Old Man Logan: The Way of the Samurai

On November 29, Marvel Legacy sees Wolverine’s oldest foe close at hand once again in OLD MAN LOGAN #31 by writer Ed Brisson and artist Mike Deodato!

Logan’s been plagued by the Hand for decades now—even though a pair of Adamantium claws usually make quick work of an evil ninja horde. But now with Gorgon at the helm of the nefarious organization, Logan might just have met his match…

We spoke with Ed Brisson to hear more about the man once known as Wolverine.

Marvel.com: What can you tell us about issue #31’s plot? Where does the Hand fit into the story?

Ed Brisson: Logan travels to Japan to deal with a seemingly unrelated matter when he finds himself in the Hand’s crosshairs. It’s perhaps a little more than just him stumbling into their latest scheme, but still, he’s in Japan and he’s gotten in the way of Gorgon and the Hand’s plans. And since both Gorgon and the Hand have a long history with Logan, they’re not going to let this opportunity pass. The ninja horde is deadlier than ever, so who better to test their mettle against than the man who’s turned so many of them to dust?

The Hand have often been presented as cannon fodder for the Marvel Universe, so it’s time for them to power up if they want to make any sort of real impact. And under the leadership of Gorgon and The Scarlet Samurai, they do just that. They become something more than what they’ve been in the past and, as a result, are a bigger, deadlier threat. As we’ve seen time and again, under the right leadership, the Hand can be a dangerous bunch—and no one has fallen victim to that more than Logan.

Marvel.com: How do you think the Hand has solidified itself as such an important facet of Wolverine’s legacy?

Ed Brisson: The Hand have been screwing with Logan for as long as I’ve been reading comics. They’re responsible for the death of Mariko—Logan’s ex-fiancée and true love. They killed Logan, brought him back and, under the guidance of Gorgon, turned him against his friends in scenes that seem to foreshadow the death of the X-Men in the original OLD MAN LOGAN series. I could go on!

Marvel.com: What does Wolverine’s legacy mean to you?

Ed Brisson: For me, specifically, it was great to grow up knowing that the most badass dude in the Marvel Universe was a Canadian like me. Being Canadian and constantly being bombarded with American media (comics, movies, TV), it sometimes felt as though we were living in America’s shadow. Logan played such an important role to me as a kid.

Marvel.com: How has the character changed since his early days? How does he continue to change and grow today?

Ed Brisson: I think the Logan that we have now can be much more reflective than the early version. He’s lost a family and he’s killed his best friends. He’s been through a lot. And now that he’s here in the present, where the X-Men are still alive and kicking, he’s been given a second chance and he’s not going to let it go to waste.

Marvel.com: What proved to be the most challenging element of making this book? The most rewarding element?

Ed Brisson: For me, the most challenging thing was dealing with the anxiety of coming on a book after Mark Millar, Brian Michael Bendis, and Jeff Lemire! All three are top-tier writers who I greatly respect. This is only my third series at Marvel, so there were a lot of sleepless nights focused on making this story great.

In terms of reward? Getting Mike Deodato’s pages in my inbox every morning. It’s just a reminder of how awesome my job is and how lucky I am to get to work with such talented people.

Marvel.com: Finally, what can you tease about Logan’s newest challenge?

Ed Brisson: For this arc specifically, there are a few folks from Logan’s past who are coming back to make his life a living hell. I wanted to tread carefully to make sure that we’re paying proper respect to Logan’s past. Fans (myself included) are invested in that past and we didn’t want to tell this story in a way that completely disregards that. But on the other hand…we’re taking something sacred to Logan and using it against him in a way that’s going to be devastating.

OLD MAN LOGAN #31, by Ed Brisson and artist Mike Deodato, lands on November 29!