“Past Lives” is shaping up to be a pretty uneven finish to Jeff Lemire’s Old Man Logan run. There’s a definite appeal in seeing Logan revisit key moments from his life and deal with the emotional fallout, but that formula hasn’t been quite enough to keep the momentum going. The good news is that issue #23 introduces just enough wrinkles to the now-familiar formula to suggest that the arc may be able to wrap on a high note in Old Man Logan #24.
This issue devotes most of its page count to revisiting two specific points in Logan’s past - his Madripoor misadventures and a friendly mutant baseball game set during the team’s early ‘90s era. Again, it’s fun catching a glimpse of Logan in his prime, but the arc continues to hit a lot of familiar beats as his chaotic temporal journey continues. The attempt to add tension to the conflict by having Wolverine seek out his wayward amulet in Madripoor doesn’t really amount to much.
At the end of the day, there’s still the core problem that Logan already had his epiphany about needing to leave the past behind at the very beginning of this arc. It doesn’t feel like there’s a deeper psychological conflict beneath the immediate physical danger. But there is hope that this can still change.
One element that does help is Lemire’s decision to add more interplay between past and present. We see more of the toll this journey is having on Logan’s physical body back in 2017. Meanwhile, we also see the untethered Logan attempt to reach out to his comrades in the past and find someway of pulling himself out of this endless cycle. Better still, the ending to this issue suggests a slightly different approach to the final chapter, one that promises to put the character’s recent journeys in stark perspective. So while this arc is probably one issue longer than it needed to be, hopefully the payoff will at least justify all the buildup.
Eric Nguyen continues to succeed in what is the largely thankless task of wrapping up a run defined by Andrea Sorrentino’s bold, surreal art style. Nguyen can’t quite replicate that tone, but he does bring a harsh, unsettled vibe to the book that channels Logan’s difficult struggle and emotional roller coaster ride. Nguyen’s art style definitely suits some scenes better than others. He’s a perfect match for the seedy Madripoor landscape, but less so for the more cheerful, lighthearted baseball scenes. But again, based on where this issue leaves the character, it appears that the finale will play directly to Nguyen’s storytelling strengths.

Source: www.ign.com