1st Appearance | Origin Story | Main Publication History | Secondary Publication History | Key Storylines | Media Source Material | Key Issues | Compilations
by snowbi-wan, updated Jun 2019
Out of all the big-name Marvel icons, Wolverine is one of the most successful characters that was not part of the initial 1960's boom. First appearing in 1974 in INCREDIBLE HULK [1968] #180/181, Wolverine's past was an ongoing mystery. Logan--as he was called then--was part of Canada's first superhero group, Alpha Flight, but was immediately recruited after his INCREDIBLE HULK appearances into the X-Men by Professor X where the anti-social outsider seemingly, finally found a pseudo-family and home. Wolverine is a nearly unbeatable opponent with his unbreakable adamantium-laced skeleton, retractable razor-sharp claws, elevated strength and agility, heightened senses like those of the most capable animals, and a miraculous mutant healing factor that also greatly extends his lifespan. Wolverine has been an ally of Alpha Flight, the X-Men, and the New Avengers. His biggest foes include Sabretooth, Omega Red and the Silver Samurai. He has gone by different aliases throughout his publishing history, including: Logan, Patch and James Howlett (but not 'Bub'). From his very beginning, Wolverine was continually haunted by repressed past traumas in a history of which even he had very little recollection. He found solace in whisky, cigars and just being "the best as what he does," that is...killing--one of a very few Marvel heroes acknowledged to handle his most vile opponents in this fashion.
Wolverine had very little depth of character to accompany his ultra-cool appearance and powers until Chris Claremont and Frank Miller's 4-issue mini-series in 1982 introduced audiences to his time in Japan, grafting a samurai-based era onto his history and imbuing him with a healthy dose of that culture's warrior code. Wolverine owes much of his modern, honorable character to the duo of Claremont and Miller.
A large part of the fan attraction to Wolverine was the ongoing mystery of his past. It was known that he was part of the Weapon X program, but Marvel didn't flesh out exactly what that program was until 1991, beginning with a story arc in MARVEL COMICS PRESENTS [1988] #72-84, titled WEAPON X. This and sequel arcs detailed how Logan was forced into the Weapon X program where, in their attempt to create a compliant super soldier, they laced his skeleton with adamantium and presumably installed the retractable claws. One of the program's greatest successes, because of his mutant healing factor, Wolverine was too hard to control and escaped, He has been at odds with the mysterious, covert program ever since, albeit with very little memory of his time in the program. Over the decades, the shrouded history of the Weapon X program has been expanded even further in the Marvel Universe. Grant Morrison greatly expanded the mythos of the Weapon X program most notably in 2002 when he introduced the concept of the Weapon Plus program in NEW X-MEN [2001] #128. This issue introduced Fantomex as Weapon XII, revealing that Weapon X was a previous, "tenth" iteration (the "X" being re-interpreted as a Roman numeral). The retroactive continuity (retcon) history of the Weapon Plus program now reaches back into the origins of Captain America (Weapon I) and other Marvel superheroes. Before this surprising retcon, another assumption was dispelled in 1993 when Magneto forcibly extracted the adamantium from Wolverine's skeleton in X-MEN [1991] #25, revealing he had bone claws all along.
At the same time that Marvel was exploring the Weapon Plus program in print, with equal parts reluctance and confidence, they chose to finally publish Wolverine's true "origin," knowing this was the last bit of mystery left to the character, but perhaps aware if they didn't tell the story in print, Fox's X-Men film franchise may beat them to it. This original background goes way back to Wolverine's youth and the immergence of his mutant abilities. In WOLVERINE: THE ORIGIN [2001] #1-6 audiences are finally rewarded with some key, missing facts about the character. Wolverine was born to a weathy family in the late 19th century in Canada, and his real name is James Howlett. The series depicts the first time Wolverine popped his claws. Other nuggets in the series include where his nickname, Logan, came from and his infatuation with redheads. The first part of the 2009 film, X-MEN ORIGINS: WOLVERINE was greatly inspired by THE ORIGIN. Fox's X-Men film franchise has plumbed Wolverine's source material thoroughly and--for the most part--faithfully, including an alternate future version of the character, Old Man Logan.
Wolverine ultimately regained and retained all of his missing memories. While Wolverine is an integral part of many X-Men stories, he has an equally impressive solo publishing history with stories running the complete gambit of genres and his 100+ year lifespan. He is as popular today as much as ever and still a key character in the X-Men family, often cast as the grizzled veteran in juxtaposition to young X-Men recruits.
The first appearance of a character in comic book form is often the most valuable issue featuring that character. It's a nice place to get started in Wolverine (James 'Logan' Howlett), if it's within your budget. A facsimile edition of INCREDIBLE HULK [1968] #181 was published in 2019, as the original edition is out-of-reach for most casual collectors.
The original presentation of an origin story or a retelling/recounting of it can be a good place to get started with a character or subject. Very little was known of Wolverine's origin for the first few decades of his publishing history before Marvel began publishing bits and pieces of his backstory. The 'origin' of a superhero is typically the event or circumstances surrounding how they gained their powers and/or began fighting crime. For Wolverine, there isn't a single 'turning point' that identifies this transformation, but rather a few points along the character's evolution. The two biggest points are the two earliest points in his publishing history. Fifteen years after his introduction, MARVEL COMICS PRESENTS [1988] #72-84 gave the first details of the Weapon X program--the program that gave him his adamantium skeleton. Subsequent story arcs in MCP and in his own self-titled series would add more details. A decade later, the WOLVERINE: THE ORIGIN [2001] mini-series detailed the early history of Wolverine and the emergence of his mutant powers. Although published second, THE ORIGIN has risen to define Wolverine's 'origin story,' even though the WEAPON X story arc in MARVEL COMICS PRESENTS is equally substantive to creating the character we know. Over time, and throughout many other series, more and more details of Wolverine's backstory would be published, adding layers and fine detail to his origin. Wolverine's origin hasn't so much 'changed' over the years, as it has been enriched with additional resolution. Following the main two entries, the list below contains a few other highlights of this intricate (and sometimes convoluted) publishing journey that you may find interesting.
Here is the Main Publication History for Wolverine (James 'Logan' Howlett) comic books. The list below is limited to the main, ongoing series where Wolverine is the feature character and to the few mini-series/one-shots which have significant impact on his character's ongoing story or on his character development through the decades. Any one of these could be a great place to get started in Wolverine comic books. See the Secondary Publishing History for many other series which don't quite fit our subjective definition for this section, but could easily be equally or even more entertaining as stories.
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If you've already enjoyed some of the series listed in the Main Publication History above, series from this secondary publication list are very good places to further your exploration. Wolverine has starred in many other series, mini-series, and one-shots besides those listed in the Main Publication History. The mysterious nature of his past--even to himself--lends itself beautifully to telling self-contained stories in any setting or teaming up with nearly any other character from Marvel (or other publishers), without having to conform to a strict chronological character timeline.
This section contains a curated list of some of the best storylines for Wolverine (James 'Logan' Howlett), any one of which can be a good place to get started. There's so much good stuff to choose from, but highlights include major developments in Wolverine's "story" and battles with other major Marvel characters. Wolverine has had many noteworthy single issues as well. You can find some of those in the Key Issues section later in this guide.
1979 | X-MEN [1963] #120-121 (WANTED: WOLVERINE! DEAD OR ALIVE!; the 1st appearance of Alpha Flight gives us the first glimpses of Wolvie's mysterious past) |
1981 | DAYS OF FUTURE PAST storyline (one of the most notable Claremont X-Men story arcs) |
1982 | WOLVERINE [1982] #1-4 (Claremont and Miller's classic reconstruction of Wolverine as a samurai-archetype) |
1983 | UNCANNY X-MEN [1981] #172-174 (Claremont continues Wolverine's Japanese storyline from WOLVERINE [1982] #1-4) |
1984 | KITTY PRYDE AND WOLVERINE [1984] #1-4 (Claremont and Milgrom pioneer the grizzled veteran Wolverine mentoring a young X-Man...plus, there's more samurai) |
1988 | WOLVERINE [1988] #1-6 (historic introduction of Wolverine's "Patch" identity and his adventures in Madripoor) |
1990 | WOLVERINE [1988] #31-37 (start of Larry Hama and Marc Silvestri's epic, character-defining run) |
1991 | MARVEL COMICS PRESENTS [1988] #72-84 (WEAPON X; first details of Weapon X program with legendary Barry Windsor-Smith art) |
1991 | WOLVERINE [1988] #48-50 (DREAMS OF GORE!; the sequel story arc to WEAPON X) |
1992 | MARVEL COMICS PRESENTS [1988] #117-122 (CLAWS AND WEBS; Wolverine vs. Venom) |
1993 | FATAL ATTRACTIONS storyline (Fabian Nicieza and Scott Lobdell's X-title crossover featuring the mind-blowing extraction of Wolverine's adamantium skeleton by Magneto; adorned with extravagant 90's-era hologram covers) |
1996 | VENOM: TOOTH AND CLAW [1996] #1-3 (Larry Hama scripts Wolverine vs. Venom) |
1997 | WOLVERINE [1988] #119-122 (NOT DEAD YET; strong Warren Ellis story in the post-Hama era) |
1999 | WOLVERINE [1988] #133-138 (THE GREAT ESCAPE; Erik Larsen writes a story of an alien-possessed Wolverine going up against half the Marvel Universe...including Galactus) |
2000 | WOLVERINE [1988] #150-153 (BLOOD DEBT; Wolverine has his adamantium back and dives back into some exciting samurai action with old and new characters) |
2001 | WOLVERINE [1988] #159-161 (THE BEST THERE IS; Frank Tieri's run kicks off with the dangerous Mister X laying physical and legal claims to the title...) |
2001 | WOLVERINE: THE ORIGIN [2001] #1-6 (early boyhood history of Wolverine, emergence of mutant powers) |
2002 | PUNISHER [2001] #16-17 (VERTICAL CHALLENGE / AIM LOW; Garth Ennis' Marvel Knights-style Punisher serves Wolverine a smackdown with a shotgun to the face and a steamroller) |
WOLVERINE [1988] #186 (SEE YA ROUND, FRANKIE; continued from PUNISHER [2001] #16-17, Wolverine gives Punisher some payback) | |
2003 | WOLVERINE [2003] #1-6 (BROTHERHOOD; Greg Rucka's run starts strong with a Wolverine detective story) |
2004 | WOLVERINE [2003] #20-31 (ENEMY OF THE STATE; a must-read Mark Millar story where Hydra brainwashes Wolverine into an unhinged killing machine) |
2006 | WOLVERINE [2003] #36-40 (ORIGINS AND ENDINGS; Daniel Way scripts another chapter from Wolverine's time in the Weapon X program) |
2006 | ULTIMATE WOLVERINE VS. HULK [2006] #1-6 (knock-down Hulk rematch in the Ultimate Universe) |
2007 | WOLVERINE: ORIGINS [2006] #16-20 (OUR WAR; Daniel Way reveals Wolverine's WWII history with Captain America...in Madripoor) |
2008 | WOLVERINE: ORIGINS [2006] #21-25 (DEEP END; another strong Daniel Way arc with Woverine versus...Deadpool) |
2008 | WOLVERINE [2003] #62-65 (GET MYSTIQUE; Jason Aaron and Ron Garney's fantastic story of Wolverine hunting Mystique following the Messiah Complex event) |
2008 | LOGAN [2008] #1-3 (Brian K. Vaughn's stand-out story takes the memory-restored Wolverine back to Japan to contront old demons) |
2008 | WOLVERINE: ORIGINS [2006] #26-30 (SON OF X / ORIGINAL SIN; two more stellar arcs from Daniel Way with the origin of Daken as well as what secrets Professor X knew of Wolverine from the beginning (and you should really just read all the rest of Way's stuff to issue #50 in this series)) |
2008 | WOLVERINE [2003] #66-72 (OLD MAN LOGAN, definitive 'backstory' by Millar and McNiven of the 'near' future version of Wolverine) |
WOLVERINE: OLD MAN LOGAN GIANT-SIZE [2009] #1 (OLD MAN LOGAN conclusion) | |
2010 | UNCANNY X-FORCE [2010] #1-4 (THE APOCALYPSE SOLUTION; Rick Remender's first, outstanding arc of this series where Wolverine and Archangel put a ruthless team together to kill Apocalypse by any means (this whole 35-issue series is great)) |
2011 | WOLVERINE AND JUBILEE [2011] #1-4 (Wolverine re-bonds with a newly vampiric Jubilee) |
2013 | SAVAGE WOLVERINE [2013] #6-8 (Joe Madureira's epic tale of ninjas, blades and sweet revenge guest stars Spidey and Elektra) |
2013 | WOLVERINE [2013] #8-13 (KILLABLE; jam-packed, adrenaline ride with Wolverine's healing factor neutralized by a nano-virus) |
2014 | DEATH OF WOLVERINE [2014] #1-4 ("they should kill off Wolverine," said no comic book fan ever...but they all still read it anyway) |
A key issue can be an acceptable place to get started with Wolverine (James 'Logan' Howlett), but they are more of a collector's checklist, as they can carry high price tags.
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In modern comic publishing, it's common (and expected) for individual comic book issues to be collected into compilations of trade paperbacks and/or hardcovers, as well as other special compilations. Unlike the individual source issues, the collected editions typically stay in print for long periods and are less 'collectible.' If individual issues are out of reach or are not of interest to you or if you just need reading copies, the following collected editions of Wolverine (James 'Logan' Howlett) comic books are the most recent in-print editions and are the perfect alternative to get started right away with Wolverine (James 'Logan' Howlett). The following compilations are presented in a chronologically-based suggested reading order with softcover editions before any hardcover editions (unless the only in-print editions are hardcover--these are integrated into the softcover list).
Wolverine has had a very long and robust publishing history with virtually all of it collected into compilations at some point. A great many of these volumes have gone out of print or are on the verge of going out of print. Marvel seems to eventually bring most material back into print (as long as there is some perceived demand) in newly-named compilation series. Their most recent trend is to group series by the writer/scripter, so you'll often see 'by so-and-so writer' in the title. Alternatively, the EPIC COLLECTION is a series of economically-priced, black and white compilations and will presumably fill in the in-print gaps of the 1988 series as new volumes are published. However, the volumes of the EPIC COLLECTION are not being published in order. To be fair, you could easily start almost anywhere along this robust suggested reading order and do fine with whatever pre-existing knowledge (no matter how lean) you bring to the character. The Key Storyline section of this guide can give you additional clues to get started somewhere in Wolverine comics, if you're starting from zero.
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Cover | Release Month | Series / Number / Storyline | |||
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Quick View | Mar 2009 | WOLVERINE BY CLAREMONT AND MILLER [2009-TPB] CURRENT PRINTING | Go to Amazon | ||
Quick View | Dec 2014 | WOLVERINE EPIC COLLECTION [2014-TPB] VOL 01: MADRIPOOR NIGHTS CURRENT PRINTING | Go to Amazon | ||
Quick View | Jul 2019 | HAVOK AND WOLVERINE - MELTDOWN [2019-TPB] CURRENT PRINTING | Go to Amazon | ||
Quick View | Mar 2019 | WOLVERINE EPIC COLLECTION [2014-TPB] VOL 02: BACK TO BASICS CURRENT PRINTING | Go to Amazon | ||
Quick View | Mar 2009 | WOLVERINE: WEAPON X [2009-TPB] CURRENT PRINTING | Go to Amazon | ||
Quick View | Apr 2020 | WOLVERINE: WEAPON X [2009-TPB] NEW PRINTING | UNAVAILABLE | $12.99 | |
Quick View | Jan 2017 | WOLVERINE: WEAPON X UNBOUND [2017-TPB] CURRENT PRINTING | Go to Amazon | ||
Quick View | Feb 2020 | WOLVERINE EPIC COLLECTION [2014-TPB] VOL 06: INNER FURY | UNAVAILABLE | $25.99 | |
Quick View | Dec 2015 | WOLVERINE EPIC COLLECTION [2014-TPB] VOL 08: THE DYING GAME CURRENT PRINTING | Go to Amazon | ||
Quick View | Oct 2013 | WOLVERINE: BLOOD WEDDING [2013-TPB] CURRENT PRINTING | Go to Amazon | ||
Quick View | Feb 2017 | WOLVERINE EPIC COLLECTION [2014-TPB] VOL 12: SHADOW OF APOCALYPSE CURRENT PRINTING | Go to Amazon | ||
Quick View | Mar 2018 | WOLVERINE EPIC COLLECTION [2014-TPB] VOL 13: BLOOD DEBT CURRENT PRINTING | Go to Amazon | ||
Quick View | Sep 2013 | WOLVERINE: THE RETURN OF WEAPON X [2013-TPB] CURRENT PRINTING | Go to Amazon | ||
Quick View | Mar 2009 | WOLVERINE: THE ORIGIN [2009-TPB] CURRENT PRINTING | Go to Amazon | ||
Quick View | Mar 2020 | WOLVERINE: ENEMY OF THE STATE [2008-TPB] NEW PRINTING | UNAVAILABLE | $22.74 | |
Quick View | Mar 2016 | CIVIL WAR: WOLVERINE [2007-TPB] 2ND EDITION, CURRENT PRINTING | Go to Amazon | ||
Quick View | Jan 2017 | WOLVERINE BY DANIEL WAY: THE COMPLETE COLLECTION [2017-TPB] VOL 01 CURRENT PRINTING | Go to Amazon | ||
Quick View | Aug 2017 | WOLVERINE BY DANIEL WAY: THE COMPLETE COLLECTION [2017-TPB] VOL 02 CURRENT PRINTING | Go to Amazon | ||
Quick View | Dec 2017 | WOLVERINE BY DANIEL WAY: THE COMPLETE COLLECTION [2017-TPB] VOL 03 CURRENT PRINTING | Go to Amazon | ||
Quick View | May 2018 | WOLVERINE BY DANIEL WAY: THE COMPLETE COLLECTION [2017-TPB] VOL 04 CURRENT PRINTING | Go to Amazon | ||
Quick View | Aug 2008 | WOLVERINE: GET MYSTIQUE [2008-TPB] CURRENT PRINTING | Go to Amazon | ||
Quick View | Sep 2010 | WOLVERINE: OLD MAN LOGAN [2010-TPB] CURRENT PRINTING | Go to Amazon | ||
Quick View | Dec 2013 | WOLVERINE BY JASON AARON: THE COMPLETE COLLECTION [2013-TPB] VOL 01 CURRENT PRINTING | Go to Amazon | ||
Quick View | Mar 2014 | WOLVERINE BY JASON AARON: THE COMPLETE COLLECTION [2013-TPB] VOL 02 CURRENT PRINTING | Go to Amazon | ||
Quick View | Jul 2014 | WOLVERINE BY JASON AARON: THE COMPLETE COLLECTION [2013-TPB] VOL 03 CURRENT PRINTING | Go to Amazon | ||
Quick View | Nov 2014 | WOLVERINE BY JASON AARON: THE COMPLETE COLLECTION [2013-TPB] VOL 04 CURRENT PRINTING | Go to Amazon | ||
Quick View | Apr 2010 | WOLVERINE: WEAPON X [2009-TPB] VOL 01: ADAMANTIUM MEN SUBSEQUENT PRINTINGS | Go to Amazon | ||
Quick View | Jul 2010 | WOLVERINE: WEAPON X [2009-TPB] VOL 02: INSANE IN THE BRAIN SUBSEQUENT PRINTINGS | Go to Amazon | ||
Quick View | Mar 2011 | WOLVERINE: WEAPON X [2009-TPB] VOL 03: TOMORROW DIES TODAY SUBSEQUENT PRINTINGS | Go to Amazon | ||
Quick View | Oct 2012 | WOLVERINE AND THE X-MEN [2011-TPB] VOL 01 CURRENT PRINTING | Go to Amazon | ||
Quick View | Jan 2013 | WOLVERINE AND THE X-MEN: ALPHA AND OMEGA [2012-TPB] CURRENT PRINTING | Go to Amazon | ||
Quick View | Feb 2013 | WOLVERINE AND THE X-MEN [2011-TPB] VOL 02 CURRENT PRINTING | Go to Amazon | ||
Quick View | Mar 2013 | WOLVERINE AND THE X-MEN [2011-TPB] VOL 03 CURRENT PRINTING | Go to Amazon | ||
Quick View | May 2013 | WOLVERINE AND THE X-MEN [2011-TPB] VOL 04 CURRENT PRINTING | Go to Amazon | ||
Quick View | Jun 2013 | WOLVERINE AND THE X-MEN [2011-TPB] VOL 05 CURRENT PRINTING | Go to Amazon | ||
Quick View | Sep 2013 | WOLVERINE AND THE X-MEN [2011-TPB] VOL 06 CURRENT PRINTING | Go to Amazon | ||
Quick View | Oct 2013 | WOLVERINE AND THE X-MEN [2011-TPB] VOL 07 CURRENT PRINTING | Go to Amazon | ||
Quick View | Apr 2014 | WOLVERINE AND THE X-MEN [2011-TPB] VOL 08 CURRENT PRINTING | Go to Amazon | ||
Quick View | Mar 2013 | WOLVERINE: ROT [2013-TPB] CURRENT PRINTING | Go to Amazon | ||
Quick View | Apr 2013 | WOLVERINE: COVENANT [2013-TPB] CURRENT PRINTING | Go to Amazon | ||
Quick View | Jul 2013 | WOLVERINE MAX [2012-TPB] VOL 01: PERMANENT RAGE CURRENT PRINTING | Go to Amazon | ||
Quick View | Oct 2013 | WOLVERINE MAX [2012-TPB] VOL 02: ESCAPE TO L.A. CURRENT PRINTING | Go to Amazon | ||
Quick View | Mar 2014 | WOLVERINE MAX [2012-TPB] VOL 03: VEGAS CURRENT PRINTING | Go to Amazon | ||
Quick View | Apr 2014 | SAVAGE WOLVERINE [2013-TPB] VOL 01: KILL ISLAND CURRENT PRINTING | Go to Amazon | ||
Quick View | Oct 2014 | SAVAGE WOLVERINE [2013-TPB] VOL 02: HANDS ON A DEAD BODY CURRENT PRINTING | Go to Amazon | ||
Quick View | Feb 2015 | SAVAGE WOLVERINE [2013-TPB] VOL 03: WRATH CURRENT PRINTING | Go to Amazon | ||
Quick View | Jul 2015 | SAVAGE WOLVERINE [2013-TPB] VOL 04: THE BEST THERE IS CURRENT PRINTING | Go to Amazon | ||
Quick View | Aug 2013 | WOLVERINE [2013-TPB] VOL 01: HUNTING SEASON CURRENT PRINTING | Go to Amazon | ||
Quick View | Mar 2014 | WOLVERINE [2013-TPB] VOL 02: KILLABLE CURRENT PRINTING | Go to Amazon | ||
Quick View | Jul 2014 | WOLVERINE: THREE MONTHS TO DIE [2014-TPB] BOOK 01 CURRENT PRINTING | Go to Amazon | ||
Quick View | Nov 2014 | WOLVERINE: THREE MONTHS TO DIE [2014-TPB] BOOK 02 CURRENT PRINTING | Go to Amazon | ||
Quick View | Oct 2014 | WOLVERINE AND THE X-MEN [2014-TPB] VOL 01: TOMORROW NEVER LEARNS CURRENT PRINTING | Go to Amazon | ||
Quick View | Jan 2015 | WOLVERINE AND THE X-MEN [2014-TPB] VOL 02: DEATH OF WOLVERINE CURRENT PRINTING | Go to Amazon | ||
Quick View | May 2018 | DEATH OF WOLVERINE: THE COMPLETE COLLECTION [2018-TPB] CURRENT PRINTING | Go to Amazon | ||
Quick View | Dec 2018 | HUNT FOR WOLVERINE: MYSTERY IN MADRIPOOR [2018-TPB] CURRENT PRINTING | Go to Amazon | ||
Quick View | Dec 2018 | HUNT FOR WOLVERINE: THE ADAMANTIUM AGENDA [2018-TPB] CURRENT PRINTING | Go to Amazon | ||
Quick View | Dec 2018 | HUNT FOR WOLVERINE: THE CLAWS OF A KILLER [2018-TPB] CURRENT PRINTING | Go to Amazon | ||
Quick View | Dec 2018 | HUNT FOR WOLVERINE: WEAPON LOST [2018-TPB] CURRENT PRINTING | Go to Amazon | ||
Quick View | Mar 2019 | RETURN OF WOLVERINE [2018-TPB] CURRENT PRINTING | Go to Amazon | ||
Quick View | Feb 2020 | WOLVERINE: THE DAUGHTER OF WOLVERINE [2020-TPB] | UNAVAILABLE | $10.39 | |
Quick View | Jul 2019 | WOLVERINE: THE LONG NIGHT [2019-TPB] CURRENT PRINTING | Go to Amazon | ||
Quick View | Aug 2019 | WOLVERINE: INFINITY WATCH [2019-TPB] | UNAVAILABLE | $10.39 |
If you've enjoyed non-comic media for Wolverine, this section describes the comic book source material for some of the most popular non-comic media. WARNING: This section may contain spoilers!
Wolverine is one of Marvel's most popular characters. He has had three solo films starring Hugh Jackman as Wolverine, but has made an appearance in nearly all of the X-Men films to date. Wolverine has also made countless appearances in animated films, television series and video games. This section focuses on his solo films and their comic book source material.
The 2009 movie, X-MEN ORIGINS: WOLVERINE, was written by David Benioff and Skip Woods, directed by Gavin Hood, and starred Hugh Jackman as Wolverine. 20th Century Fox purchased the film rights from Marvel to the X-Men family of characters in 1994--before Marvel formed their own film studio and well before Disney acquired Marvel--and has maintained that license to produce X-Men films...to much financial success. X-MEN ORIGINS: WOLVERINE was the fourth installment in Fox's X-Men film franchise, and it was the first spin-off film, focusing solely on Wolverine as a prequel to the existing X-Men films. Drawing from several iconic comic book storylines, the early childhood history of James 'Logan' Howlett portrayed in the movie pulls heavily from the historic WOLVERINE: THE ORIGIN [2001] #1-6, although a few details are slightly modified for the film. This comic book mini-series was published 25 years after the character's introduction and finally detailed the immergence of Wolverine's mutant powers. The film places Victor Creed (Sabretooth) as a character in Wolverine's early childhood, but Creed does not appear in WOLVERINE: THE ORIGIN [2001]. After a century of fighting in wars, William Stryker recruits Wolverine and Sabretooth into Team X, a CIA black-ops team of mutants. Stryker appeared in the previous X-Men film, but this film shows him in his younger years. William Stryker first appeared in the source graphic novel, X-MEN: GOD LOVES, MAN KILLS [1982], but he was a religious fanatic with a military history (which may have involved Team X and/or the Weapon X project, but was never explicitly stated). The first appearance of Team X in comics is X-MEN [1991] #5. This is also the first appearance of Maverick (David North) who was called Agent Zero in the film and has gone by that moniker in comics more recently as well. The other members of Team X all have comic origins as well. Wade Wilson would become the infamous Deadpool. His first appearance in comics is NEW MUTANTS [1983] #98. This film gives a radically different origin for this character when compared with the comics and his own later solo film. John Wraith's first appearance is WOLVERINE [1988] #60. Fred Dukes' alter-ego is the Blob, and his first appearance is X-MEN [1963] #3. The film places him on Team X, but in comics he was not associated with Team X or the Weapon Plus program. Bolt (Chris Bradley) first appeared in comics in X-MEN UNLIMITED [1993] #8. In the film, he is a teammate of Maverick's, but, in comics, Maverick mentored the young mutant. When Wolverine leaves Team X, he shacks up with Kayla Silverfox. In comics, Silver Fox is one of Wolverine's former lovers. Her first appearance is WOLVERINE [1988] #10, but the comic book version has different powers than the film version. She apparently dies in this issue, just as she apparantly dies at the beginning of the film. Her real death is in WOLVERINE [1988] #64. In the movie, Wolverine volunteers to undergo the adamantium bonding process to stop Sabretooth. This is counter to the comic book source material, in which Logan was kidnapped and forced into the process. The first details of the Weapon X program were published in MARVEL COMICS PRESENTS [1988] #72-84. A direct sequel arc is contained in WOLVERINE [1988] #48-50. Wolverine fights a Remy 'Gambit' LeBeau on his path of revenge. Gambit's first full appearance in comics is UNCANNY X-MEN [1981] #266. While X-MEN ORIGINS: WOLVERINE as a whole was financially successful, many fans consider it a mangled mess of comic source material, particularly the handling of Deadpool.
The 2013 movie, WOLVERINE, was written by Mark Bomback and Scott Frank and directed by James Mangold with Hugh Jackman reprising his role as Wolverine. The second solo Wolverine film (6th installment in Fox's X-Men film franchise) pulls heavily from the story elements of Wolverine's first comic book solo series, WOLVERINE [1982] #1-4 from Chris Claremont and Frank Miller. During WWII, Wolverine saves a man from the atomic bombing of Nagasaki. This plot detail is unique to the film franchise, but the man's son turns out to be Shingen Yashida. Better known as Lord Shingen in comics, his first appearance is WOLVERINE [1982] #1, and he is one of Wolverine's arch-villains. In present day, Yukio finds Logan and brings him to the man he saved all those years ago, as the man is dying. Yukio's first appearance is also WOLVERINE [1982] #1, but the film makes significant changes to the character. In comics, she is a skilled martial artist, but in the film she is also a mutant who can foresee people's deaths. Also, the film joins her to the Yashida Clan by adoption but in her comic book history she is just a hired assassin. The film introduces Mariko, the daughter of Lord Shingen. Her first comic book appearance is X-MEN [1963] #118 where she is a love interest of Wolverine, as in this film. The film depicts Kenuichio Harada as the old man's bodyguard. In comics, Harada is the illegitimate son of Lord Shingen and is alternately known as the Silver Samurai. The Silver Samurai's first appearance is DAREDEVIL [1964] #111. In comics, during his villainous years, he would become the bodyguard of another villain, Viper. The film depicts Viper as the old man's physician. Her first appearance is CAPTAIN AMERICA [1968] #110, as she is most often portrayed as one of Captain America's supervillains but has had significant interaction with Wolverine as well. Wolverine and Viper married in WOLVERINE [1988] #126 but were soon divorced. In comics, the Silver Samurai wears a lightweight steel alloy body armor, modeled after traditional samurai armor, but made of more modern materials. In the final battle of the film, Wolverine must face off against a massive adamantium-enhanced electromechanical suit of samurai armor nearly identical to the comic book version of Silver Samurai's armor.
Wolverine's third solo movie, LOGAN was written by Scott Frank, James Mangold and Michael Green and directed again by James Mangold. Hugh Jackman reprised his role as Wolverine for the last time with this tenth installment in the Fox X-Men film franchise. The Wolverine character in the 2017 movie, LOGAN, is not precisely the comic book character, Old Man Logan, but the movie character is certainly influenced by the comic book character from the modern day classic OLD MAN LOGAN storyline in WOLVERINE [2003] #66-72 and WOLVERINE: OLD MAN LOGAN GIANT-SIZE [2009] #1 from Mark Millar and Steve McNiven. Both are future tales: the movie is set about 13 years in the future, whereas the comic book is set further in the future. Both are post-superhero worlds: the movie depicts a world where new mutants have stopped appearing, whereas the comic book world is a post-apocalyptic one where the supervillains have defeated all the superheroes. Both involve a road trip: the movie charges Logan with delivering his clone daughter, Laura (X-23), to safety, while the package to be delivered in the comic book is a briefcase full of super-soldier serum. Both also involve an embittered man, but the guilt of past deeds for comic book Old Man Logan is far greater than the guilt that movie Logan bears. An aged and sick Wolverine with a broken and tortured soul is the major influence comic book Old Man Logan brings to the tone of the movie. While the setting and the circumstances are slightly different, fans are used to shifts in movie adaptations. The resemblance in persona alone is enough to demonstrate the influence the comic book character has made on the cinematic version of Wolverine.