Wolverine #1 (November 1988)

In the 1970s and 1980s, the anti-hero became a rather popular character archetype. In The Incredible Hulk #181 (November 1974), one of Marvel's most iconic anti-heroes would make his full debut (after cameoing in the previous issue). He is known by many names. Logan. James Howlett. But most know him as...the Wolverine.

Considering the times, it made sense that he would be regarded as one of the most popular members of the X-Men. Appropriately enough, he would be the first member of the X-Men to get his own spin-off series. His first spin-off was actually a miniseries penned by Chris Claremont and drawn by Frank Miller. This miniseries would expand on his solo mythos and help establish his ties to Japan. He also fought ninjas because it was the 80s, and ninja-mania was running wild, brother!

The comic we're looking at here today is the first issue of his ongoing series. I figured that in honor of Hugh Jackman returning as Wolverine, I'd give this comic a look. This is Wolverine #1!

The cover is a John Buscema and Al Williamson piece. It's pretty cool, depicting our man Logan standing on a pile of bodies. A nice little detail is the outfit Wolverine is wearing here. During Claremont's time on the title, Wolverine never wore his X-Men costume. Instead, he wore a plain black outfit with eye black around his eyes as a sort of "mask". This cover also gives the impression that these stories will be darker than the standard adventure.

"Sword Quest"
Writer: Chris Claremont
Penciler: John Buscema
Inker: Al Williamson
Colorist: Glynis Oliver 
Letterer: Tom Orzechowski
Editor: Bob Harras
Editor-in-Chief: Tom DeFalco

The story begins in a small island in the Indonesian archipelago. A group of pirates managed to hijack the passenger plane. The leader of the pirates, a Banapur Khan, killed the captain by reliving him of his head.

The pirates managed to kill most of the crew and passengers, but there is someone on the island intent on avenging those souls: our man Logan. Wolverine is easily able to take out the guard watching the plane, taking advantage of their complacency. He's also easily able to get past their booby traps, clearly familiar with them. On his way, he saves a woman from the wrath of one of the pirates. Logan also has another mission. He's looking for a particular passenger: Naburo Kojima. He finds the man, and he's...not in great shape.

"Time and place, man."

Kojima finds it hard to believe it's Logan, as he thinks the man is dead. Khan and his crew enter the building, holding the woman he saved earlier by the hair. And now we have a fight.

There are about a hundred pirates, and one Logan. The odds don't look good...for the pirates. They go down easily thanks to Logan's fighting skills, his healing factor, his adamantium claws, and his sheer ferocity.  

You may be asking, "Who is Naburo Kojima, and why is Logan after him"? Well, he's not on Logan's hitlist. Kojima was the personal secretary of Mariko Yoshida, our man's main squeeze. The woman Logan rescued earlier finds Kojima's body. Meanwhile, Logan is still working on turning the pirates into hamburger meat. One pirate tries to cut off his neck, but it doesn't work. 

"What?! This sword cost me 300 bucks on eBay!"

Remember, Logan's bones are lined with Adamantium, too. Including his spinal column. Which means they're as indestructible as his claws. Which makes that attempt to behead him pretty funny. Khan finds the dead pirates, and it's got him sweating.

A desperate Khan grabs a woman and puts a knife to her throat. Logan warns him if Khan kills that woman, there will be nowhere he can hide from the Wolverine. Khan gets to a motorboat, taking his hostage with him. He plans to grab more men, and the lady will be able to get him a nice bit of cash from slavers. However, Khan gets one more surprise.

"it's always the ones you never expect to have a gun."

Remember that woman Logan rescued earlier? She was on the boat and had a gun. That woman was one of the flight's stewardesses and shot Khan to avenge the plane's Captain. Logan returns to the dying Kojima. With his last breaths, he explains that the pirates were hired by an organization: The Cult of the Black Blade. They're after the Muramasa Sword, a sacred talisman to them. There are couriers who have the sword heading to Madripoor Airport from America the next day. Lady Mariko is unaware of how much danger they are truly in. The Cult can't be allowed to get that sword. For it's believed that the sword is an evil weapon, because it can corrupt and consume the souls of any who wield it...

Yeah. And considering this is the Marvel Universe, those legends are likely very, very true. Kojima dies, but Logan assures him he'll make sure Lady Mariko is aware of his faithful service to her.

Our man spends the next day at the airport, looking all the passengers over. It's here we learn a bit more about the Cult. The Cult of the Black Blade is a rather old group, maybe going as far back as the birth of Japan itself. The Cult had its share of ebbs and rises. The last time they had a big resurgence was in the 1920s, fed by rising Japanese militarism. The Cult was supposedly exterminated by General Douglas MacArthur's counter-intelligence crew during the occupation of the country post-WWII. Look like ol' Mac missed some spots. 

It's here that a young lady familiar with the X-Men makes her presence known. 

"Where can I get a sandwich around here?"

Meet Lindsay McCabe, actress, and occasional adventurer. She's here to see the sights of Madripoor, although she is unknowingly a target. This is a bit of a problem for Wolverine. You see, McCabe knows the X-Men thanks to her being a roommate of private eye Jessica Drew, aka the first Spider-Woman. But she believes the X-Men are dead. that's because the X-Men seemingly died battling a demon called the Adversary in Uncanny X-Men #227 (March 1988). He bumps into her, and she seems to not recognize him, which is a relief to our man.

McCabe grabs a taxi. Logan spots some men hired by the cult going to follow her in their own car, but he secretly uses his claws to pop their car's tires. McCabe heads up to her hotel, where she has some guests. 

"We demand a shrubbery, Mr. Anderson..."

These folks, as well as the bellboy that helped bring Lindsay's bags to her room, are actually members of the Cult of the Black Blade. They demand to know where the Black Blade is, rummaging through her stuff. Naturally, McCabe is very confused by this. And them Wolverine does his best impression of the Kool-Aid Man. HEY LOGAN!

Logan brawls with the men, but the woman (presumably the leader of the bunch) has our man at gunpoint. McCabe helps out by giving the woman a vase to the dome, and then she has Logan at gunpoint.

She recognizes him as the man who bumped into her at the airport. He tells her Kojima sent him, and that he's dead. Been dead for a week. Which McCabe finds impossible as he spoke to her yesterday, before she left San Fran. It could be some complicated thing with clones (this is the Marvel Universe after all), but it's much simpler: the "Kojima" McCabe talked to...was an imposter. And her partner Jessica Drew is on her way to meet him. 

I enjoyed this comic. The story does have a much darker, more film noir feel to it, which gives it a nice contrast to the main X-Men book.  

If you want to read this comic for yourself, I recommend tracking down the 2014 trade paperback Wolverine Epic Collection Vol. 1: Madripoor Nights. Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, show it off! Take care of yourselves and each other! See you next time! 

Deadpool and Wolverine Teaser, My Thoughts

Back in 2016, 20th Century Fox released the film Deadpool. Directed by Tim Miller (his first feature film) and starring Ryan Reynolds as the titular Merc with a Mouth, it was the 8th film in the X-Men film series. It was a critical and financial success, earning $782 million against a $58 million budget, and was actually the highest-earning R-Rated film ever for a period of time. In 2018, the sequel, Deadpool 2 was released. But now with 20th Century Fox being acquired by Disney, that means Marvel Studios has regained the live-action film rights to X-Men characters, including Deadpool. This led to this new upcoming film, which will also bring back Hugh Jackman as Wolverine. Let's look at the trailer for the upcoming 38th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe: Deadpool and Wolverine! A bit of warning before we begin, this trailer is a bit NSFW, so I highly recommend not watching this at work. 

Happy Birthday, Wade! Time to celebrate! 🎉

Heh heh, Wade has a hairpiece.

Wait, didn't Shatterstar got diced up by helicopter blades in Deadpool 2! How is he here? And where did Domino go? 

Nice to see Negasonic and Yukio are still together. 

Yay, Peter! ...why has he not been brought into the comics? 

You know, being able to break the Fourth Wall, you'd think Wade would be genre-savvy enough to know that peaceful times like this are only calms before big storms hit.

"Hey, you guys aren't the pizza delivery boy!"

The TVA! I wonder if this is pre- or post-Loki? I mean, the uniforms look a little different. 

Okay, that was funny.

You guys could have at least let him keep his toupee. 

It would have been weird if Wade didn't soil himself.

The actor there reminds me of Kevin Spacey.

Welcome to the MCU, Deadpool. We hope you survive. ...well, considering his healing factor, he likely would. 

I like that little bit with Wade saluting Captain America. Wade admires the man in the comics, so it's nice to see that little detail shouted out.

Hey, an appearance by Logan in his Patch persona! 😀 I have heard a theory that this isn't the Hugh Jackman Wolverine of Wade's universe, but the "native MCU" version of Wolverine.

So, he's going to be Marvel's...personal Jesus? 🎵Reach out and touch faith... 🎵

If you watch carefully in that fast-going montage, Wade gets spanked. 

And of course Wade is in a place with a crumbling Twentieth Century Fox logo. I think he's in the Void from Loki. Would make sense, considering the TVA being here. 

That reload shot ruled.

I think these shots were altered to keep something hidden. 

Hey, Pyro is back! 😀 And he's wearing an orange-and-red outfit!

Heh, like in the first movie!

That comic lying next to Wade appears to be an issue of the 2015 Secret Wars event. Makes sense, considering we're in the Multiverse Saga...

Ooh, I bet that will hurt.

Well, consider me excited! I have enjoyed the previous two Deadpool movies, and I can't wait to see this one in the theaters! Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, show it off! Take care of yourselves and each other! Stay safe, stay healthy, stay home, wash your hands often, wear a mask, and get your vaccine/booster! See you next time! 

Wolverine #1 (September 1982)

Wolverine. The best there is at what he does, and what he does is not very nice. Making his full first appearance in The Incredible Hulk #181 (November 1974), Wolverine has become one of the Marvel Universe's most famous and beloved characters.

But who is this cigar-chomping claw-popping fighting machine? Well, his history is long and complicated. Born in the late 1880s in Canada, James Howlett endured a lot in his early life. The product of an affair, early tragedy, living in the woods, fighting in both World Wars,
victim of the Weapon X program. He's been a member of numerous superteams, mainly the X-Men and the Avengers. Those who know him regard him as a complex man, a man who struggles to reconcile his animal instincts with his innately noble nature. He's been a leader and a protector, a soldier and a guardian.

In the 1980s, Wolverine's popularity would grow thanks to his membership in the X-Men and general tough-guy personality. It would reach the point where he would eventually get his own solo miniseries, which we're going to look at the first issue of here. So, did Wolverine's first solo adventure start strong? Let's find out as we look at Wolverine #1!

The cover is basic, but it works. This is Wolverine's first solo miniseries, and it showcases exactly what you're going to get. You're going to get the Canucklehead, and he's going to kick some butts. You want a piece of him? He's inviting you to try and get some.

"I'm Wolverine"
Writer: Chris Claremont
Penciler: Frank Miller
Inker: Josef Rubinstein
Colorist: Glynis Wein
Letterer: Tom Orzechowski
Editor: Louise Jones
Editor-in-Chief: Jim Shooter

The story begins with Logan doing a bit of rock climbing.

He's doing some of his climbing in the Canadian Rockies, a place that is like home to him. You know, someone should write a Wolverine story set in the Canadian Rockies that pays homage to the film Cliffhanger. However, Logan isn't there for fun. He's hunting a killer. He found the remains of a pair of Mounties, and he's tracking the responsible party.

He carefully approaches a cave, knowing his quarry is there. Thanks to the wind shifting, Logan's quarry knows he's there. Logan waits for the quarry to come to him. The Wolverine's patience pays off.

A big angry grizzly bear. Wolverine quickly unsheaths his claws and slashes off the bear's arm. However, this only seems to anger the bear even more, driving it into a berserk fury. Wolverine quickly kills the mad animal. He notices that there's an arrow in the bear's back. He discovers that the arrow has a barbed tip, which is illegal. It's also coated with poison, which drove the bear insane. The hunter who shot this bear with the arrow didn't finish the creature off, probably thinking that the poison would do the job. Thanks to this hunter, quite a few people are dead. As Logan himself says, "Time to balance the books".

It takes a few days, but Logan is able to find the hunter who shot the bear at a bar near by the den. He approaches the hunter and tells him that the Mounties want a word with him. After all, two of their own are dead thanks to him. For his trouble, the Canucklehead gets a beer stein to the face. The bear put up a better fight than the hunter.

When he returned to the Xavier Institute, he got some mail. Among them were something that got him suspicious. He had written a bunch of letters to Mariko Yashida, who was a daughter of one of the most powerful and richest families in Japan. She first appeared in X-Men #118 (February 1979), and she had taken a shine to Logan in X-Men #123 (July 1979) after the two of them spent some time together during an adventure the X-Men had in Japan. He phoned the Japanese Embassy, and they told him she was there, but was summoned back home to Japan weeks ago. When he called her home directly, he got hung up on. Logan then takes the next flight to the Land of the Rising Sun.

When he arrives, he runs into an old friend: Asano Kimura. Kimura works for the immigration services in Japan now. Back the day though, the two did their fair share of...wetwork together. Evidently, Logan has a bit of a reputation in Tokyo. A rep that makes some powerful folks in the city a bit nervous. Logan doesn't really care. All he wants is just to talk to Mariko, and he's clearly being stonewalled. He wants to know why. They love each other, why is she being kept away from him?

Asano explains that because of her position, she has duties and is bound by some very ancient traditions. If she is in trouble, Logan can't help her. Logan's like, "Bull". There's also another problem. You see...Mariko is married. Her father disappeared during her childhood, and was presumed dead. But he recently resurfaced, and retook his place as head of the Clan Yashida. Evidently, during his disappearance, the old man had gotten some big obligation over his head, and the only way to pay it off was to marry Mariko off. Wolverine, being the ever-calm reasonable soul, show his understanding of the situation by Mighty Punching a lamp.

Asano reminds Wolverine that Mariko does value her honor. Logan can't live without her, but Asano tells him he must learn to. This marriage is important, and heartbroken as she may be, Mariko understands and accepts it. Logan has to see her, despite Asano's warnings that it will only make things worse...and Asano may have to hunt him down. Logan gets his costume on and invites Asano to try. That night, Logan arrives at the Yashida stronghold.

Logan is able to intimidate the guard dogs. He notices that he's having a rather...easy time breaking in. No guards, no traps, not even a "Keep Out" sign. This makes Logan rather wary. He finds Mariko kneeling in front of a Buddha statue in the stronghold's garden. The darkness conceals her, like she doesn't want to be seen. She tries to tell Logan to leave, but the feral mutant refuses. He wants her to look at him, but he is shocked at what he sees.

Evidently, Mariko's hubby is rather fond of using her as a punching bag. Logan is understandably infuriated. He tries to get her to come with him. After all, any court in the land would grant her a divorce from her husband. She doesn't want to, saying she is bound by more important obligations. Mariko shows Wolverine a pair of swords, forged by the legendary swordsmith Masamune. The swords represent her family. They represent the Yashida Clan's honor, duty, and traditions. Mariko was a free woman when she made her commitment to Logan. But with her father back, things have changed, and she has her honor and duty to think about. Logan is outraged by this. Mariko is a human being! But she gave her word, and is bound by honor.

Logan then picks up another scent, one he finds foul. And it's one that understandably gets the claws out. It's her husband, a crime boss named Noboru Hideki, angry she didn't do what she was told. Logan greets Nideki in the form of a hand to his throat, planning to introduce his claws to the man. Mariko stops him, pleading with him to let her husband live. Logan, despite his protests, agrees. After all, he loves her and can deny her nothing. The feral mutant leaves the room, planning to leave for New York tomorrow. However, he gets some poisoned shuriken for his trouble.

For an ordinary man, the poison would be fatal. But Wolverine is no ordinary man. He has a healing factor, so it only knocks him out. However, it does hurt, and the poison was incredibly potent, so he barely made it. Yeah, at this point, Wolverine's healing factor wasn't portrayed as powerful as it was in current comics. He could recover from injuries and diseases quicker than the average man, but he still needed time. When he awakens, he finds himself in the company of Lord Shingen Yashida, head of the Yashida Clan.

Logan's still a bit messed up from the poison. His senses are scrambled. He could easily dispatch the Sumo guards Shingen has, but Mariko is outside and she could get hurt. Shingen is not too fond of Logan. He knows that the Canadian is in love with his daughter and desires her hand. Based on his dialogue, it can be assumed that he sees Logan as a bit of an unwashed peasant. You see, the Yashida Clan is an old family, as old as the Emperors of Japan. In fact, Shingen believes that he has a legit claim to the Emperor's throne.

Shingen picks up a sword...a wooden sword. It's a bokken, which is used for training in sword combat, as it's relatively safer than an actual sword. The Western equivalent is a waster. Who says comics aren't educational? He passes one to Logan, and basically tells him "Beat me in a wooden swordfight, and I'll show you respect." Also, he feels that the Canucklehead is not worthy of fighting with the real thing.

The two fight. Thing is, Wolverine hasn't used a sword in years. He's good, but Shingen is a master. He's also a master cheater. Logan's system is still dealing with the poison the shuriken gave him, so as a result, Logan is slower and weaker than normal. It's something Shingen takes full advantage of, attacking Logan's nerve clusters, intending to kill him. In desperation, Logan tosses the bokken aside and unleashes his trademark metal claws. It's then that he realizes exactly what Shingen was planning.

Shingen was trying to make Logan look dishonorable...and it worked. Mariko didn't understand what Shingen was trying to do to him with his bokken attacks, and she's also unaware that Logan was poisoned. Logan's mind and heart are now as off-balance as his body, and Shingen is able to hand him his butt.

Logan wakes in an alley in Tokyo. His body will recover, but as for his heart...well, what can a healing factor do to fix heartbreak and a shattered soul. A group of punks decide that Logan could use another good beatdown, because they aren't too fond of foreigners. However, before they can give Logan some hands...and a lead pipe...and a knife...they all take daggers to the back and drop dead. Logan thinks his savior is Asano. After all, the killings look like they're a professional job. But he's wrong.

A mysterious woman picks Logan up. The story ends with her telling him he is hers, now and forever.

This issue was pretty good. It does a very good job establishing Wolverine's characterization and the dilemma he has to deal with here. I have to admit, I do like Logan's narration in the comic, as it gives the story a bit of a noir feel. It's also interesting hearing some of the things Logan says about his past. At this point, Logan's backstory still had a lot of mystery around it. It's interesting seeing him mention that he knew his father, despite later revelations about his past. As well as the remark about Wolverine and Asano working together in the past. It does give the impression that Claremont may have had some basic idea about what Wolverine's backstory was intended to be. I can't help but wonder, if he did have plans, what were they? What did he intend Wolverine's origins to be? I would love to know.

As for the art, Frank Miller's art is quite interesting in this one. It's great, but it's interesting. Nowadays, when people think of Frank Miller's art, they think of his work in Dark Knight Returns and Sin City, which has much stockier figures and in Sin City's case, the usage of shadows. It's amazing that the art in this comic came from the same man who made those. I can't help but wonder if the noir feel of the story was Miller's influence. Would make sense, considering film noir is one of Miller's big influences.

I read this in the trade Wolverine: First Cuts, a 2013 trade paperback released in promotion of the 2013 solo Wolverine film. It collected stories that were used as inspiration for the film. Sadly, it didn't collect the whole 1982 Wolverine solo miniseries, just the first two issues. I don't understand why, just include the whole thing for completeness' sake. Anyway, this comic was really good, and I highly recommend it. Next time, we join Batman for a holiday celebration...

New Logan Trailer, My Thoughts

What is one thing the Super Bowl is known for? The game itself? The insane half-time shows? The commercials? Well, yeah. But among the commercials this year were new trailers. One was for Hugh Jackman's supposedly final appearance as Wolverine. The film is called Logan. And it has a new trailer! Since this is a Red Band Trailer, I have to warn you, this will contain some brutality and cursing. And you can look here for my thoughts on the last Logan trailer.

The trailer begins with a little girl (It's X-23) in a convenience store taking a can of Pringles and eating them. She then takes what might be some soda or energy drink. Finally, she helps herself to a pair of pink sunglasses. The clerk is understandably not happy with little Laura Kinney's five-finger discount shopping. She flees, he cuts her off, and she judo flips him and gets ready to punch him in the throat. Logan then stops this and tells her what she's doing is NOT OKAY, and then leaves...after taking some jerky. Dude, you could've at least left some money for the stuff X-23 took. Jerk.

One part of the trailer made me chuckle. Logan with the X-Men comic book. He says it was mostly inaccurate. In his time, the X-Men didn't wear costumes that were colorful. What I'd like to know is...how did that work, exactly? Did the X-Men license out their brand to a comic company? Did they have a PR agent? How did that work, exactly?

Logan is then encountered by a blond man with glasses. As I said before, I believe this man is Donald Pierce, and his men are basically his Reavers. He demands the girl, Logan's like, "Who?", and Pierce ain't in the mood for Logan's denials, so he has Logan get beat up and sends some men to get her. However, X-23 is enjoying her morning Corn Flakes, and everyone knows you do NOT bother X-23 when she is eating her Corn Flakes.

The moment were we get to finally get a glimpse of X-23's claws was awesome. And Logan's reaction was great. It was like he realized, "Oh God, she IS my kid!"

What is the song in this trailer? It's a cool song.

Logan tells X-23 that he's not what she thinks he is. Which leads me to wonder what exactly what he thinks X-23 sees him as. In X-Men: Evolution, she blamed Wolverine for her rough life and wanted revenge. What does Laura Kinney see him as here?

The trailer ends with lots of footage of Logan in action, but among it is a moment of him and Laura holding hands, aww. Xavier gets a HILARIOUS line at the end. Poor man just wants some sleep and some food.

This was a neat trailer, and it has a nice mix of funny, action, and sweet moments. This movie sounds like it will be a lot of fun to watch.

Logan Trailer, My Thoughts

A new trailer has dropped! This one is for the film that is intended to be the swan song for Hugh Jackman's portrayal of Wolverine, the film known simply as...Logan. Yup. The title may not seem like much, but I think it fits. Give it a view!

This film appears to be based on the Mark Millar-penned and Steve McNiven-drawn Old Man Logan storyline published in 2008. In that story, an elder Wolverine travels a post-apocalyptic alternate future of the Marvel Universe that had been conquered by the supervillains and that had wiped out most of the superheroes.

When we get our first glimpse of Logan in this trailer, he looks...worn out. We see his hand shake, possibly from nerve damage, his hair is grey, he's got a beard and scars, showing that his famous healing factor may be badly weakened or even gone.

One line we hear Logan mutter is "Mutants...they're gone now." This one has made me wonder. Minor spoiler here, in Old Man Logan, Wolverine (under the illusions of Mysterio), killed the other X-Men. It's possible that the X-Men's lives may have ended the same way, but I doubt they'd retain that part of the story. The line seems to indicate that mutants in general may be practically extinct.

I love the song choice here, Johnny Cash's take on "Hurt". It's such a perfect choice. The sound and lyrics really seem to fit Wolverine at this point.

From what the trailer shows, Logan and Xavier will be travelling to help a little girl who is, according to Xavier, "a lot like (Logan)". Welcome to the X-Films, X-23.

We get a brief glimpse of a blond man with a robotic hand. That has to be Donald Pierce. I have heard the Reavers will be the villains of this movie, so it'd make sense for him to be there. I hope the film version still retains the fanatical hatred of mutants the comic version has. Mainly because I want to see Pierce ranting and raving while fighting Wolverine that he's a "real" human even though he's mostly a toaster.

The bit with Logan, X-23, and Xavier at the dinner table together made me smile and go "aww" a little bit. It was cute. They were like a little family. It was adorable.

This was a nicely-done trailer. Logan appears to be a much more personal and "grounded" superhero film than the rest of the X-Films, and that's a nice change of pace. It's also rather appropriate for Logan. I hope to give this a watch when it comes out.