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Wolverine by Daniel Way: The Complete Collection #1
Wolverine by Daniel Way: The Complete Collection, Vol. 1
Marvel's favorite mutant by one of his most explosive creators! Dark corners, dead bodies and drug dealers - that's a typical day for Logan when he isn't hanging with the X-Men. But when reality is rewritten by the events of House of M, it proves a revelatory experience - and sets Wolverine on a path to uncover his origins! But who has been hiding in the shadows, pulling Logan's strings for decades? Armed with the one weapon that can kill him, Logan embarks on the first leg of a long and bloody quest for vengeance! COLLECTING: WOLVERINE (1988) 187-189; WOLVERINE (2003) 33-40; WOLVERINE: ORIGINS 1-5, 1 DIRECTOR'S CUT; SABRETOOTH (2004) 1-4; MATERIAL FROM I (HEART) MARVEL: MY MUTANT HEART
504 pages, Paperback
First published January 31, 2017
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
May 12, 2018
A pretty solid set of Wolverine stories and one Sabretooth story, all by Daniel Way. Starts off with the last 3 issues of Wolverine Volume 2 which I don't think have ever been collected before.
Down the Road - 2 Stars
Logan goes on a joyride with a disturbed hillbilly. Some fugly art by John McCrea.
Good Cop / Bad Cop - 2 Stars
Wolverine barely appears in this story of a drunk, inept internal affairs cop trying to catch a corrupt cop. Felt almost like Way had written this as a stand alone story and then shoehorned Wolverine into it.
Skip ahead a few years and Way takes over Wolverine during House of M.
House of M: Chasing Ghosts - 3 Stars
A Wolverine story where Mystique takes center stage and Wolvie is just a supporting character. It's all about Wolverine and Nick Fury's history together in House of M. I loved the ending. Javier Saltares and Mark Texeira draw the hell out of this.
The Promise (My Mutant Heart). - 1 Star
A terrible little short story with awful art by Ken Knudtsen.
Now onto the Wolvie origin stories Way is most known for with Wolverine. Unfortunately, the moment in House of M where Logan gets his memories back is not included in the collection.
Origins & Endings - 4 Stars
Wolverine has just gotten all his memories back thanks to House of M. Now he's trying to sort through them, making a world tour to talk (or more than talk) to those who appear in his memories. Lots of revelations and new story directions now that Wolvie has almost 200 years of memories to sift through.
Javier Saltares and Mark Texiera provide some fantastic art even if they skimped on a lot of the backgrounds. I've been a fan of this art team since their Ghost Rider days of the early 90's.
Born in Blood - 5 Stars
Wolverine has gotten his memories back and he's out for revenge. Turns out Wolvie was manipulated into doing same pretty heinous things back in the day. I like the changes Way made in Nuke's origins as well. Plus, we get a bad ass fight with Captain America and some of the X-Men. Logan and Cap both use some cool tactics. It's more than just your typical superhero donnybrook. The book also has one hell of a revelation. Steve Dillon's art was made for gritty books like Wolverine. It's really top notch stuff.
Sabretooth - 2 Stars
A Sabretooth miniseries where Sabretooth is merely a supporting character. Told somewhat from the viewpoint of a Coast Guard sailor who has went ashore to help the people of a small village on an island in Lake Superior. Something has killed most of the town.
Bart Sears has been in the business long enough that you'd think he'd have learned some basic anatomy. Any arm or leg he draws has roughly 10 additional muscles than any human has. His art drives me nuts. I remember when he was supposed to be the next big thing in the 90's.
Down the Road - 2 Stars
Logan goes on a joyride with a disturbed hillbilly. Some fugly art by John McCrea.
Good Cop / Bad Cop - 2 Stars
Wolverine barely appears in this story of a drunk, inept internal affairs cop trying to catch a corrupt cop. Felt almost like Way had written this as a stand alone story and then shoehorned Wolverine into it.
Skip ahead a few years and Way takes over Wolverine during House of M.
House of M: Chasing Ghosts - 3 Stars
A Wolverine story where Mystique takes center stage and Wolvie is just a supporting character. It's all about Wolverine and Nick Fury's history together in House of M. I loved the ending. Javier Saltares and Mark Texeira draw the hell out of this.
The Promise (My Mutant Heart). - 1 Star
A terrible little short story with awful art by Ken Knudtsen.
Now onto the Wolvie origin stories Way is most known for with Wolverine. Unfortunately, the moment in House of M where Logan gets his memories back is not included in the collection.
Origins & Endings - 4 Stars
Wolverine has just gotten all his memories back thanks to House of M. Now he's trying to sort through them, making a world tour to talk (or more than talk) to those who appear in his memories. Lots of revelations and new story directions now that Wolvie has almost 200 years of memories to sift through.
Javier Saltares and Mark Texiera provide some fantastic art even if they skimped on a lot of the backgrounds. I've been a fan of this art team since their Ghost Rider days of the early 90's.
Born in Blood - 5 Stars
Wolverine has gotten his memories back and he's out for revenge. Turns out Wolvie was manipulated into doing same pretty heinous things back in the day. I like the changes Way made in Nuke's origins as well. Plus, we get a bad ass fight with Captain America and some of the X-Men. Logan and Cap both use some cool tactics. It's more than just your typical superhero donnybrook. The book also has one hell of a revelation. Steve Dillon's art was made for gritty books like Wolverine. It's really top notch stuff.
Sabretooth - 2 Stars
A Sabretooth miniseries where Sabretooth is merely a supporting character. Told somewhat from the viewpoint of a Coast Guard sailor who has went ashore to help the people of a small village on an island in Lake Superior. Something has killed most of the town.
Bart Sears has been in the business long enough that you'd think he'd have learned some basic anatomy. Any arm or leg he draws has roughly 10 additional muscles than any human has. His art drives me nuts. I remember when he was supposed to be the next big thing in the 90's.
June 16, 2018
(3.5 stars) a big fat book of wolverine minus the x-men. The stories are pretty good the book starts off with 2-3 very short stories that are sub par but still O.K. The first main story is a "House of M" story with Nick fury and Mystique that is good and has a wild twist ending. The second main story is a weapon X story that is even longer and is also a good story with some cool cameos including Bucky and Nuke. The last story is sort of funny because Wolverine is not in it but I still really liked the Sabertooth and Sasquatch story out in the arctic. Daniel Way had a good run, he had a nice balance of action and story and i enjoyed it. The art is pretty standard for early 2000's its fine its not amazing or bad. If you like wolverine minus the x-men then I think you will enjoy these tales.
March 5, 2017
This first volume of Way's Wolverine is wildly uneven, and isn't entirely coherent because it covers several years of stories (and even one non-Wolverine story) but it generally shows off his strengths as a writer and makes me want to see more of the actual Origins series.
We start off at the end of Wolverine v2, where Way closed out to the volume with some short filler stories. It's great to see these finally reprinted. They're both very odd stories that pull Wolverine off into weird genres, but they're quite well written.
Down the Road (187). A Wolverine ghost story? A Wolverine urban legend? This issue, set on the road, rather delightfully unravels a story over the course of a car trip [7+/10].
Good Cop / Bad Cop (188-189). Pretty much a dark police procedural where Wolverine largely plays a supporting role. It probably wouldn't be great as part of an ongoing run, but it's a very nice one-off to end Wolverine v2 [7/10].
Three years on, during which time Wolverine was written by Greg Rucka (Wolverine, by Greg Rucka: Ultimate Collection) and Mark Miller (Wolverine: Enemy of the State). Now, Daniel Way is brought back and dumped straight into House of M.
House of M: Chasing Ghosts (33-35). This is just a flat-out fun story. I mean, it's got Mystique and Wolverine as Agents of SHIELD. But more than that, it's a story with an interesting narrative structure and a mystery that's explored over the course of the three issues. So, combine good storytelling with that good premise! [7/10].
The Promise (My Mutant Heart). A one-trick super-short that's OK but has ugly art [5/10].
And then we're on to the actual Origin stories that constitute most of Way's Wolverine work, for better or for worse. Sadly, this collection doesn't include the actual event in House of M where Wolverine recovers his memories, so we just have to figure that out on our own.
Origins & Endings (36-40). This book has a great premise: Wolverine has recovered his memories, and he's angry as heck. He wants some vengeance! Unfortunately, the actual implementation is horrible. It's literally incoherent. He fights Silver Samurai for some reason, then he messes around with SHIELD, then he attacks Bucky. It's never clear what's going on or what Logan's remembering or why he's doing what he's doing. The Winter Soldier issues at the end are the only ones that start to come clear, as we get a bit more of the backstory. Way would do a much better job on this plot thread in the Origins comic that followed, but here it's a mess [4/10].
Born in Blood (Origins 1-5). Wolverine: Origins & Endings, the beginning of the Wolverine: Origins epic was pretty incoherent. Now, given the whole Wolverine: Origins series to spread out over, Way is able to tell a somewhat more cohesive story. Oh, it's still very muddy and still doesn't explain itself, but this time it feels more like Way knows what he's doing.
And, there's a lot to like here, including great use of Nuke, and the first hints that the Weapon X program and the super-soldier program have something in common. Finally, we get the first confirmation that Logan has a son. A lot of this is setup for what follows, but it's nice setup.
On the downside, Captain America feels pretty out of character, and Steve Dillon's art is as ugly as ever. [7/10]
Sabertooth (Sabertooth 1-4). Oh, hey, four issues reminding us that Sabertooth is a loonie-toon sociopath. There's just barely a story here. I don't know why they bothered with a whole mini-series, nor do I know why it's reprinted here. But it's kind of exciting and has some good characters, so its not entirely bad as brainless horror. [5/10]
We start off at the end of Wolverine v2, where Way closed out to the volume with some short filler stories. It's great to see these finally reprinted. They're both very odd stories that pull Wolverine off into weird genres, but they're quite well written.
Down the Road (187). A Wolverine ghost story? A Wolverine urban legend? This issue, set on the road, rather delightfully unravels a story over the course of a car trip [7+/10].
Good Cop / Bad Cop (188-189). Pretty much a dark police procedural where Wolverine largely plays a supporting role. It probably wouldn't be great as part of an ongoing run, but it's a very nice one-off to end Wolverine v2 [7/10].
Three years on, during which time Wolverine was written by Greg Rucka (Wolverine, by Greg Rucka: Ultimate Collection) and Mark Miller (Wolverine: Enemy of the State). Now, Daniel Way is brought back and dumped straight into House of M.
House of M: Chasing Ghosts (33-35). This is just a flat-out fun story. I mean, it's got Mystique and Wolverine as Agents of SHIELD. But more than that, it's a story with an interesting narrative structure and a mystery that's explored over the course of the three issues. So, combine good storytelling with that good premise! [7/10].
The Promise (My Mutant Heart). A one-trick super-short that's OK but has ugly art [5/10].
And then we're on to the actual Origin stories that constitute most of Way's Wolverine work, for better or for worse. Sadly, this collection doesn't include the actual event in House of M where Wolverine recovers his memories, so we just have to figure that out on our own.
Origins & Endings (36-40). This book has a great premise: Wolverine has recovered his memories, and he's angry as heck. He wants some vengeance! Unfortunately, the actual implementation is horrible. It's literally incoherent. He fights Silver Samurai for some reason, then he messes around with SHIELD, then he attacks Bucky. It's never clear what's going on or what Logan's remembering or why he's doing what he's doing. The Winter Soldier issues at the end are the only ones that start to come clear, as we get a bit more of the backstory. Way would do a much better job on this plot thread in the Origins comic that followed, but here it's a mess [4/10].
Born in Blood (Origins 1-5). Wolverine: Origins & Endings, the beginning of the Wolverine: Origins epic was pretty incoherent. Now, given the whole Wolverine: Origins series to spread out over, Way is able to tell a somewhat more cohesive story. Oh, it's still very muddy and still doesn't explain itself, but this time it feels more like Way knows what he's doing.
And, there's a lot to like here, including great use of Nuke, and the first hints that the Weapon X program and the super-soldier program have something in common. Finally, we get the first confirmation that Logan has a son. A lot of this is setup for what follows, but it's nice setup.
On the downside, Captain America feels pretty out of character, and Steve Dillon's art is as ugly as ever. [7/10]
Sabertooth (Sabertooth 1-4). Oh, hey, four issues reminding us that Sabertooth is a loonie-toon sociopath. There's just barely a story here. I don't know why they bothered with a whole mini-series, nor do I know why it's reprinted here. But it's kind of exciting and has some good characters, so its not entirely bad as brainless horror. [5/10]
February 3, 2017
Way writes a mean streak. Snikt!
December 22, 2019
This is a collection of Wolverine stories. It collects several stories from all across the Logan story arc. That is part of the problem. While the Origin story arc was finished, the House of M story arc didn't really get completed. Hence the problem with "cross over" issues being included inside of a collection.
That being said, this has the interesting "Origins" and the "House of M" story arcs and I rather enjoyed those two. The rest of the stories are all pretty good but none really stand out. A good collection of stories that would have been more satisfying if they had not left some of the story arcs unfinished.
A Logan fan will certainly enjoy this one. I did and had the artwork for some of the issues and the story arcs finality been of better quality then this might have been a 4 star book.
That being said, this has the interesting "Origins" and the "House of M" story arcs and I rather enjoyed those two. The rest of the stories are all pretty good but none really stand out. A good collection of stories that would have been more satisfying if they had not left some of the story arcs unfinished.
A Logan fan will certainly enjoy this one. I did and had the artwork for some of the issues and the story arcs finality been of better quality then this might have been a 4 star book.
June 20, 2020
Got super bored about half way through. Never been a huge Way fan. Not sure why I bought a few volumes of this. But yeah the start is decent enough with more single shot issues of Wolverine being more down to earth and reminded me of Rucka's run. Then we get to the big blowout fights and secret origins and it's boring as can be. The Sabertooth stories at the end were the final straw for me. A 2 out of 5.
June 11, 2022
A solid read for any Wolverine fan. This book collects a ton of shorter stories, the first two being little one offs stories, from Logan getting a ride from a drunk serial killer conversing till it ends with them driving off a cliff. The second short story being about a detective who seems to be losing everything over accusing another cop of being dirty and killing citizens, until Logan shows up towards the end to provide the cop with proof of his sanity and that this other cop did in fact kill those people. I loved how dark these short stories were and that Logan wasn’t necessarily the main character in them, but that he brought some form of Justice when he did show up.
Now that main meat of this book is a storyline that takes place after the House of M book, with Logan now remembering all of his past memories, from Weapon X, to the loved ones he has long along the way (Japan wife and all the training he did there to learn of peace before he was broken and forged into a weapon of revenge. And another wife in more western times that was unjustly murdered). All of these past memories begin to connect as He tracks down the weapon X facility that created the “animal” is it still weapon X that gave him the metal in these comics? Not sure. The cameos are nice too, like seeing Bucky and realizing he was the one that killed Logan’s wife and child in Japan all those years ago and found him after the rival clan tortured him and turned him into a weapon of revenge. Then I believe it’s implied that from there, after Bucky subdues Logan he is taken to Weapon X where he becomes what we know today? I believe that’s what was implied. See the only issue I had with the book was keeping some facts straight at times, since his story is basically every shifting.
Now with this knowledge he is on the hunt for who is really behind all of this, higher up than even Weapon X apparently. He returns to the clan that made him a weapon for revenge and claims the sword and begins his hunt, till finally he is confronted by a past mistake, Duke. I really enjoyed the flashback in this part of the story as it really shows you how whoever it is above Weapon X used Logan and during that time Logan was a horrible person, just a ruthless killer. He forged Nuke into what he is today, no longer human, a knockoff Wolverine basically, stripped of his humanity, and now he has to face his past, literally. Then to up the cameos, Cap shows up and they fight it out for a bit, till Wolverine claims they are both being used and setup by that same organization at this very moment. (It is hinted that Trevor, who works close with the president at the White House, is working for this organization). Then some of the X-Men show up and another fight ensues till Emma helps calm Logan and we learn his son from Japan didn’t die that night due to the inherited healing factor and his being controlled by the organization just as Logan was for so many years, and above all he hates Logan. Now Logan ventures out to find answers once more and leaves behind the sword to Cyclops should the time come to take Logan out.
I really love how this all came together in the end and overall in this storyline we get to see how crafty and really intelligent Logan is when he needs to be. Plus seeing him rage out at times was always cool. And there are some great fights in here, like Logan vs Bucky, then fighting Captain America, then Cap again but with the X-Men, the Silver Samurai fight, and even the quick Nuke fight. Overall if you like Wolverine as a character, especially when he is alone and away from the X-Men and finding himself then you’ll for sure enjoy this book. There’s also a neat little story at the end with Sabertooth hunting a Wendigo and it plays like a little horror story in a way, gave me The Thing vibes. I’ll for sure be investing in Vol 2 to see how Logan’s story plays out.
Now that main meat of this book is a storyline that takes place after the House of M book, with Logan now remembering all of his past memories, from Weapon X, to the loved ones he has long along the way (Japan wife and all the training he did there to learn of peace before he was broken and forged into a weapon of revenge. And another wife in more western times that was unjustly murdered). All of these past memories begin to connect as He tracks down the weapon X facility that created the “animal” is it still weapon X that gave him the metal in these comics? Not sure. The cameos are nice too, like seeing Bucky and realizing he was the one that killed Logan’s wife and child in Japan all those years ago and found him after the rival clan tortured him and turned him into a weapon of revenge. Then I believe it’s implied that from there, after Bucky subdues Logan he is taken to Weapon X where he becomes what we know today? I believe that’s what was implied. See the only issue I had with the book was keeping some facts straight at times, since his story is basically every shifting.
Now with this knowledge he is on the hunt for who is really behind all of this, higher up than even Weapon X apparently. He returns to the clan that made him a weapon for revenge and claims the sword and begins his hunt, till finally he is confronted by a past mistake, Duke. I really enjoyed the flashback in this part of the story as it really shows you how whoever it is above Weapon X used Logan and during that time Logan was a horrible person, just a ruthless killer. He forged Nuke into what he is today, no longer human, a knockoff Wolverine basically, stripped of his humanity, and now he has to face his past, literally. Then to up the cameos, Cap shows up and they fight it out for a bit, till Wolverine claims they are both being used and setup by that same organization at this very moment. (It is hinted that Trevor, who works close with the president at the White House, is working for this organization). Then some of the X-Men show up and another fight ensues till Emma helps calm Logan and we learn his son from Japan didn’t die that night due to the inherited healing factor and his being controlled by the organization just as Logan was for so many years, and above all he hates Logan. Now Logan ventures out to find answers once more and leaves behind the sword to Cyclops should the time come to take Logan out.
I really love how this all came together in the end and overall in this storyline we get to see how crafty and really intelligent Logan is when he needs to be. Plus seeing him rage out at times was always cool. And there are some great fights in here, like Logan vs Bucky, then fighting Captain America, then Cap again but with the X-Men, the Silver Samurai fight, and even the quick Nuke fight. Overall if you like Wolverine as a character, especially when he is alone and away from the X-Men and finding himself then you’ll for sure enjoy this book. There’s also a neat little story at the end with Sabertooth hunting a Wendigo and it plays like a little horror story in a way, gave me The Thing vibes. I’ll for sure be investing in Vol 2 to see how Logan’s story plays out.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 30, 2024
Wolverine arba Ernis. Vienas žinomiausių ir mėgstamiausių Marvel herojų. Daniel Way apie Ernį sukūrė tiek komiksų, kad jiems sutalpinti prireikė keturių storų knygų. Ši - pirmoji. Knygą sudaro apie dešimt skirtingo ilgio istorijų. Jose palaipsniui pažindinamės su Erniu: kas jis, kaip atsirado, kokie reikšmingiausi įvykiai jį suformavo. Ernis neatsimena visos praeities, bet deda dideles pastangas, kad ją sužinotų. Bando informaciją išgauti iš jį supančių žmonių, sutikdamas draugus ir priešus, galų gale keliauja į Japoniją (kaipgi Ernio istorija be šios šalies). Taip skaitytojas po nedidelę kruopelę pažindinasi su skaudžia Ernio istorija.
Nors daugiausia informacijos atskleidžia paskutinės istorijos, pirmos skaitėsi įdomiau. Labiau lipo ir senesnių istorijų piešimo stilius. Komiksai iliustruoti skirtingų dailininkų.
Už pirmą knygą tvirtas 4*
Nors daugiausia informacijos atskleidžia paskutinės istorijos, pirmos skaitėsi įdomiau. Labiau lipo ir senesnių istorijų piešimo stilius. Komiksai iliustruoti skirtingų dailininkų.
Už pirmą knygą tvirtas 4*
September 30, 2024
This book was entertaining but took me a second to understand what was occurring due to how often the stories changed (not a bad thing, just required to read over a few prior pages). The one issue with the collection of stories is that there was rarely any payoff to the overall arcs. For example, the origins story ends, there's no explanation or problems solved, it just stops. The art is fun, although I wouldn't say I like Wolverine's eyes in the mask having pupils but that's a personal choice. I will read the next volume, maybe some of these arcs get conclusions. Overall, it was a fun Wolverine read and Way understands the character very well. Grade: B-
August 27, 2018
Some of these stories were good. The off-genre stories are interesting. It kind of echoes the story at the end of Millar's run about the Holocaust. What would Wolverine be if he didn't have claws or animal senses or a killer instinct. If he were just a guy that kept coming back?
The main story -- I enjoyed that one, too.
And the House of M.
But the little pieces were bad and the Sabretooth story was thoroughly pointless.
The main story -- I enjoyed that one, too.
And the House of M.
But the little pieces were bad and the Sabretooth story was thoroughly pointless.
November 16, 2018
I really enjoyed this! I agree with some other reviews that the first couple of stories were subpar to the main action, but I was still entertained. The main body of this was fantastic from content to art, I devoured it. And I also really liked the Sabertooth story at the end of the book, it was gorgeous.
August 24, 2022
A solid Wolverine collection.
One word of warning: the volume closes with a four issue Sabertooth miniseries that ends things on a somewhat discordant note. Logan isn't featured at all and Bart Sears' pencils leave a lot to be desired.
That aside, this is an otherwise very enjoyable group of Wolvie stories for either longtime fans or the uninitiated who are new to the character.
One word of warning: the volume closes with a four issue Sabertooth miniseries that ends things on a somewhat discordant note. Logan isn't featured at all and Bart Sears' pencils leave a lot to be desired.
That aside, this is an otherwise very enjoyable group of Wolvie stories for either longtime fans or the uninitiated who are new to the character.
July 16, 2025
Pretty good superhero fare. I’d largely consider this popcorn reading but there are strong emotional beats here and there. This book touches on a lot of the same themes most Wolverine media does, so if you’re familiar with the character, it won’t feel too new, and may even be surprisingly violent at times.
June 10, 2022
A Wolverine anthology. Some single issues and some mini-series of 2-3 issues. Some are good, some are just okay. There isn't any bad one or great one either. That makes it kind of an average one. Not a must read in any way, but still fun if you're a massive Wolverine fan!
February 29, 2020
A look at the origins and back story of the mutant James Howlett, AKA, Logan AKA Wolverine as he travels the world seeking the truth about his past.
June 28, 2021
My god it was so good...
August 17, 2024
I enjoyed the writing but the art work took away. It wasn’t very good. For me personally it doesn’t matter how good the writing is if the art work sucks it takes so much away.
February 2, 2025
Bloody start
This is the beginning of Wolverines origin story after he reclaimed his memories from House of M. Great start with small reveals and a really awesome Sabertooth story.
This is the beginning of Wolverines origin story after he reclaimed his memories from House of M. Great start with small reveals and a really awesome Sabertooth story.
January 5, 2026
Meh. Not my favorite collection of Wolverine stories but there was some good art (though not always my favorite style) and I enjoyed the first five issues of Origins.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews