“There are no bad characters, only bad writers.” Surely, you’ve heard that saying before. It popped into my head as soon as I finished reading the first scene in Old Man Logan #23.
Why? Because Asmodeus, of course. Read on to figure out what the heck I’m talking about.
Writer: Jeff Lemire
Artist: Eric Nguyen
Publisher: Marvel Comics
While the Wrecking Crew seems to appear in at least one Marvel comic every week, the same isn’t true of Asmodeus. And yet, writer Jeff Lemire decided to dust off the mystical villain – goofy costume and all – and team him up with Old Man Logan for the “Past Lives” arc.
My point? Lemire is a great writer (his entire Old Man Logan run proves it), and under his pen, Asmodeus has become a terrific character – not to mention a serious threat to one of the Marvel Universe’s most powerful heroes. I especially like how Lemire initially made Asmodeus seem like a loser rotting away in prison who keeps his magic stuff in a New Jersey storage locker – and then had him double-cross our hero, sending his consciousness through time. As Logan bounces from one classic moment to the next, Asmodeus attempts to auction off his body to the highest bidder.
Cold-blooded.
I’m just saying … don’t be too surprised if you see Asmodeus in a future Wolverine movie … whenever Fox gets around to rebooting cinematic Logan.
And I know I called Asmodeus’ costume goofy before, but you have to admit artist Eric Nguyen makes it look pretty awesome.
Okay, now that I’ve written more about Asmodeus than any reviewer ever will, let me briefly talk about the rest of the issue.
As you can probably tell from this issue’s cover, Logan winds up in his ’90s body (I assume, after all, Jubilee and Gambit are there). Part of the thrill of this current arc has been getting to read Lemire’s take on classic X-Men periods, such as the Dark Phoenix Saga. Is fun to see the X-Men together in this issue during happier times.
The next issue of Old Man Logan is Lemire’s final installment of the series, and he’s setting himself up for an emotional last chapter based on this comic’s ending. What I like about this issue’s conclusion is that it seemingly rewards Logan after so many years of torture. But really, you and I know the rug is going to be ripped out from under him pretty hard.
But what’s a good Wolverine story without a whole lot of pain, right? And Asmodeus, of course!
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