Today marks the final time Hugh Jackman will don the adamantium claws and glorious facial hair of the Marvel Comics character Wolverine in James Mangold’s Logan.  In the film, a weathered Logan is caring for an equally weary Professor Charles Xavier (Patrick Stewart, in his final turn as the telepathic leader of the X-Men) when they cross paths with a young mutant whose powers are strikingly similar to Logan’s.

After playing the character for 17 years across 9 films (10 if you count his magazine cover cameo in 2016’s Deadpool), he’s more than earned a break. If early reviews are any indication, it sounds like Jackman is going out on a high note. While Logan will be the last X-film for Jackman and Stewart, it will introduce Laura Kinney, played by newcomer Dafne Keen. Also known as X-23, Laura is a clone-daughter of Logan. She assumes the mantle of Wolverine after Logan dies in the comics and will most definitely pop up in future X-films.

If you can’t get out to a theater this weekend, stop by your Library for all your mutant needs.  We’re pro-mutant and proud!

What to Read:

I’ve tried to remain spoiler-free, so I’m not sure how much of the comics will be translated to the screen, but the title of Mangold’s film is inspired by Mark Millar and Steve McNiven‘s 2009 Old Man Logan series. Set in a wasteland of an alternate future universe where the super villains have defeated all the superheroes for good, the series continued in 2015 with Old Man Logan Vol. 0: Warzones! by Brian Michael Bendis and Andrea Sorrentino.  If you ever wondered what a Sergio Leone comic book movie would look like, I’d highly recommend checking it out. The most recent volume, Old Man Logan Vol. 3: The Last Ronin, was published in January 2017. If you like what you see of X-23 in Logan, be sure to check out  All-New Wolverine by Tom Taylor and David Lopez.

What to Watch:

You might want to check out Mangold’s previous X-film, The Wolverine (2013) and X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014) to get caught up on some Logan-centric stories.  I’d be remiss if I didn’t also suggest checking out X2: X-Men United (2003). For my money, it’s still one of the best X-Men films.

We also have the previous films of director James Mangold. If you like romcoms, check out Kate & Leopold (2002). It’s the first collaboration between Mangold and Jackman; he stars opposite Meg Ryan as a time-travelling duke. I’m pretty sure it’s based on a true story. There’s also Walk the Line, the Johnny Cash biopic starring Joaquin Phoenix as the Man in Black. That one is definitely based on a true story. Interestingly enough, the Logan trailer above is cut to Cash’s cover of the NIN song, “Hurt“.

If superheroes and romcoms aren’t your thing, there are plenty of other great movies starring Hugh Jackman. You can check out 2013’s Prisoners, one of the best films of that year wherein Jackman plays a man violently driven to the edge as he searches for his missing daughter. If that sounds too rough (it is), check out 2006’s The Prestige. Jackman and Christian Bale play rival magicians who will stop at nothing to become the very best, like no magician ever was. It’s also Christopher Nolan’s best film and I will fight anyone who says otherwise. If lighthearted entertainment is more your speed, check out Jackman as the titular character in Van Helsing (2004). It’s a mindless mess, but it’s enjoyable, hammy fun.

Snikt!

Ross works as a Clerk at the Mt. Washington branch of the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh. He loves reading books and watching movies and will often ramble about the two here. His dream is to have biceps like Hugh Jackman, but he’d settle for having his muttonchops.