Wolverine Wednesday #72 – 50th Birthday Celebration Part 1

Wolverine Firsts

These are the building block issues that made up the character to be “The best there is…”

Oct-Nov 1974

Incredible Hulk #180-#181

Writer: Len Wein | Artist: Herb Trimpe | Inker: Jack Abel | Colourist: Glynnis Oliver | Letters: Artie Simek

So where did it all begin? Rather simply like a lot of decisions in comics it came from an idea to boost sales, Roy Thomas wanted to appeal more to Canadian readers. This seems like an odd statement as all the cover billing of him being Canadian didn’t occur till his full appearance in #181. As part of his creation in his role of art director John Romita Snr. was tasked with designing the look of Wolverine. As part of his design, he sketched out an unmasked Wolverine. It is easy to find online and shows a very different Wolverine. The eyes are there, but his hair is short and tidy. What is also present though is a plaid shirt, a civilian look he would become synonymous with across all forms of media. After the success of #180 which we can all agree on now is his first appearance rather than a cameo a series of ads ran hyping up #181. I know the ad ran in Daredevil #115 as I have that issue, it’s a fun part of comics history to see. Even after these two issues it was still perhaps not known where he would end up. One perhaps forgotten element is throughout the story Wolverine is referred to as Weapon X and willingly works for the Government. The two issues play out in true Silver Age style as there is the usual back and forth between fighting and teaming up. Right from the end of #180 Wolverine’s attitude is there as his first words in comics are “All right, you freaks!” This leads into the opening splash page of #181 which is Wolverine in a nutshell. The smaller guy, going head-on into battle. Things that stand out which have remained part of his characterization for fifty years include his ferocity in battle and his size. Obviously, it helps he is fighting two giants but his smaller stature really comes across. The yellow costume pops on the page and looking back on it the original design isn’t as goofy as it seems when you see it for the first time as a newer reader used to his modern looks. Before Hulk takes centre stage to wrap up the story he knocks out Wolverine and he is not seen again until…

May 1975

Giant Size X-Men #1

Writer: Len Wein | Artist: Dave Cockrum | Colourist: Glynnis Oliver | Letters: Tom Orzechowski

Again the comics history of Wolverine is shaped by a sales pitch. It is well-documented sales of X-Men were flagging, the big idea to save it was by making the team older and international. Enter Wolverine the second character recruited in one of the biggest issues in comics ever! On the now iconic cover, Gil Kane apparently drew the ears too long, it wasn’t picked up on in editorial and the look stuck. It’s funny how something small can lead to something major. There is an interesting sliding doors moment in X-Men history of ‘The All New, All Different’ X-Men. Wolverine and Thunderbird shared similar personality traits before the latter met an early demise in the very next issue. I mean on another day the coin could have landed another way up. The attitude that was established in Hulk carriers over here and he is now a little less willing to work for the Government as he takes Xavier up on his offer. There is a really cool continuity moment when Xavier mentions having knowledge of his recent battle with Hulk. Also further down the line, this moment would tie into Alpha Flight’s introduction As Wolverine stands up to Chasen and cuts his tie (very Silver Age) this is the first use of the onomatopoeia ‘SNIKT!’ The one downside of this issue is that we don’t get any Wolverine in action. Eleven years later Classic X-Men #1 would retrospectively flesh him out some more in the backup story ‘First Night’ Here we get a beer-drinking, smoking, plaid shirt-wearing Wolverine who shows an attraction to Jean and his first berserker rage. Wolverine would first appear without his mask in #98. John Byrne and Dave Cockrum had both worked on sketches of him unmasked with Cockrum’s being the one to go with since he was the artist on the series.

Sept 1982

Wolverine #1 (mini-series)

Writer: Chris Claremont | Artist: Frank Miller | Inker Joe Rubinstein | Colourist: Glynnis Oliver | Letters: Tom Orzechowski

Claremont had wanted to explore the character of Wolverine for a while leading up to this series. Jim Shooter had wanted to team Claremont with Miller as the two were leading the way with X-Men and Daredevil respectively. Wolverine seemed the natural playground for this meeting to occur. Legend has it the two shared a car journey to San Diego Comic Con and it was here Claremont pitched Miller his ‘failed samurai’ story which finally hooked him in. This mini-series is still the gold standard when it comes to Wolverine stories. It starts with an iconic cover, homaged hundreds of times since. Followed by an equally amazing opening splash page, which gives us the first use of the “The Best There is…” speech. It gives us elements that would become staples of Wolverine stories for the next fifty years. The story sees him rekindle his relationship with Mariko who first appeared in X-Men #118 as the X-Men travelled back from the Savage Land via Japan. It is also the first appearance of Lord Shingen and Yukio via a final page cameo. If like me you come to the comics from the animated series you will know of his inner battle with his berserker rage. All of that is established in this series. The four issues explore his philosophy and honour and by the time you are done reading it he is a very different character to the one seen in the pages of X-Men. I like that when this story is taking place Wolverine is out of the picture in the X-Men. This mini-series is famous for Miller’s cinematic storytelling, complete with fight sequences that read like storyboards. The use of open panels are used to convey the action. All of this is accounted for in this debut issue. After the success of this Claremont/Miller classic Wolverine would get his first solo X-Men cover with #162 and a sequel mini-series in November of ’84. Claremont’s plan was to reveal and explore Wolverine more in a sequence of mini-series but those plans would eventually change.

November 1988

Wolverine #1 (ongoing)

Writer: Chris Claremont | Artist: John Buscema | Inker: Al Williamson | Colourist: Glynnis Oliver | Letters: Tom Orzechowski

In today’s climate a four-year wait to get an ongoing after the success of the first mini-series is a long wait. Nowadays the ongoing series could have been rebooted 5 times in those 4 years. In the four years since the Kitty Pryde mini-series the only exposure he has had is in the pages of X-Men and the Spider-Man one shot. Jim Shooter had been pushing for a Wolverine solo series, but Claremont wasn’t as keen as it went against his plan for yearly minis. Eventually he gave in and agreed to write the series. His thinking was that if Shooter was going to go ahead with it anyway he should write it to “keep it in the family” as it were. The story takes us to Madripoor a location first introduced in New Mutants #32 and Claremont injects a pulp/noir tone to proceedings. Making it vastly different to the previous story. Buscema, on art, offers up a safe pair of hands with his standard house style. There are a few moments where the real Buscema expresses himself, with one example of an open panel harkening back to Miller’s work. The story itself takes place in current X-Men continuity. Following the events of Fall of The Mutants, the world believes the X-Men to be dead. Hence the new Patch persona and the ninja costume that first appear here. I have to admit the ninja costume has grown on me in recent years and I think I am going to have to pull the trigger on an action figure. Claremont would begin to weave in an eclectic cast of characters into this series. Lindsay McCabe and Tyger Tiger are both present here. Others like Archie Corrigan, Jessica Drew and O’Donnell would soon follow. This is a bygone era of Wolverine stories that we see little of nowadays. I am a sucker for pulp/noir vibes anyway, throw in my favourite comic character and you can’t really lose.

Since 1988 the Wolverine ongoing series has been rebooted too many times to mention them all, all to varying degrees of success. The first time was in 2003 under Greg Rucka and Darick Robertson and I can’t lie this annoyed me, I wanted big numbers in my collection. Back then I didn’t have internet or any idea how comics distribution worked. So imagine my dismay when I go to pick up my comics from my LCS and the Wolverine issue they handed me has a number one on it! Looking back it seems odd that at the height of X-Men on the big screen, Wolverine comics were coming out under the ‘Marvel Knights’ banner. The series started more grim and gritty, the starting creative team did give their attempt and extending the Weapon X mythos with ‘ Return of The Native’ and eventually when Mark Millar came into the series it got more “comic booky” with ‘Enemy of The State.’ The next relaunch was in 2010 this time with Jason Aaron and Renato Guedes taking the helm. The series started strong with Wolverine fighting through the fiery hordes of hell. An appeal of these early issues was backup stories featuring characters from his long past including Yukio, John Wraith and Silver Samurai. After a strong opening, the series was up and down, #15-#16 are a hidden gem by the way. The current run of Wolverine (2020) by Benjamin Percy et al has been a breath of fresh air! It has been the most consistent Wolverine storytelling in quite some time. As I write this the first wave of news of the post Krakoan Era is hitting the internet. I am so glad Percy is getting to do a fiftieth issue to close his tenure out. Who knows what the future holds for Wolverine but one thing is for certain there will be a new #1!