Wolverine By Claremont & Miller #1 Facsimile Edition

Wolverine (1982)

by Chris Claremont

Wolverine hunts for a bear in the Canadian Rockies which had an arrow stuck in its back, making it turn crazy and kill at least fifteen people. With the bear taken care of, Wolverine tracks the scent of the arrow back to its tracker and puts him on trial.Wolverine tries calling Mariko Yashida, but her families hangs up on him. Wolverine flies to the Yashida Ancestral Stronghold in Japan and finds Mariko in the gardens beneath a statue of Buddha, concealing her face. At Wolverine's insistence, she reveals her bruised face, which Wolverine deduces came from her husband, Noburu-Hideki. Mariko explains that she had to change commitments upon her father's return. Mariko's husband shows up and Wolverine intends upon killing him until Mariko averts the bloodshed.Wolverine prepares to fly to New York, but he gets ambushed by poisoned shurikens. Wolverine wakes up to find himself in the captivity of Lord Shingen, who challenges Wolverine to a duel with him to prove his worthiness to Mariko. They fight with wooden swords, and Lord Shingen cheats during the battle by kicking Wolverine, who retaliates by withdrawing his claws. Due to his recent poisoning, though, Wolverine has trouble making contact with the elder, who ultimately wins the battle.Wolverine finds himself abandoned in Tokyo surrounded by a mob. Yukio kills them all and picks Wolverine off the ground.

Genres: Comics, Marvel, Comic Book, X Men, Graphic Novels, Graphic Novels Comics, Superheroes

Comic

First published January 1, 1982

About the author

Chris Claremont is a writer of American comic books, best known for his 16-year (1975-1991) stint on Uncanny X-Men, during which the series became one of the comic book industry's most successful properties.

Claremont has written many stories for other publishers including the Star Trek Debt of Honor graphic novel, his creator-owned Sovereign Seven for DC Comics and Aliens vs Predator for Dark Horse Comics. He also wrote a few issues of the series WildC.A.T.s (volume 1, issues #10-13) at Image Comics, which introduced his creator-owned character, Huntsman.

Outside of comics, Claremont co-wrote the Chronicles of the Shadow War trilogy, Shadow Moon (1995), Shadow Dawn (1996), and Shadow Star (1999), with George Lucas. This trilogy continues the story of Elora Danan from the movie Willow. In the 1980s, he also wrote a science fiction trilogy about female starship pilot Nicole Shea, consisting of First Flight (1987), Grounded! (1991), and Sundowner (1994). Claremont was also a contributor to the Wild Cards anthology series.

Reviews

[Jon Nakapalau · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is hard to explain how this book really hit everyone in my 'comic' circle - the art and story just meshed in such a way that it was THE single topic of conversation. In this issue Wolverine starts on a quest that is both internal and external: the man he is and the man he wants to become are calling him to battle - 'to fight the unbeatable foe' - highest recommendation.

[Sophia · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first issue of the first volume of Wolverine!
I love Wolverine (not JUST because of the Hugh Jackman version) so I was really excited to delve right into this series.

I LOVE that The Wolverine (2013) took so much of its story from this first issue!
I can’t wait to see if I can find anything else that’s similar.

[Gavin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you Comixology for this freebie! I see now that James Mangold took the miniseries and used it for his under-rated 'The Wolverine'. Frank Miller's art here is great, and he's not writing, so that's an added bonus. Chris Claremont can be corny as hell in some books, but here he's pretty on point. I enjoyed this first Wolverine issue of his own series a great deal.

[Machiavelli · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really strong opener. Gritty, pulpy, and full of attitude, with Miller and Claremont giving Logan a voice that feels raw and immediate. The pacing is tight, the tone hits fast, and the iconic cover lives up to its reputation. As a first-time reader, this issue hooked me right away — excited to keep going.

[Britt Halliburton · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s funny how solo Wolverine is exactly the kind of character Frank Millar would write, though here he is artist coming in after the fact. Miller had worked on X-Men previously, this collaboration probably arose after that short stint. Having said that, it’s clear that Miller was involved with the plotting of this tale as it follows more of his tropes than Claremont’s, but still has enough of Claremont temper that. The abuse of Mariko is definitely where you could view this through both men; to Miller, it lets the protagonist be the manly man and save the girl, but Claremont is well known for highlighting real world issues, including violence towards women and sexual assault.

[Earl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Whew. And I said to myself, "bad adaptation, Fox."

[Shaun Stanley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wolverine #1 is a Marvel Comics issue written by Chris Claremont, pencils by Frank Miller, inks by Josef Rubinstein, and colors by Glynis Wein. It is cover dated September 1982.

The mutant and Uncanny X-men member Wolverine travels to Japan in the aid of his former lover Mariko Yashida, the daughter of one of Japan’s richest and most powerful men, and recent bride to an abusive husband.

One of Marvel’s most brutal and savage heroes is faced with the torment of how to help a former lover who really does not want his help, in the only way he knows how - violence. The Japanese backdrop makes for an interesting set piece and I was really surprised with just how much this first issue is used as inspiration for James Mangold’s film The Wolverine (2013), even down to the scene with the poisoned bear and the hunter. Frank Miller’s art is incredibly crisp here. It’s has a lot of his trademark flare but before it took on an over exaggerated and almost caricature look.

[Devero · Rating 5 out of 5]

Primo albo della mini di 4 scritta da Claremont e disegnata da Frank Miller, è ancora oggi una lettura decisamente avvincente. Ma il motivo per cui possiedo questo albetto è che quando Josef Rubinstein passò in Italia, a Terni, nel 2022, me lo feci autografare.
Si tratta di una ristampa anastatica del 2020 dove forse l'unica differenza rispetto all'edizione originale, oltre al prezzo, è la piccola nota ai piedi di pagina uno che recita "All advertisement and offers contained inside have expired".
La pagina pubblicitaria che annuncia il cross-over intereditoriale X-Men/New Teen Titans è di grande effetto.

5 stelle

[Pavlo Chehovets · Rating 5 out of 5]

Абсолютна класика!

Якщо мова йде про Росомаху, я певен, буду думати не одразу про фільм або мультсеріал, де образи дуже фактурні і свого роду вже стали каноном, а за цей номер. Тепер в моїй голові засів саме цей комікс і образ Лоґана, який бореться за кохану йому жінку. Перший номер якраз нам відкриває і розпочинає таку гарну суміш, як "Росомаха + Японія = Класно". Скажи, що я задоволений прочитаним, це нічого не сказати. Тут все файно. Особливо тандем Клермонт/Міллер. Дядьки зробили культову річ про нашого рубаку з адамантиновими пазурями і хотілось би продовжити банкет але на руках не маю номери з 2-го по 4-й. Класний початок.

[vk chompooming · Rating 5 out of 5]

I own this original comic book. This entire series is a nostalgic brick in my brain. To say I love this series is a vast understatement. The writer, Chris Claremont, took a mysterious enigma called Wolverine and with this mini-series fleshed out one of the most enduring and popular characters in all of comic-dom. This series is so enduring that they made a movie outta it. The character Wolverine was transformed into a quiet, noble, berserker who was given a "bum deal" from the father of the woman whom he loved and history is made with the blood a thousand Hand ninja paying the road to superhero stardom. Also this is one of my favorite covers. Frank Miller deserves his praise.

[Ash · Rating 2 out of 5]

Reading a couple of 80s comics for an escape room at work, to check for problematic content - while there's nothing too problematic here, it does play into a lot of tropes that are I am not a fan of. It's also a little weird for the introduction of a character, we get little backstory, little explanation and we are thrown into the middle of things with not the best exposition.

[Trav Moehring · Rating 4 out of 5]

The art is great, the writing is interesting, and doesn't fail to surprise me about a character I thought I knew pretty well, even though the story is 30+ years old. Overall, an interesting issue. Reading it as part of the Wolverine collection, but reviewing it as an individual comic.

[Mikey Baker · Rating 5 out of 5]

a much darker side of Wolverine as he steps away from the X-Men after their return to earth after spending some time in space against the Acanti. this was a really good introduction to the story-arch here as Logan travels to Japan to see Mariko, and is met with enemies..

[David Rojas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Es increíble que Wolverine y el Deivid tengan los mismos años. Yo envejecí, en cambio el comic sigue siendo una de las mejores obras que se han escrito jamás. Ahora lo estoy releyendo.

[OinkFish Pigs · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pretty wordy, but I still thought it was great.

10/10

[John Parungao · Rating 4 out of 5]

Exciting adventure as Wolverine takes center stage and readers get a taste of his past background and history in Japan. Something that is at the core of the character.

[Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5

[Max · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing art!

[Andrew Alvis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well-written, beautifully drawn, what more is there to say?
Oh yeah, I should've read this mini-series sooner.

[Egghead · Rating 5 out of 5]

reading raw copy
with dingy, greying newsprint
is a time machine

[Zac · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just read this complete 4 issue miniseries as I'm revisiting a lot of Frank Miller at the moment and don't think I've ever checked these out before. An engaging story with a good script. The art is on the simple side but there are some cool bits and nice visual storytelling. It's obvious that Miller enjoys drawing a good swordfight, and he excels at it.