universe - and ultimately resulting in an X-Man's death! Finally captured and deprogrammed, Wolverine swears vengeance against his tormentors...and the vengeance of Wolverine is a wonder to behold. Then: nobody knows what happened the night the heroes fell, but the bad guys have been calling the shots ever since. What happened to Wolverine is the biggest mystery of all. For 50 years, no one has heard from him...and in his place stands an old man called Logan. All-out action from the mind of Mark Millar!

Collecting: Wolverine 20-32, 66-72, Giant-Size Old Man Logan

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Marvel, X Men, Superheroes

576 pages, Hardcover

First published July 2, 2013

About the author

Mark Millar is the New York Times best-selling writer of Wanted, the Kick-Ass series, The Secret Service, Jupiter’s Legacy, Jupiter’s Circle, Nemesis, Superior, Super Crooks, American Jesus, MPH, Starlight, and Chrononauts. Wanted, Kick-Ass, Kick-Ass 2, and The Secret Service (as Kingsman: The Secret Service) have been adapted into feature films, and Nemesis, Superior, Starlight, War Heroes, Jupiter’s Legacy and Chrononauts are in development at major studios.

His DC Comics work includes the seminal Superman: Red Son, and at Marvel Comics he created The Ultimates – selected by Time magazine as the comic book of the decade, Wolverine: Old Man Logan, and Civil War – the industry’s biggest-selling superhero series in almost two decades.

Mark has been an Executive Producer on all his movie adaptations and is currently creative consultant to Fox Studios on their Marvel slate of movies.

Reviews

[Matthew Ward · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enemy of the State:
Millar definitely knows how to write good action and drama within comics and he especially knows how to build upon that with dialogue. I love the internal conflict that Wolverine has with himself as if he’s constantly healing himself trying to rid himself of the Hydra overtaking him. Wolverine is a badass and I feel he’s best when he’s a bit of a softie too. Millar gets this balance. JRJR’s art is so very unique and I really enjoy it very much, as well! Through the entire first 13 issues that make up the first of Millar’s Wolverine issues you really understand the sense of what a badass, hardcore, invincible weapon that Wolverine is. You just really have to hope that he’s on the good guy’s side of the fight.

Old Man Logan:
This is absolutely one of the best damn comics I’ve ever read in my life. Seriously, this was written and drawn and colored and lettered so beautifully to perfection. This is the best of Millar right here from what I’ve read so far. Superman: Red Son was perfect and this one was even better. Wow. Legitimately could not put this book down as soon as I picked it up. I was hooked from the beginning and through the entire thing. If I could rate this book higher than a 5, I would. The first comic I ever really got into was The Walking Dead. I love a post apocalyptic horror tale! This fits that mold ridiculously well. Millar excels at taking a character that everyone knows and twisting the world they live in to tell an amazing story. I want more Elseworlds Mark Millar. No, I need more Elseworlds Mark Millar.

[Sage · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this a couple of months back so my review will be short and sweet... this Omnibus contains two Wolverine Storylines - Enemy of the State and Old Man Logan.

Enemy of the State seems like it was just a Marvel attempt to have Wolverine fight a bunch of Supes... it does the job and entertains without forcing you to think about the how and why too much. I enjoyed it but wouldn't buy the Omnibus simply for this storyline... If you already own Old Man Logan, you may want to hold off.

As for Old Man Logan, I really quite enjoyed this one. A very interesting alternate universe with old friends and foes cropping up randomly. I also appreciate the brief backstory as to how Logan became a 'pacifist'. Definitely worth reading if you're a Logan fan.

[JB · Rating 5 out of 5]

A perfect score, for two perfect stories.
Two of the greatest Wolverine stories I've ever read. And the one-shot #32 was great too!
Man Mark Millar's writing of Wolverine was spot-on, the art by JRJR in Enemy of the State and the art by Steve McNiven in Old Man Logan were top notch and very cinematic. When I was reading this omnibus, I felt like I was watching a movie. Beautiful splash pages and wide panels.

Both stories feature Wolverine fighting his own friends and team memberes. Both stories are action packed, Enemy of the State more so than Old Man Logan.

One of my favorite parts of Enemy of the State is where Wolverine breaks into the X-Men HQ and Rachel stops him and telepathically warns all the X-Men. You have to read it for yourself, but it was one of those moments that made me think I was watching a movie.

I loved Elektra in this story and Captain America was bad ass fighting Wolverine, there wasn't much of a fight. More Captain America smashing Wolverine down with his shield. I don't want to give too much away, but I will say that it was a very intersting story. Wolverine interacting with almost the entire Marvel Universe in a way we're not used to. There's more than one great fight in this story. Two of my favorites have to be the one involving Wolverine, Northstar and a couple of Sentinels. Very original and just great fun! And the second fight I'd like to mention is the one between Wolverine and Gorgon. It takes everthing Wolverine has and then some. The ending of that fight was great too.

I loved Wolverine #32 and I loved it even more after reading the afterword written by Mark Millar, stating that no other than Will Eisner himself helped him with a crucial part of the story.

What can I say about Old Man Logan. The art is great, it's by Steve McNiven. The man who also did the Death of Wolverine story. Old Man Logan is filled with great and original ideas. It's the Marvel Universe fifty years into the future. And what a future it is! Wolverine only likes to be called Logan now that he has "SNIKT" his claws for the last time. He has a wife and kids. And lives a secluded life on a farm in California. The world isn't what it's used to be. Super villains rule the US as they killed all the Superheroes. The US is divided into four parts. One part is ruled by the Hulk and his incest offspring, one part is ruled by the Kingpin, one part by Dr. Doom and one part by the President which identiy I won't spoil for you.

I loved Hawkeye in this story! He was written perfectly. I want to read more Hawkeye after this.

If you thought the story of Enemy of the State was sad, this one's even more sad.

There are a lot of great appearances. Hawkeye has a daughter with the daughter of Spider-Man, there are Ghost Riders, Ultron 8, Molemen, dinosaurs from the Savage Land, a Hitler looking goon etc., etc. Oh and even the Spider mobile makes an appearance. This story is just very epic. The end battle was freaking awesome! Featuring Cap's shield and Iron Man's armor. I loved the two page splash page simply saying "SNIKT". You know as a reader that things are about to go down after that.

These two stories are just must reads for Wolverine fans. But these stories are for everyone who likes a superhero story, filled with action, great storytelling, great charachters, ideas and beautiful art. Highly recommended!

[Lance Baker · Rating 5 out of 5]

the old man logan story line was great

[Tacitus · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Most of the time, I'd sooner nail a rabid squid to my face than read super hero comics."
-Garth Ennis, Introduction

And thus begins one of the oddest introductions to a comics collection, one that will not make me look at Garth Ennis the same way again. He goes on to say, essentially, if he likes what follows, then that means something. On balance, he's right, though perhaps not quite for the right reasons.

This is a great collection. There are two meaty, main arcs here, "Enemy of the State" and "Old Man Logan," connected by what turns out to be a horror-themed one-shot that puts Wolverine in a Nazi death camp.

I felt that the first story was a straightforward action yarn that hit all the right notes. The story starts with a hook to Logan's marriage to Mariko, and this forms an emotional framework for the entire story. Wolverine is turned into a bad guy and turned back. He faces a significant nemesis, Gorgon, who is defeated with a clever homage to the original Medusa myth. Throughout, Wolverine is given the importance he deserves, as there are several tie-ins to other members to the Marvel universe, along with nods to past X-men stories. Romita's artwork was interesting to look at, though dark, and at times he makes characters look overly long to the point of unintentional anorexia. Nevertheless, I felt swept away by Millar's tale, overlooked small doubts (how come Wolverine can only teleport 60 meters and Electra's strike team doesn't seem so limited?), and enjoyed it thoroughly.

This was my second time reading "Old Man Logan," and I found it consistently great both times. I simply found this future setting imaginative and believable (in its own way). It was more than just world-building, but a good road-trip story with interesting character development for Logan and Hawkeye. Logan's Western-movie-inspired dialogue at the beginning and end are spot on, if also inconsistent with some of the dialogue elsewhere. There are also touches of Marvel comic book lore sprinkled throughout, and a gruesome turning point for Wolverine at Westchester that helps explain both the world and his current pacifism. Millar takes some liberties with Wolverine in this way, but somehow he is able to root these deviations in essential aspects of Logan's character and history, and thereby makes these twists not only fresh but believable and felt true to the man.

McNiven's artwork was perfect in every panel, and whether it's the Spiderbuggy jumping over cliffs, a fight scene, or Wolverine riding off into the sunset, McNiven frames the action flawlessly for the story and setting. Together, Millar and McNiven collaborated well to create something that combines Westerns, Wolverine, post-apocalyptic fiction (somewhere between "Mad Max" and the RPG Gamma World), using the Marvel universe as a sandbox. As such, "Old Man Logan" is probably one of my favorite superhero stories; for me, it is to Wolverine (my Marvel #1) what "Dark Knight Returns" is to Batman (my DC #1).

Both stories may show that comics work best when there are compelling plots and characters, some comics lore, and not too deep on themes, in a limited series. I'm not sure what he was going for in "Prisoner Number Zero," but Millar reveals in a post-script that he was inspired by Will Eisner (who didn't seem to know who Wolverine even was) to try something more like a ghost story. You know, as in, "Wolverine: A concentration camp commandant's worst nightmare." I was reminded of some of the WWII-themed action comics in this tale, but also troubled by what Millar asks us to not think about in order to enjoy this Holocaust-set superhero story. I'm also not sure how the Canadian got there and why he didn't use his claws to go on a rampage. In any case, the story is a good example of single-issue storytelling.

"Prisoner," more or less like the other two longer arcs, is probably also set in an alternate timeline for Wolverine. In this sense, it feels like Millar is cheating a bit, as he doesn't have to worry so much about continuity. Yet, after watching superhero movies that also don't seem to give a damn about monthly issue sales, I actually think that this approach may work better. Millar's collection here certainly proves it. I mean, after all, it was so good Garth Ennis had to say something kind of nice about it.

[Reece · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely amazing work from Mark Millar, accompanied by beautiful artwork from Romita Jr. and McNiven.

The first arc, Enemy of the State, is an interesting take on the heroes vs. Hydra battle. Romita's artwork is perfect.

Between story arcs is a hauntingly beautiful one-shot set during WWII. This was an unexpected highlight of this book.

The omnibus closes with the Old Man Logan arc with outstanding visuals from McNiven. This is a wonderfully written glimpse into a dystopian future in which the heroes have fallen and villains rule.

I highly recommend this collection. 5 out of 5.

[Patrick Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

Had this on my shelf for a while, read and loved the Enemy of the State almost immediately. Went back to it to read the Old Man Logan story this weekend...wow. This Mark Millar guy sure can write a Wolverine story. If you like Wolverine or enjoy good Mark Millar and have not read these stories, pick up this Omnibus.

[Gail Bullard · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read for any Wolverine fan!

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Huh. I have some issues with this whole kill-then-resurrect-then-brainwash-heroes scheme... primarily around the whole living undead thing. Like, Electra allowed herself to be killed. And has been killed before. And now, merrily goes on her way - though Daredevil and Wolverine both comment on the smell of these dead-resurrected people. They're dead. What am I missing here?

Maybe I've been away from comic books for too long.

That German death camp interlude is a good tale, although - what was Logan doing in a German death camp? This multiverse concept is both great and fraught with material that makes the brain ache a bit.

Old Man Logan is terrific. Um, but what the fuck is up with Banner and his disgusting little clan of in-breds? Yikes. Clint is a pretty cool and enduring character here. Never much cared about Hawkeye - or any of The Avengers, honestly - but Clint is a pretty epic personage here. Points deducted for being a scumbag, deadbeat dad with a ponytail though.

[Yannick · Rating 4 out of 5]

This omnibus combines two arc's. Enemy of the state and old man logan.

Enemy of the states tells a story about wolverine being brainwashed by the bad guys and the heroes try to take him out trying not to hurt their friend. I think the story works but the art by romita is a hit or miss. for this story i found a bit of a miss.

The second part of the book is the must have reason. The Old man logan story. Again the bad guys play with logan minds and it does not turn out well for some of our favourite heroes. Also the heroes lost , the villians are now in charge. Logan goes onto a quest with the old man hawkeye and what a ride it was, one the most memorable wolverine books to date and a must read for every wolverine fan out there.

[B · Rating 3 out of 5]

In the first part of the story, Wolverine is the villain. So, we finally get to see what it's like for someone with Wolverine's teleportation and computer-hacking abilities to take on the Fantastic Four!

Wait. What?

The book would have been stronger by showing how close "our" Wolverine is to being a villain. Instead, he's just kind of along for the ride.

And then there's a lot of presumably redemptive violence.

And then there's the Old Man Logan story, which I think is overrated. It's cute, but it's too zany to be melancholy and too melancholy to be fun.

[Bryson Grenfell · Rating 5 out of 5]

That was rad. Picked it up and didn’t let it down again until I was finished. The one shot “prisoner number zero” may be one of my favourite things ever done with Wolverine in the history of ever.
It’s so damn entertaining to see how well Mark Millar (who I’ve always maintained doesn’t seem to particularly like superheroes) is able to weave together blockbuster action, triumph and horrible tragedy; all while taking the fullest advantage of the Marvel sandbox he’s playing in.

Plus, you just can’t beat Old Man Logan. Love it.

[TheMadReader · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mark Millar can definitely write. Agent of shield, Enemy of the State wasn’t bad but I throughly enjoyed, “Old Man Logan.” A potentially cheesy plot turned out to be entertaining and filled with depth. I can see how other writers could have easily butchered the storyline but Mark delivered. Let’s take every single super villain in the Marvel universe, give them reign…remove Wolverines claws…OH and add dinosaurs. Sounds chaotic, but it worked. 4/5

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mark write a mean and savage Wolverine. He's not as sophisticated, as in Mark Guggenheim, Jason Aaron or the understated Greg Rucka's runs--but these are fun stories. Huge action and high stakes. The guy is the best at what he does--and its often writing bombastic set pieces.

[Vaibhav Bist]

If you want to read a Wolverine story where Nick Fury appears to be the main character, you're in for a treat! Mr. Millar decides to turn Wolverine into a Hydra-operated killbot for most of his first run, making me want to punt the damn book. Old Man Logan is substantially better and pulpier.

[Shannon Appelcline · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enemy of the State (20-31). Before Millar, Wolverine had lost a lot of his savagery. He was thoroughly domesticated, and so no longer the character that had won his popularity in the X-Men. Millar changed that with a simple twist: he made Wolverine into a villain. Now other writers, past and present, have tried this route to his little success. But Millar made it believable and total with Hand brainwashing, and the result is one of the best Wolverine saga ever.

Wolverine is a beast again, a force of nature. He goes toe-to-toe with Marvel's best, and even against foes like The Thing, the outcome is in question. Now you can't maintain this status quo for too long without it getting stale, and Millar knows when to stop. But then he pulls a great trick: even when Wolverine is back on the side of angels, he remains that unstoppable force of nature. It's like a trip to the dark side has returned Wolverine's essential self.

To a large extent this story isn't deep. But it's action-adventure at its best. I'm often not a fan of the extended battle sequences, but Millar manages to maintain their tension by creating a story of things gone horribly wrong where anything could happen.

And these issues also have Romita artwork to die for! [8/10]

I'm also impressed by how much this arc now feels like a setup for the Secret Warriors comic.

Prisoner Number Zero (32). a nice little one-off that feels more like a ghost story than anything else. I'm not convinced it's a great Wolverine comic, but it is a good book to read [7/10].

Old Man Logan (66-72 + GS). Millar does a good job of creating a fun and evocative world, mixing Mad Max-style post-apocalyptic with western theming. We've certainly seen many variants of the post-superhuman future, but this one is memorable nonetheless.

However, there's only so far that evocative backgrounds can take you in a story that's essentially a one-trick pony. Wolverine has become a pacifist. Does he SNIKT the claws or doesn't he? The road trip that's the alleged plot of the story is really just a long tease for that (with one great issue in the middle: what turned Wolverine into a pacifist?), and it gets a bit old before the resolution.

Still, an enjoyable comic. [7/10]

[Justin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can't believe I waited so long to read these stories. I mean, Mark Millar is just about the best writer in the business, and John Romita Jr. and Steve McNiven are fantastic artists. I just got burned out on Wolverine as a character, I guess. Anyway, now that we have this epic Omnibus hardcover, I finally broke down and checked it out. Here's what it includes:

Wolverine: Enemy of the State - In this 12-issue arc, Millar and Romita Jr. show us what would happen if the world's most dangerous mutant was turned by the enemy into a remorseless killer. A Hand-and-Hydra-upgraded Wolverine takes on the Fantastic Four, SHIELD, Daredevil, Elektra and his former X-Men teammates. This is such an unconventional tale (with a stunning body count), and one that gives us a fascinating look at some time-worn Marvel characters. It's very much written and illustrated in the Hollywood blockbuster style of Millar's Ultimates series.

Wolverine: Old Man Logan - this 8-issue arc is essentially Clint Eastwood's Unforgiven with a post-apocalyptic twist. It's somewhat predictable, but is so much fun you really don't care. Logan the aged pacifist, Hawkeye the blind archer, dinosaur-Venom, Hulkbillies...there's so much to love about this story, not the least of which is Steve McNiven's gorgeous artwork.

Obviously I don't read a lot of Wolverine stories, but the stories collected in this Omnibus are definitely two of my favorite-ever Wolverine tales. Between the writing, the artwork, and the overall presentation and quality of this hardcover edition, this is an easy 5-star collection. If you're a Wolverine fan at all, you need to own it.

[Jedhua · Rating 3 out of 5]

Book Info: This collection contains Wolverine issues #20-32, #66-72, and Giant-Size Wolverine: Old Man Logan .


OVERALL RATING:

ABSOLUTE RATING: {3/5 stars}

STANDARDIZED RATING: <3/5 stars>

------------------------------------------------

ABSOLUTE RATING: {2.5+/5 stars}

STANDARDIZED RATING: <3/5 stars>


Review for Wolverine: Enemy of the State, Volume 1

ABSOLUTE RATING: {3/5 stars}

STANDARDIZED RATING: <3/5 stars>


Review for Wolverine: Enemy of the State, Volume 2 not available

ABSOLUTE RATING: {3/5 stars}

STANDARDIZED RATING: <3/5 stars>


Review for Wolverine: Old Man Logan

[Emily Matview · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mark Millar is that rare type of writer who I think works better within the confines of a shared universe where he has stringer editorial control than when he’s off on his own. His work on Wolverine is a great example of this. He manages to be violent without taking things over the top (for the most part). Romita JR and McNiven provide great artwork and both stories will keep you at the edge of your seat.

[Edward Linder · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow. The first story was good but the last two stories were some of the best I have ever read in the graphic novel department. Millar is one of the best Comic book writers of today. Why? Because he can take you to a place where you would have never thought the story would go.

[Brent · Rating 4 out of 5]

There is a downside to reading this expensive and well-produced Omnibus edition - a big think, book of well-printed color superhero comics in hard cover -from my public library. Some kid ripped four or six key pages from the denoument of one story.
Still.
Highly recommended.

[Bryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favorite comic writer + my favorite comic character = pure comic gold.

[Jesse A · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love Millar but this collection was just ok. Old man Logan was easily the best but the other 2 were mediocre at best.

[Ronny Trøjborg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Old man Logan is an absolute must read for Any comic fan!

And Enemy of the State is a Great story as Well.. very fun and actionpacked adventure.

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Individual issues on marvel unlimited