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Wolverine (1982) #1-4
Wolverine
Wolverine's vacation from the X-Men is interrupted when he discovers that his beloved, Mariko Yashida, has been married off by her criminal father Lord Shingen! When Shingen humiliates Wolverine in front of Mariko, the hero loses heart, drowning his sorrows in beer, bar fights - and the arms of wild assassin Yukio. But when ninjas attack and betrayal strikes from a most unexpected source, can Wolverine reclaim his honor, and rescue Mariko and himself from the trap Shingen has drawn around them both?
96 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1989
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5318 people want to read
About the author
Chris Claremont
3,273 books891 followersChris 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.
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.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 570 reviews
May 20, 2016
My name’s Wolverine. Have you got that? No? Okay I shall tell you again. My name’s Wolverine. This is my story. My name is Wolverine and I’m invincible. My name is Wolverine and I have an adamantium skeleton. I’m Wolverine. Okay. That’s my name: Wolverine. I can heal myself because I am called Wolverine. It’s my name, Wolverine that is. Do I need to tell you again? I’m Wolverine I can’t die, so there’s no point reading this because there is no possibility that I will be defeated because my name is Wolverine.
Oh dear. This was so fucking repetitive. Logan’s monologue just lingered on the same ideas; he kept explaining his abilities over and over across issues. I grew so bored of him. It wasn’t just him though that made this so poor. The side characters were inconsistent; they refused to behave in certain ways because of the sake of honour, but by the end they would do it anyway. Such hypocrites. I hate to repeat the ignorant assumption made by some Westerners that Asian people all look the same, but the Japanese in here did look the same. It was like the same face model had been used for each one, two of the women looked almost identical. I got terribly confused. Perhaps it was just me?
Then there is also the fact that every single Asian character seems to know martial arts. Isn’t that just a little bit stupid? Most of the characters had swords. Some were ninjas and there were even a couple of sumo wrestlers. I mean seriously? It’s like Japan only consists of these types of people according to the writers of this. At points it’s like the Japanese culture was viewed through a pair of stereotyping goggles. This just annoyed me. It’s like saying all English people drink tea or all American’s are fat.
This comic was just dreadful.
Oh dear. This was so fucking repetitive. Logan’s monologue just lingered on the same ideas; he kept explaining his abilities over and over across issues. I grew so bored of him. It wasn’t just him though that made this so poor. The side characters were inconsistent; they refused to behave in certain ways because of the sake of honour, but by the end they would do it anyway. Such hypocrites. I hate to repeat the ignorant assumption made by some Westerners that Asian people all look the same, but the Japanese in here did look the same. It was like the same face model had been used for each one, two of the women looked almost identical. I got terribly confused. Perhaps it was just me?
Then there is also the fact that every single Asian character seems to know martial arts. Isn’t that just a little bit stupid? Most of the characters had swords. Some were ninjas and there were even a couple of sumo wrestlers. I mean seriously? It’s like Japan only consists of these types of people according to the writers of this. At points it’s like the Japanese culture was viewed through a pair of stereotyping goggles. This just annoyed me. It’s like saying all English people drink tea or all American’s are fat.
This comic was just dreadful.
October 4, 2025
Claremont + Miller = definitive Wolverine story - highest recommendation. Set the standard for all of the solo Wolverine books that followed; really wish Claremont/Miller had worked on other characters (would have loved to see their take on Moon Knight). This is one of the best art/story books I have ever read - just amazing!
August 6, 2013
I had an itch to revisit this one since the latest film version of Logan’s adventures, The Wolverine, is inspired by and loosely based on it. (Check out my review of the movie on Shelf Inflicted.)
While Logan is off in the wilderness dealing with a rogue grizzly and some dumb-ass hunters, his girlfriend Mariko returns to Japan with no explanation. Logan follows her to Tokyo where he is shocked to learn that Mariko’s missing father Shingen has returned and set up an arranged marriage for her which she was honor bound to go through with. When Logan goes to see her, Shingen tricks him dishonoring himself in front of Mariko and nearly kills him in the process.
Ashamed and heartsick, Logan finds himself in a rebound relationship with a female assassin named Yukio who is being pursued by a gang of deadly ninjas called The Hand. Logan tries to get a crime lord off Yukio’s back without realizing that he’s still caught up in a scheme of Shingen’s.
The legend goes that Chris Claremont and Frank Miller had a long car ride together when traveling to some event, and the two cooked up a story that would broaden the character of a mutant Canadian ex-secret agent turned X-Men with a bloodlust and a bad attitude into something more. This mini-series helped Wolverine go from being a minor supporting player as a bloodthirsty X-Man to one of the most popular (and overexposed) members of the Marvel universe.
The story holds up pretty well for being over 30 years old at this point and while some of the cheesy tough guy exposition that Logan spouts seems like it came from a bad detective novel at times, there’s a lot of moments here that would become iconic for the character including his oft quoted line, “I’m the best there is at what I do, but what I do isn’t very nice.”
While Logan is off in the wilderness dealing with a rogue grizzly and some dumb-ass hunters, his girlfriend Mariko returns to Japan with no explanation. Logan follows her to Tokyo where he is shocked to learn that Mariko’s missing father Shingen has returned and set up an arranged marriage for her which she was honor bound to go through with. When Logan goes to see her, Shingen tricks him dishonoring himself in front of Mariko and nearly kills him in the process.
Ashamed and heartsick, Logan finds himself in a rebound relationship with a female assassin named Yukio who is being pursued by a gang of deadly ninjas called The Hand. Logan tries to get a crime lord off Yukio’s back without realizing that he’s still caught up in a scheme of Shingen’s.
The legend goes that Chris Claremont and Frank Miller had a long car ride together when traveling to some event, and the two cooked up a story that would broaden the character of a mutant Canadian ex-secret agent turned X-Men with a bloodlust and a bad attitude into something more. This mini-series helped Wolverine go from being a minor supporting player as a bloodthirsty X-Man to one of the most popular (and overexposed) members of the Marvel universe.
The story holds up pretty well for being over 30 years old at this point and while some of the cheesy tough guy exposition that Logan spouts seems like it came from a bad detective novel at times, there’s a lot of moments here that would become iconic for the character including his oft quoted line, “I’m the best there is at what I do, but what I do isn’t very nice.”
February 20, 2017
"I am Wolverine. I am the best there is at what i do."
This edition covers Wolverine's very first limited series and two Uncanny X-Men issues which cover the continuation of Wolverine's story arc.
When Logan's sweetheart, Mariko Yashida ceases to reply to his letters, he takes the next flight out to japan to find her.
*Soap opera fans gasp*
Like every broken-hearted guy, Logan goes through the stages: Denial, confrontation, bargaining, getting beaten up, getting drunk, picking up fights, rebound love and reckless dares!
Well, not exactly like a regular guy...A regular guy doesn't ends up being used as a pawn for mafia takeovers or ends up killing hundreds of assassins. But hey, it's Wolverine.... What did you expect?
The Four-issue Wolverine limited series does one hell of a job combining Japanese theme and Wolverine's wildness.
The ending of first chapter introduces Yukio, a crazy assassin with THE MOST irritating catchphrase.
Please stop.
The final two chapters are Uncanny X-men issues which follows up the story, but ends up being anti-climatic. Nevertheless, this is one of the first and finest Wolverine story which goes beyond mindless action and boasts a superior story and an excellent characterization.
January 12, 2014
This collects Wolverine #1-4 (the limited series from 1982) plus Uncanny X-Men #172-173 (I'm guessing from the same year). It forms a cohesive whole, but the two X-Men comics that conclude the story are the weak link. In the first two thirds of the collection, the character focus is solely on Wolverine. The last two issues collected here, although still dealing with the Wolverine storyline, spends a lot of time on the character of Storm and refers heavily to previous events surrounding Jean Grey / Phoenix. This shift in character focus is, frankly put, jarring, and breaks the story's rhythm. However, this is still one of the best Wolverine stories you're likely to read. It is the Japan sequence, and also the story being referenced (somewhat loosely) in the 2013 film The Wolverine. You'll be glad to know that there are no giant Adamantium robot samurais in the book. Instead, you have some ninja assassins, loads of intrigue and the villainous pairing of The Silver Samurai and Viper (and no, she's not a long-tongued mutant here either).
This is a good example of why you should rather read the stories than watch the films. Anyway, I digress. The story is very good. I think this was Wolverine's first appearance in a series of his own. The Frank Miller art is glorious, even if it has that 80s thing going, and Claremont is obviously no slouch in the writing department if this collection is any indication.
Highly recommended. This is mandatory reading for Wolverine fans. The only reason I'm not giving it five stars is the X-Men issues - I can't help but wonder how this would have been if Claremont/Miller had completed it under the Wolverine banner...
This is a good example of why you should rather read the stories than watch the films. Anyway, I digress. The story is very good. I think this was Wolverine's first appearance in a series of his own. The Frank Miller art is glorious, even if it has that 80s thing going, and Claremont is obviously no slouch in the writing department if this collection is any indication.
Highly recommended. This is mandatory reading for Wolverine fans. The only reason I'm not giving it five stars is the X-Men issues - I can't help but wonder how this would have been if Claremont/Miller had completed it under the Wolverine banner...
April 10, 2025
It was so much fun to read the book. Gave me a chance to sample the one of the most praised writers of comics, Chris Claremont and i liked his writing. I will definetly try his X-Men. The story was very modern, it didn't feel dated but then again as far as i know 80s is the foundation of modern comics so it is being still good is not a big surprise.
Wolverine and his history with Japan is amazing. (I love Japan) I would love to see more, like how he met with Mariko Yashida for the first time and all of his time in japan before the mini. Wolverine's fights against ninjas were all so much fun to read even if i was like ''they are partying like it's 1580'' lol i mean katanas, shirukens and even Wolverine was like ''i don't usually do that but i will use a weapon this time'' and he brought a crossbow with him and hunted the ninjas with that lol Hello ! There are more efficient ways of killing people, you know... Have any of you guys ever heard of GUNS ! lol
Yukio the wild one was a fun character, i liked her. I wish they showed what Yukio did with Storm to change her in to that crazy punk new look in The 2 issues of Uncanny X-Men which came after The 4 issues Wolverine mini in The HC. And ofcourse the guy who brain washed Mariko to not to marry Wolverine... Who was that guy ? Did he hypnose Mariko or something ? the end stayed dangling in the air with questions... I really want to read that era Clearmont X-Men to find out where all of those go now... It's certainly a minus that the book doesn't have a satisfying conclusion :/ and it's the only minus, really, oh there was Wolverine explaning his powers at every issue's begining too xD i was like ok i got it !
Wolverine and his history with Japan is amazing. (I love Japan) I would love to see more, like how he met with Mariko Yashida for the first time and all of his time in japan before the mini. Wolverine's fights against ninjas were all so much fun to read even if i was like ''they are partying like it's 1580'' lol i mean katanas, shirukens and even Wolverine was like ''i don't usually do that but i will use a weapon this time'' and he brought a crossbow with him and hunted the ninjas with that lol Hello ! There are more efficient ways of killing people, you know... Have any of you guys ever heard of GUNS ! lol
Yukio the wild one was a fun character, i liked her. I wish they showed what Yukio did with Storm to change her in to that crazy punk new look in The 2 issues of Uncanny X-Men which came after The 4 issues Wolverine mini in The HC. And ofcourse the guy who brain washed Mariko to not to marry Wolverine... Who was that guy ? Did he hypnose Mariko or something ? the end stayed dangling in the air with questions... I really want to read that era Clearmont X-Men to find out where all of those go now... It's certainly a minus that the book doesn't have a satisfying conclusion :/ and it's the only minus, really, oh there was Wolverine explaning his powers at every issue's begining too xD i was like ok i got it !
December 31, 2024
A fantastic Wolverine tale by fan-favorite, Chris Claremont, who wrote one of--if not THE best X-Men runs of all time. This collects Wolverine's first solo run and a couple issues of the Uncanny X-Men that serve as a conclusion to that four-part miniseries. The artwork by Frank Miller is pretty solid too. Man, do I miss his old style...
This is the classic story that inspired 2013's underrated "the Wolverine" film.
Highly recommended.
This is the classic story that inspired 2013's underrated "the Wolverine" film.
Highly recommended.
April 12, 2022
I finally read this original solo outing for the man called Logan, I was amazed how closely the 2013 film stuck to the story beats of this comic published some 30 years previous, even down to the fight to the death against Shingen, Mariko's shitty misogynist husband and the opening sequence tracking a poisoned bear in the rockies even though the comic breezes through it in a single page.
What keeps it from being a 5-star story for me is some of Claremont/Miller's exuberance for Japanese culture as interpreted by an American male in the 1980s. It's not altogether ham-fisted, but still (to me) comes across like that one guy from High School who was way more into manga than anybody else and reckoned it meant he "got" Japan better than anyone else.
If anything I'm sad that the "Wild One" persona of Yukio was pretty tamed for the film version, in truth the passionate Yukio in the comics now seems to me a better match for Logan-san than the staid and dutiful M'iko Yashida. But that's just my middle-aged man take.
Definitely recommended foundational reading for anyone who's a fan of the best there is at what he does.
What keeps it from being a 5-star story for me is some of Claremont/Miller's exuberance for Japanese culture as interpreted by an American male in the 1980s. It's not altogether ham-fisted, but still (to me) comes across like that one guy from High School who was way more into manga than anybody else and reckoned it meant he "got" Japan better than anyone else.
If anything I'm sad that the "Wild One" persona of Yukio was pretty tamed for the film version, in truth the passionate Yukio in the comics now seems to me a better match for Logan-san than the staid and dutiful M'iko Yashida. But that's just my middle-aged man take.
Definitely recommended foundational reading for anyone who's a fan of the best there is at what he does.
December 4, 2021
This was so good!
It starts off with Wolverine going to Japan to get back his love Mariko but then a battle with her father Lord Shingen and he is down and well meeting this woman Yukio and falling in love with her and going after some crime lord and then knowing Yukio's real identity and then falling back into the chase and rescuing Mariko and some big revelations about her father and whatnot, and its a big battle of love and responsibility, honor vs sacrifice and savage! Its epic the way it ends!
Then the Uncanny x-men issues where they are getting ready for the wedding and the X-Men have to fight Silver Samurai and Viper and other startling things that happen and a heartbreaking conclusion..
Its a great volume filled with so many surprises and I love the expansion of Wolverine's world and motive and love life and good comedy in later issues and a heartbreaking conclusion, Claremont is a master at it and he shows it again. Great volume and a fantastic story and the art by Miller is just too good! <3
It starts off with Wolverine going to Japan to get back his love Mariko but then a battle with her father Lord Shingen and he is down and well meeting this woman Yukio and falling in love with her and going after some crime lord and then knowing Yukio's real identity and then falling back into the chase and rescuing Mariko and some big revelations about her father and whatnot, and its a big battle of love and responsibility, honor vs sacrifice and savage! Its epic the way it ends!
Then the Uncanny x-men issues where they are getting ready for the wedding and the X-Men have to fight Silver Samurai and Viper and other startling things that happen and a heartbreaking conclusion..
Its a great volume filled with so many surprises and I love the expansion of Wolverine's world and motive and love life and good comedy in later issues and a heartbreaking conclusion, Claremont is a master at it and he shows it again. Great volume and a fantastic story and the art by Miller is just too good! <3
August 26, 2015
This is one of those books where it doesn't even really matter how good it is. This is the 4-issue mini-series from 1982, perhaps the first solo issues Wolverine really had*, six years before Wolverine finally got his own on-going series. If you are a Wolverine fan, it's required reading. I don't even know why you're reading this. Just pick up a copy.
Maybe you want to hear about the two X-Men issues included. Fair enough. The 4 issue series is very Wolverine focused (of course), but the two X-Men issues are less so. There is a lot more focus on Storm, and there are some references to Jean that won't make sense because, hey, we're coming in at issue 172 of a series. That there are loose ends all over is just how it goes, but I will say that the two X-Men issues are weaker than the mini-series for that reason. They are still worth your time though because of Rogue. At this time, Rogue is still a new character (first appearance was 9 months earlier) who had started out as a villain. I enjoyed the interactions between Wolverine and Rogue as Wolverine tries to not hate her for what she did to Carol Danvers, and Rogue just tries to gain acceptance. The issues were fun 25 years ago when I first read them and they are fun now. They just don't wrap up nicely like the mini-series does.
*I didn't go back and read all the old X-Men books to see if he got solo stories there, but my memory says "not really."
Maybe you want to hear about the two X-Men issues included. Fair enough. The 4 issue series is very Wolverine focused (of course), but the two X-Men issues are less so. There is a lot more focus on Storm, and there are some references to Jean that won't make sense because, hey, we're coming in at issue 172 of a series. That there are loose ends all over is just how it goes, but I will say that the two X-Men issues are weaker than the mini-series for that reason. They are still worth your time though because of Rogue. At this time, Rogue is still a new character (first appearance was 9 months earlier) who had started out as a villain. I enjoyed the interactions between Wolverine and Rogue as Wolverine tries to not hate her for what she did to Carol Danvers, and Rogue just tries to gain acceptance. The issues were fun 25 years ago when I first read them and they are fun now. They just don't wrap up nicely like the mini-series does.
*I didn't go back and read all the old X-Men books to see if he got solo stories there, but my memory says "not really."
June 24, 2025
The original solo Wolverine story. It was groundbreaking at the time, putting Wolverine in Japan and having Frank Miller illustrate ninjas. I can see why it was a big deal.
But compared to Miller's Daredevil work, it isn't as good in my humble opinion. Miller would get better and better over the years, from his writing to his art in Sin City, and this is still early Miller with pretty simple designs although the panel layout storytelling is quite good.
As for Claremont's writing, the legendary X-Men scribe was best with the flagship title. Solo Wolverine doesn't work as well without other mutants to interact with, in my view. And the Japan stuff, it's so obviously based off Shogun which is how all Western authors learned about Japan in the 70s and early 80s. At least the character of Yukio is introduced, who is a lot more fun and interesting than her foil of Logan's traditional lover Mariko.
In any case, this was the beginning of a long line of Wolverine becoming the star Marvel character of a series or movie. It's very important historically because of that. Even if, for example, the graphic novel reprint includes Uncanny X-Men # 172-173 which continues the story with the first Rogue teamup and illustrated by Paul Smith, even if those issues are actually better than Wolverine # 1-4. Even if Wolverine & Kitty Pryde was a better miniseries (again, featuring another mutant), and even if Wolverine's long running series was better. It still all started here.
But compared to Miller's Daredevil work, it isn't as good in my humble opinion. Miller would get better and better over the years, from his writing to his art in Sin City, and this is still early Miller with pretty simple designs although the panel layout storytelling is quite good.
As for Claremont's writing, the legendary X-Men scribe was best with the flagship title. Solo Wolverine doesn't work as well without other mutants to interact with, in my view. And the Japan stuff, it's so obviously based off Shogun which is how all Western authors learned about Japan in the 70s and early 80s. At least the character of Yukio is introduced, who is a lot more fun and interesting than her foil of Logan's traditional lover Mariko.
In any case, this was the beginning of a long line of Wolverine becoming the star Marvel character of a series or movie. It's very important historically because of that. Even if, for example, the graphic novel reprint includes Uncanny X-Men # 172-173 which continues the story with the first Rogue teamup and illustrated by Paul Smith, even if those issues are actually better than Wolverine # 1-4. Even if Wolverine & Kitty Pryde was a better miniseries (again, featuring another mutant), and even if Wolverine's long running series was better. It still all started here.
November 26, 2022
I thought this was pretty good. Aside from the repetitive "I am wolverine. I am a mutant blah blah blah" dialogue.
August 5, 2019
Wolverine's vacation, which involves him fighting a metric ton of ninja. What's not to love about that?
February 28, 2020
Βαθμολογία: 9/10
Ο τόμος αυτός αποτελεί την πρώτη μου επαφή με τον... χάρτινο Γούλβεριν και μπορώ να πω ότι έμεινα απόλυτα ικανοποιημένος. Είναι ένα παλαιάς κοπής κόμικ της Marvel (τα τέσσερα τεύχη που τον απαρτίζουν κυκλοφόρησαν το 1982), και αυτό φαίνεται τόσο στην ιστορία, όσο κυρίως στο σχέδιο. Η ιστορία μου άρεσε σε πολύ μεγάλο βαθμό -αν και σίγουρα δεν με ενθουσίασε-, το γράψιμο μου φάνηκε πολύ καλό και αρκετά ώριμο, αν και κάποιες επαναλήψεις του Γούλβεριν από τεύχος σε τεύχος, για την ταυτότητά και τις ικανότητές του, μου φάνηκαν κουραστικές και αχρείαστες. Όπως και να'χει, αυτό που πραγματικά απογειώνει το κόμικ και το κάνει κλασικό του κερατά, είναι το φοβερό και ιδιαίτερο σχέδιο του Φρανκ Μίλερ, με τα μίνιμαλ σκηνικά και τη δυναμική... χορογραφία στις μπόλικες σκηνές μάχης. Δεν ξέρω πώς θα φανεί το σχέδιο στα μάτια των σύγχρονων αναγνωστών (και ιδιαίτερα των νεότερων), προσωπικά όμως μου άρεσε πάρα, μα πάρα πολύ, σε συνδυασμό φυσικά με τα υπέροχα χρώματα. Θα του έβαζα τέσσερα αστεράκια στο Goodreads, αλλά μου άρεσε τόσο πολύ το σχέδιο και η γενικότερη ατμόσφαιρα της ιστορίας, που τελικά θα τσιμπήσει και πέμπτο αστεράκι.
Ο τόμος αυτός αποτελεί την πρώτη μου επαφή με τον... χάρτινο Γούλβεριν και μπορώ να πω ότι έμεινα απόλυτα ικανοποιημένος. Είναι ένα παλαιάς κοπής κόμικ της Marvel (τα τέσσερα τεύχη που τον απαρτίζουν κυκλοφόρησαν το 1982), και αυτό φαίνεται τόσο στην ιστορία, όσο κυρίως στο σχέδιο. Η ιστορία μου άρεσε σε πολύ μεγάλο βαθμό -αν και σίγουρα δεν με ενθουσίασε-, το γράψιμο μου φάνηκε πολύ καλό και αρκετά ώριμο, αν και κάποιες επαναλήψεις του Γούλβεριν από τεύχος σε τεύχος, για την ταυτότητά και τις ικανότητές του, μου φάνηκαν κουραστικές και αχρείαστες. Όπως και να'χει, αυτό που πραγματικά απογειώνει το κόμικ και το κάνει κλασικό του κερατά, είναι το φοβερό και ιδιαίτερο σχέδιο του Φρανκ Μίλερ, με τα μίνιμαλ σκηνικά και τη δυναμική... χορογραφία στις μπόλικες σκηνές μάχης. Δεν ξέρω πώς θα φανεί το σχέδιο στα μάτια των σύγχρονων αναγνωστών (και ιδιαίτερα των νεότερων), προσωπικά όμως μου άρεσε πάρα, μα πάρα πολύ, σε συνδυασμό φυσικά με τα υπέροχα χρώματα. Θα του έβαζα τέσσερα αστεράκια στο Goodreads, αλλά μου άρεσε τόσο πολύ το σχέδιο και η γενικότερη ατμόσφαιρα της ιστορίας, που τελικά θα τσιμπήσει και πέμπτο αστεράκι.
August 10, 2012
KILL BILL!
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Or at least that is what I think of when I read this story since both main characters (Wolverine and the Bride) had to go to Japan to fight off their rivals.
Brief Introduction:
When I was looking through the comic book boards and I wanted to know what the best “Wolverine” story was, many fans declared that “Wolverine” which was written by Chris Claremont along with artwork by Frank Miller was considered the best “Wolverine” story out there. So, I went out and got this graphic novel and I have to agree with the fans that this was indeed one of the best “Wolverine” stories out there! This also features the first four issues in Wolverine's new solo series during the 1980s which I was so impressed at seeing for the first time! Never have I have seen so much drama, romance and action contained into one graphic novel and because of that, “Wolverine” has remained to be one of my all time favorite “X-Men” stories about Wolverine!
What is the story?
Wolverine heads off to Japan to find the love of his life, Mariko Yashida, who is the daughter of Lord Shingen who is the Lord of the Clan Yashida, but discovers that his lover has married someone else, which breaks his heart. Along the way, Wolverine meets up with a mysterious assassin named Yukio who seems to know about Lord Shingen’s plans to take over all of the major crime gangs in Japan. Wolverine must put a stop to Lord Shingen’s evil plans to rule as the ultimate crime lord of Japan before it is too late!
What I loved about this comic:
The premise and Chris Claremont’s writing: I will admit that when I heard about this graphic novel, I did not know what to expect from another book about Wolverine and I actually thought that we would get another “Wolverine” book that is all about the fighting and Wolverine acting tough. However, in this graphic novel, what we got was an extremely thought-provoking and heartwarming tale about Wolverine’s romance with Mariko and his inner struggles with dealing with his “animal” side. I loved the way that Chris Claremont has shown us a more sensitive side to Wolverine as he struggles to get the love of his life back while dealing with the customs of her family, which the importance of honor and pride plays a huge role in his story. I also loved the intense kung-fu atmosphere of this story as it gave this story a more creative approach to Wolverine’s time in Japan and made the story exciting to read through. Chris Claremont has done an excellent job at writing this story from Wolverine’s point of view on the situation as we are able to see how Wolverine reacts to the situations he gets involved in Japan whether he is confessing his love for Mariko or fighting ninjas out to get him. It was also interesting seeing how Wolverine viewed himself and Chris Claremont does a brilliant job at portraying Wolverine’s insecurity about being seen as an animal as he usually uses violence to solve his problems. I really enjoyed the tone shift that Chris Claremont had provided when he introduced the other X-Men (Colossus, Storm, Cyclops, Kitty Pryde and Nightcrawler) in the second story that was apart of "Uncanny X-Men" as Wolverine’s solo series was dark, while the "Uncanny X-Men" storyline was a bit light toned.
Frank Miller and Paul Smith’s artwork: When I heard that Frank Miller was doing the artwork for this graphic novel, I was actually blown away by this information because before I read this graphic novel, I was reading “Batman: Year One” which was a graphic novel that Frank Miller wrote himself and I was surprised that Frank Miller has actually done some artwork during his time at the comic book industry. Frank Miller’s artwork was fantastic as they greatly captured the fight scenes in this story. I loved the colorings that were done whenever the characters were in shadows as there are dark colorings shadowed on the characters’ faces which really gives off a foreboding feel to the situation. I also loved Frank Miller’s artwork on the fight scenes, especially the scenes where Wolverine is fighting a group of ninjas and the scene where Wolverine is punching the ninjas is effectively done. In the “Uncanny X-Men” issues of this graphic novel, Paul Smith did a brilliant job at detailing the fight scenes and the characters’ facial expressions and I loved the way that the colorings are much brighter in these issues than in Frank Miller’s artwork in the “Wolverine” issues.
What made me feel uncomfortable about this book:
The only problem that some readers might find with this graphic novel is that there is some violence in the fight scenes. The violence usually has Wolverine cutting into another character and you can see some blood squirt out of the wounds. Now, the violence is actually pretty low-key here as sometimes the blood is not as realistically shown as it usually is in current comics, but the scenes of Wolverine cutting into people might upset some readers.
Final Thoughts:
Overall, “Wolverine” is definitely one of the best stories dealing with Wolverine and anyone who is a fan of Wolverine or the X-Men in particular; I would HIGHLY RECOMMEND this graphic novel to any comic book fan!
Review is also on: Rabbit Ears Book Blog
[image error]Or at least that is what I think of when I read this story since both main characters (Wolverine and the Bride) had to go to Japan to fight off their rivals.
Brief Introduction:
When I was looking through the comic book boards and I wanted to know what the best “Wolverine” story was, many fans declared that “Wolverine” which was written by Chris Claremont along with artwork by Frank Miller was considered the best “Wolverine” story out there. So, I went out and got this graphic novel and I have to agree with the fans that this was indeed one of the best “Wolverine” stories out there! This also features the first four issues in Wolverine's new solo series during the 1980s which I was so impressed at seeing for the first time! Never have I have seen so much drama, romance and action contained into one graphic novel and because of that, “Wolverine” has remained to be one of my all time favorite “X-Men” stories about Wolverine!
What is the story?
Wolverine heads off to Japan to find the love of his life, Mariko Yashida, who is the daughter of Lord Shingen who is the Lord of the Clan Yashida, but discovers that his lover has married someone else, which breaks his heart. Along the way, Wolverine meets up with a mysterious assassin named Yukio who seems to know about Lord Shingen’s plans to take over all of the major crime gangs in Japan. Wolverine must put a stop to Lord Shingen’s evil plans to rule as the ultimate crime lord of Japan before it is too late!
What I loved about this comic:
The premise and Chris Claremont’s writing: I will admit that when I heard about this graphic novel, I did not know what to expect from another book about Wolverine and I actually thought that we would get another “Wolverine” book that is all about the fighting and Wolverine acting tough. However, in this graphic novel, what we got was an extremely thought-provoking and heartwarming tale about Wolverine’s romance with Mariko and his inner struggles with dealing with his “animal” side. I loved the way that Chris Claremont has shown us a more sensitive side to Wolverine as he struggles to get the love of his life back while dealing with the customs of her family, which the importance of honor and pride plays a huge role in his story. I also loved the intense kung-fu atmosphere of this story as it gave this story a more creative approach to Wolverine’s time in Japan and made the story exciting to read through. Chris Claremont has done an excellent job at writing this story from Wolverine’s point of view on the situation as we are able to see how Wolverine reacts to the situations he gets involved in Japan whether he is confessing his love for Mariko or fighting ninjas out to get him. It was also interesting seeing how Wolverine viewed himself and Chris Claremont does a brilliant job at portraying Wolverine’s insecurity about being seen as an animal as he usually uses violence to solve his problems. I really enjoyed the tone shift that Chris Claremont had provided when he introduced the other X-Men (Colossus, Storm, Cyclops, Kitty Pryde and Nightcrawler) in the second story that was apart of "Uncanny X-Men" as Wolverine’s solo series was dark, while the "Uncanny X-Men" storyline was a bit light toned.
Frank Miller and Paul Smith’s artwork: When I heard that Frank Miller was doing the artwork for this graphic novel, I was actually blown away by this information because before I read this graphic novel, I was reading “Batman: Year One” which was a graphic novel that Frank Miller wrote himself and I was surprised that Frank Miller has actually done some artwork during his time at the comic book industry. Frank Miller’s artwork was fantastic as they greatly captured the fight scenes in this story. I loved the colorings that were done whenever the characters were in shadows as there are dark colorings shadowed on the characters’ faces which really gives off a foreboding feel to the situation. I also loved Frank Miller’s artwork on the fight scenes, especially the scenes where Wolverine is fighting a group of ninjas and the scene where Wolverine is punching the ninjas is effectively done. In the “Uncanny X-Men” issues of this graphic novel, Paul Smith did a brilliant job at detailing the fight scenes and the characters’ facial expressions and I loved the way that the colorings are much brighter in these issues than in Frank Miller’s artwork in the “Wolverine” issues.
What made me feel uncomfortable about this book:
The only problem that some readers might find with this graphic novel is that there is some violence in the fight scenes. The violence usually has Wolverine cutting into another character and you can see some blood squirt out of the wounds. Now, the violence is actually pretty low-key here as sometimes the blood is not as realistically shown as it usually is in current comics, but the scenes of Wolverine cutting into people might upset some readers.
Final Thoughts:
Overall, “Wolverine” is definitely one of the best stories dealing with Wolverine and anyone who is a fan of Wolverine or the X-Men in particular; I would HIGHLY RECOMMEND this graphic novel to any comic book fan!
Review is also on: Rabbit Ears Book Blog
October 19, 2024
A stone cold classic. For the newer readers who may be unaware, this is the book that created the Wolverine we all know today. Before this he was just a bruiser with a hinted-at mysterious past. This turned him into the failed samurai, tortured soul with more depths to his character.
Two random thoughts that popped into my head while reading this:
1. Wolvie claims to remember his father in this book. That was retconned away pretty darned fast…
2. It never ceases to amaze me how some otherwise excellent artists can’t draw animals to save their lives. Miller’s grizzly bear isn’t very good but the two dogs later in the story are shockingly awful. It makes me wonder if Frank had never seen a dog before and did his drawings purely from Chris Claremont’s description…
4.5 stars, rounded up.
Two random thoughts that popped into my head while reading this:
1. Wolvie claims to remember his father in this book. That was retconned away pretty darned fast…
2. It never ceases to amaze me how some otherwise excellent artists can’t draw animals to save their lives. Miller’s grizzly bear isn’t very good but the two dogs later in the story are shockingly awful. It makes me wonder if Frank had never seen a dog before and did his drawings purely from Chris Claremont’s description…
4.5 stars, rounded up.
September 21, 2011
3.0 to 3.5 stars. He's the best there is at what he does and what he does isn't very nice. This omnibus collects the excellent four issue mini series by Frank Miller. Recommended.
December 8, 2015
This was almost perfect, the type of focused comic I was wrongly looking for in a group X-Men comic. I'd give it 5 stars if not for the crappy ending (and maybe Rogue's dialog). Wolverine, a character with a very troubled past and plenty of color, somehow blends into the X-Men as only a hot-headed redneck dummy, which obviously isn't true. And here that's not the case.
Wolverine covers Logan's time in Japan, with shoguns, samurai, ninjas, the works. Claremont "seems" to have really done his homework. Wolverine falls in love with Mariko, daughter of a Yakuza king. Trouble is Wolverine is not worthy (this is the theme). He fights Mariko's father, loses. Begins epic climb (with Yukio, who loves him) to prove his worthiness. Etc. etc. I liked the father as villain (not really) and the half brother Silver Samurai.
Why 4 stars? Ughhhh the ending. I was grinning right until the end.
It just makes no sense. It's like Claremont didn't know how to end this epic or it was a cheap way to keep the story going in another issue (which one I don't know but I'd like to!). Admittedly it was romantic but at least it was cohesive. But Mastermind comes out of nowhere in the very last panel and I was like son of a bitch! Perfect right until the end. But but but. This was great otherwise. I may even read some other standalone Wolfie comics now. And, so sorry, almost forgot. Frank Miller did a brilliant job with artwork here! So thanks to Claremont (and Miller) for redeeming my faith in 80s Wolverine, mostly.
September 12, 2012
Logan heads to Japan to be with his love, Mariko, only to find she's been married off by her drug lord father to a rich and powerful, but abusive, husband. And someone's trying to kill Logan of course. Cue extensive fight sequences involved ninja weapons, swords and ... snikt.
Chris Claremont's story is pretty linear with Logan tussling with one group of foes before being knocked into another group and then being knocked back, etc. etc. This book showed that there are only so many silent fight scenes a reader can absorb before it becomes dull. You know Logan can't die so there's no tension, it's just waiting until he takes out whoever he's fighting.
Frank Miller's art in the first 4 books is really good, and he provides at least one iconic image of Wolverine sans mask grinning and popping his claws. You can also see the beginnings of his Sin City style being tried out in this book as he experiments with shadows to tell a story than rely on shading or colours.
There are 2 issues of "Uncanny X-Men" included after the initial 4-issue story arc to conclude the Logan/Mariko storyline but throws up other storylines involving the X-Men that you need to buy other X-Men books to see how they end (for some reason Storm getting a hair-cut is a big deal. Ah, the 80s... readers didn't ask for much did they?).
"Wolverine" is a pretty tedious read for anyone who's read this character's other books. There's the detail on Logan's true love Mariko but other than that it's non-essential reading for general readers of comics. It's all action with no real interest in how it'll all turn out (as if it's going to end any other way than the expected!). Good art though.
Chris Claremont's story is pretty linear with Logan tussling with one group of foes before being knocked into another group and then being knocked back, etc. etc. This book showed that there are only so many silent fight scenes a reader can absorb before it becomes dull. You know Logan can't die so there's no tension, it's just waiting until he takes out whoever he's fighting.
Frank Miller's art in the first 4 books is really good, and he provides at least one iconic image of Wolverine sans mask grinning and popping his claws. You can also see the beginnings of his Sin City style being tried out in this book as he experiments with shadows to tell a story than rely on shading or colours.
There are 2 issues of "Uncanny X-Men" included after the initial 4-issue story arc to conclude the Logan/Mariko storyline but throws up other storylines involving the X-Men that you need to buy other X-Men books to see how they end (for some reason Storm getting a hair-cut is a big deal. Ah, the 80s... readers didn't ask for much did they?).
"Wolverine" is a pretty tedious read for anyone who's read this character's other books. There's the detail on Logan's true love Mariko but other than that it's non-essential reading for general readers of comics. It's all action with no real interest in how it'll all turn out (as if it's going to end any other way than the expected!). Good art though.
January 20, 2021
During the 70s and 80s, the writers used to give backstory of the characters in every other issue to make new readers familiar with them. In a limited series, this idea seems preposterous.
The book features Wolverine traveling to Japan to meet his love interest, Mariko. The story suffers from below average writing (which I didn't expect from Chris Claremont) and lacks tension. Frank Miller's artwork, however, is very good.
Wolverine by Chris Claremont and Frank Miller, is a story that can be skipped.
The book features Wolverine traveling to Japan to meet his love interest, Mariko. The story suffers from below average writing (which I didn't expect from Chris Claremont) and lacks tension. Frank Miller's artwork, however, is very good.
Wolverine by Chris Claremont and Frank Miller, is a story that can be skipped.
January 13, 2021
Върколак – безспорно най-известният член на Х-Мен, е и главно действащо лице в деветия том на „Върховна колекция графични романи Marvel”. Настоящият том е поредното доказателство, че за един комикс не бива да се съди по броя страници – „Върколак“ е най-тънкото издание в поредицата до момента, а същевременно е едно от най-добрите, ако не и най-доброто. „Върколак“ събира едноименната мини-поредица от 4 броя, издадени първоначално през 1982 г. и разказва една по-лична история за мутанта с адамантиевите нокти. Лоугън временно се е отделил от Х-Мен, за да се върне в родната Канада. Скоро обаче разбира, че неговата любима – Марико Яшида, наследница в престижния японски клан Яшида, внезапно се е върнала в Япония и е сключила брак. Избухливият нрав на Лоугън не му позволява да стои настрана, при което той заминава за Страната на изгряващото слънце, където ще научи какво е то чест, дълг и традиция. Прочетете ревюто на „Книжни Криле”: https://knijnikrile.wordpress.com/202...
July 1, 2017
Meh. Frank Millers art was great in this as you could expect, but this comic was honestly just kinda boring
September 9, 2013
This collection contains the original Wolverine series, released in late 1982, along with two follow-up issues of the Uncanny X-Men. It was the inspiration behind the 2013 movie The Wolverine, which motivated me to pick it up. Logan travels to Japan to confront his lady love, who is engaged to another man. He becomes entangled in a complex Yakuza plot which he defuses with diplomatic class, skill, and grace by rampaging through half of Tokyo with his giant, adamantium claws.
Overall I really enjoyed Chris Claremont’s story. The series attempts to humanize Wolverine by giving him something to care about (other than slicing his enemies into little pieces) without compromising the character’s feral nature. The Japanese elements were different and gave the story a unique feel. The artwork was strong and supplemented the story well. If the collection contained just the four issues published in the original Wolverine series, I would probably bump this up to four stars. However the two Uncanny X-Men issues, while relevant to the plot, were not quite as strong and were enough to drop this a half-star for me. Still, a fun read for those who are fans of the main character. Nothing earthshaking here, but very enjoyable. 3.5 stars.
Overall I really enjoyed Chris Claremont’s story. The series attempts to humanize Wolverine by giving him something to care about (other than slicing his enemies into little pieces) without compromising the character’s feral nature. The Japanese elements were different and gave the story a unique feel. The artwork was strong and supplemented the story well. If the collection contained just the four issues published in the original Wolverine series, I would probably bump this up to four stars. However the two Uncanny X-Men issues, while relevant to the plot, were not quite as strong and were enough to drop this a half-star for me. Still, a fun read for those who are fans of the main character. Nothing earthshaking here, but very enjoyable. 3.5 stars.
February 28, 2012
First read this a little over a year ago when Darren Aronofsky was attached to direct a film adaptation (he's since abandoned it), just re-read it. I gave it 4 stars on my old review, and after letting it settle in for awhile, and then re-reading it, I'm convinced it's a 5 star comic. It's not brilliant, it's not mind blowing, and I couldn't imagine too many people seeing this from my point of view, but this book is just right up my alley. It feels like one of those old Shaw Bros. kung-fu movies, like when I read it, I felt like none of the words should match anyone's mouths.
My favorite part is Frank Miller's art, which is amazing and just feels so vintage. I don't know how to explain it. One small thing that I love in comic book artwork, is when someone has black hair, and they shade it with a gleaming blue. It's a small thing, and you don't really see it anymore (except for Superman comics), but I love when they do that, haha.
This is a fantastic comic, and a must-read for anyone breaking into the medium. If you're like me and the kind of person who listens to music while they read, I recommend listening to Pink Floyd's Dark Side Of The Moon album. The music matches perfectly, Money puts a really cool twist on the fight scenes, and Us And Them syncs up with the final scene almost eerily.
5/5
My favorite part is Frank Miller's art, which is amazing and just feels so vintage. I don't know how to explain it. One small thing that I love in comic book artwork, is when someone has black hair, and they shade it with a gleaming blue. It's a small thing, and you don't really see it anymore (except for Superman comics), but I love when they do that, haha.
This is a fantastic comic, and a must-read for anyone breaking into the medium. If you're like me and the kind of person who listens to music while they read, I recommend listening to Pink Floyd's Dark Side Of The Moon album. The music matches perfectly, Money puts a really cool twist on the fight scenes, and Us And Them syncs up with the final scene almost eerily.
5/5
June 24, 2015
Frank Miller has his fingerprints all over the last 30+ years of comics, creating classics for Dark Horse, DC, and Marvel. His resume includes Sin City, 300, some of the most notable Batman comics in recent memory, and a long run on Daredevil. But besides those accomplishments, I had no idea he also did the first four issues of Wolverine's solo run. And let me tell you, it holds up a lot better than I expected from a comic run circa 1982.
It is set in Japan, with two intriguing and mysterious women instigating Wolverine's actions, and for very different reasons. The storytelling is really top-notch, much more Yojimbo than X-Men Origins: Wolverine, thankfully. Wolverine is allowed to brood and brawl, and narrates the experience of being a gaijin, or outsider, for the reader. It's really perfect for his character, as a loner outsider wherever he wanders.
The collection features not only Wolverine #1-#4, but also appends Uncanny X-Men #172-#173, where Storm, Rogue and the other X-Men get mixed up in the action when they travel to Japan for Wolverine's wedding.
It is set in Japan, with two intriguing and mysterious women instigating Wolverine's actions, and for very different reasons. The storytelling is really top-notch, much more Yojimbo than X-Men Origins: Wolverine, thankfully. Wolverine is allowed to brood and brawl, and narrates the experience of being a gaijin, or outsider, for the reader. It's really perfect for his character, as a loner outsider wherever he wanders.
The collection features not only Wolverine #1-#4, but also appends Uncanny X-Men #172-#173, where Storm, Rogue and the other X-Men get mixed up in the action when they travel to Japan for Wolverine's wedding.
January 10, 2021
Най-краткият комикс албум от серията до момента, съдържащ едва четири броя (1. Аз съм Върколак, 2. Дълг и задължения, 3. Загуба и 4. Чест), поместени на стотина страници, се оказа и най-добрият откъм сценарий и арт. По това време (1982) Франк Милър е едва 25 годишен, но вече рисува като звяр - с оригинална разкадровка и нестандартен поглед към сцените - отгоре, отстрани...; използващ добре познатата ни от Голям Проклет Sin City игра на сенките и силуетите; а тук и шантави попарт цветове. Историята на Крис Клеърмонт е плътна и абсолютно самостоятелна, текстът се ниже в сегашно време/първо лице, в духа на noire-а. Виждаме Лоугън в една малко по-романтична светлина - любовта на канадския косматко към японката Марико Яшида ще трябва да се пребори с древните родови традиции, обрекли я на друг... Големият проблем си остава преводът, усеща се липсата на редакторска намеса, дървеняшките на моменти изрази, сякаш директно копнати от прозорчето на гугъл транслейт...
July 20, 2020
Hoy, un clásico indiscutible y lógica inclusión en la colección Marvel/Salvat. Para 1982, Chris Claremont (junto a John Byrne) venía prendiendo fuego todo en la colección mensual de X-Men. No se le escapaba -ni a él, ni a la empresa- que entre los personajes mutantes era Logan AKA Wolverine el más popular y el que más fans venía recopilando mes a mes, por lo que la idea de una miniserie centrada en él era un paso lógico. Pero más allá de la movida comercial, Claremont aprovechó la oportunidad para profundizar mucho por primera vez en el personaje, dándole un pasado más complejo (uno que recuerda, al menos) y una asociación con lo oriental, particularmente lo japonés. ¿Y quién mejor que el máximo dibujante de ninjas en EEUU de ese momento, don Frank Miller, para ilustrar dicha miniserie? Así, una trama -la relación de Logan con Mariko, su novia japonesa- que se desarrollaba en la revista principal tenía este inesperado giro, con Wolverine viajando a Japón para vivir el que probablemente fuera su mayor desafío hasta el momento. Una historia bastante alejada de los códigos de superhéroes y mucho más centrada en ser “una de ninjas (o de samurais)” con unas estupendas líneas de diálogo (y mucho soliloquio interno, ese tan caro a Claremont y la forma de escribir historietas en los 80s) y mucha, que digo mucha, muchísima acción. Buenos personajes secundarios, una trama interesante con las tradicionales cuitas de honor y deber tan japonesas (sobre todo cuando occidentales escriben sobre japoneses) y un enorme protagonista, que brillaba cómo nunca (y mucho más que muchas veces luego también), perfectamente escrito y hermosamente dibujado.
December 1, 2022
(Read as part of Marvel Masterworks: The Uncanny X-Men, Vol. 9 where it's generously included within the X-Men continuity)
Frank Miller is a keen student - at least at Marvel, his scripting on his own work owes a lot to Chris Claremont's introspective style. But it strikes out in a more staccato, noir direction, the pupil surpassing the master by the time "Born Again" comes around. Which means his actual collaboration with Claremont feels a little overwritten, reliant on its words in a way it truly doesn't need to be.
As a Wolverine story, it's excellent - the first solo outing still reads like the only genuinely necessarily one. It tells the ur-Wolverine tale: begin as a man, descend to a beast, ascend to a more genuinely rounded individual. In that sense it has to be written by the character's regular scripter - to mean something, a shift like this has to be permanent, and to give Marvel their credit it pretty much has been. The battle-hardened samurai Wolverine *is* the character.
The impact of this on how Wolverine comics look is even stronger. Wolverine in an Asian city, scrapping with a dozen ninjas at once - more so even than the wilderness tracker look, this is the definitive Wolvie image. Miller's art on this series is a joy, his sense of bodies in violent motion and his ability to choreograph them second to none: within a few years, anyone who could draw a good ninja fight was going it.
The only part that hasn't aged so well is the comic's breathlessly corny take on Japan itself, a land entirely populated by yakuza, samurai, dutiful daughters of ancient clans, etc. Again, Wolverine was enormously influential here, though this is one area where I wish its impact had been somewhat less.
Frank Miller is a keen student - at least at Marvel, his scripting on his own work owes a lot to Chris Claremont's introspective style. But it strikes out in a more staccato, noir direction, the pupil surpassing the master by the time "Born Again" comes around. Which means his actual collaboration with Claremont feels a little overwritten, reliant on its words in a way it truly doesn't need to be.
As a Wolverine story, it's excellent - the first solo outing still reads like the only genuinely necessarily one. It tells the ur-Wolverine tale: begin as a man, descend to a beast, ascend to a more genuinely rounded individual. In that sense it has to be written by the character's regular scripter - to mean something, a shift like this has to be permanent, and to give Marvel their credit it pretty much has been. The battle-hardened samurai Wolverine *is* the character.
The impact of this on how Wolverine comics look is even stronger. Wolverine in an Asian city, scrapping with a dozen ninjas at once - more so even than the wilderness tracker look, this is the definitive Wolvie image. Miller's art on this series is a joy, his sense of bodies in violent motion and his ability to choreograph them second to none: within a few years, anyone who could draw a good ninja fight was going it.
The only part that hasn't aged so well is the comic's breathlessly corny take on Japan itself, a land entirely populated by yakuza, samurai, dutiful daughters of ancient clans, etc. Again, Wolverine was enormously influential here, though this is one area where I wish its impact had been somewhat less.
January 2, 2024
Oh dear. It's certainly a challenge to be indestructible and so vulnerable!
Logan is in love! He goes to Japan! There's so much backstory here which you may or may not know (I knew nothing). Each chapter revisits basic information (incredible healing powers! adamantium!) just in case you also know nothing.
Japan is a country of crime lords, ninja assassins and beautiful zen gardens — what a land of contrasts!
The story line descends into chaos as one point, because apparently there is an unlimited number x-men and they all have backstories, but weddings are always and adventure are they not?
To be continued . . . if you dare.
Logan is in love! He goes to Japan! There's so much backstory here which you may or may not know (I knew nothing). Each chapter revisits basic information (incredible healing powers! adamantium!) just in case you also know nothing.
Japan is a country of crime lords, ninja assassins and beautiful zen gardens — what a land of contrasts!
The story line descends into chaos as one point, because apparently there is an unlimited number x-men and they all have backstories, but weddings are always and adventure are they not?
To be continued . . . if you dare.
May 1, 2013
Clearly I'm missing something, based on the critical and popular reception of this book. I remember when this collection first came out, but I was more interested in Spider-Man and Daredevil at the time, so I never read it until Amazon put it on sale for $1.99. I don't feel like I overpaid, but I don't feel like I got a bargain either.
The story is fine. It's nice to see another side of Wolverine, although I never figured out why he was so in love with this Japanese chick. Maybe there's more background in other Wolverine/X-Men comics; I don't know. I never felt particularly invested in the character, and it never felt to me like he was ever in any real danger. That's the problem with having a character with a super-healing ability and an unbreakable skeleton: there's a lot of "Boy, it's a good thing I'm invulnerable, or that would have killed me!" The other thing I never understand about these stories is why Wolverine can take on 20 trained Hand assassins but a single old guy with a sword almost kills him. Is the old guy really *that* much better than these guys who have done nothing but trained to kill their entire lives? How does that happen? The Hand are like the redshirts of the Marvel universe: they exist to be dispatched quickly and easily. I feel a little bad for them.
The art is mediocre. I know Frank Miller is supposed to be some kind of artistic genius (and I liked the minimalist style he applied to Daredevil and Bat Man: Year One), but his drawings here seem rushed and amateurish. A female Japanese assassin who I guess is supposed to look exotic just looks weird. The layout and coloring is typical for an 80s mass market comic book, which is to say not great.
Overall, a decent read, but there's much more interesting stuff out there.
The story is fine. It's nice to see another side of Wolverine, although I never figured out why he was so in love with this Japanese chick. Maybe there's more background in other Wolverine/X-Men comics; I don't know. I never felt particularly invested in the character, and it never felt to me like he was ever in any real danger. That's the problem with having a character with a super-healing ability and an unbreakable skeleton: there's a lot of "Boy, it's a good thing I'm invulnerable, or that would have killed me!" The other thing I never understand about these stories is why Wolverine can take on 20 trained Hand assassins but a single old guy with a sword almost kills him. Is the old guy really *that* much better than these guys who have done nothing but trained to kill their entire lives? How does that happen? The Hand are like the redshirts of the Marvel universe: they exist to be dispatched quickly and easily. I feel a little bad for them.
The art is mediocre. I know Frank Miller is supposed to be some kind of artistic genius (and I liked the minimalist style he applied to Daredevil and Bat Man: Year One), but his drawings here seem rushed and amateurish. A female Japanese assassin who I guess is supposed to look exotic just looks weird. The layout and coloring is typical for an 80s mass market comic book, which is to say not great.
Overall, a decent read, but there's much more interesting stuff out there.
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