What do you think?
Rate this book
Essential Wolverine #1
Essential Wolverine, Volume 1
Follows the adventures of Logan, who as Wolverine faces villains around the world and struggles to control his own wild nature.
552 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1995
9 people are currently reading
269 people want to read
About the author
Archie Goodwin
972 books70 followersArchie Goodwin was an American comic book writer, editor, and artist. He worked on a number of comic strips in addition to comic books, and is best known for his Warren and Marvel Comics work. For Warren he was chief writer and editor of landmark horror anthology titles Creepy and Eerie, and for Marvel he set up the creator-owned Epic Comics as well as adapting Star Wars into both comics and newspaper strips. He is regularly cited as the "best-loved comic book editor, ever."
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
May 26, 2023
Covering Wolverine in his first regular solo title. In mutant continuity, Wolverine's book was one of the few in the late 80s to hold up really well and remain consistently good, whilst maintaining realism and more essentially, humour. Some excellent cameos included Karma, The Hulk, Jessica Drew and others, as well as a great supporting cast in his nominally home base of Madripor. Collects Wolverine #1 to #23. 7 out of 12, Three Star read.
2015 and 2010 read
2015 and 2010 read
August 2, 2015
Pretty good! So this omnibus collects issues 1 to 23 of the original wolverine solo comic! The overall story of this is that Wolverine is thought to be dead, and now hes in Asia trying to hide away, he has the alias of Patch (which is actually his real name, Logan is his second). This started out a little weird but the writing did get better overtime, and it was fun and enjoyable! It also features cameos from other heroes like Daredevil and Hulk! The Art wasn't anything special and it was in black and white. But overall a great read!
March 30, 2020
I own the original comics that this volume collects and just re-read them 30 years later. The Wolverine character in this volume is less X-men superhero and more reliable good guy who straddles different factions in an underworld on a fictional southeast asian called Mandripoor. There are handful of great villains like Roughhouse and Geist. Wolverine has a few fun sidekicks as well to give him somebody to talk to during his adventures.
If you read the comics back to back, one annoying feature is that the first few pages of each comic involves Wolverine explaining his healing powers, adamantium exoskeletal and the back story of previous comics including his sidekicks. It becomes quite receptive although it is understandable given the format they were released. There is also some pretty significant art work changes throughout the series.
If you read the comics back to back, one annoying feature is that the first few pages of each comic involves Wolverine explaining his healing powers, adamantium exoskeletal and the back story of previous comics including his sidekicks. It becomes quite receptive although it is understandable given the format they were released. There is also some pretty significant art work changes throughout the series.
December 9, 2014
Wolverine's solo adventures.
I particularly liked the Mr. Fixit (aka the Incredible Hulk) stories, like most of the stories in this first volume these stories are a little pulpy, the issue Promises to Keep (a great little horror story), 24 Hours (a great story of Wolverine with his archenemy Sabretooth in the Wild West) are my favorites and the six issue story the Gehenna Stone Affair is a lot of pulp (Indiana Jones-like) fun! Wolverine Basic and the last couple of issues featuring the villains Geist, Tiger Shark and the fellow hero La Bandera are a great ending to the first volume of Wolverine Essentials.
I recommend this to every Wolverine fan and people who are interested in reading some great early Wolverine stories by Chris Claremont and other great writers. It's great fun reading Wolverine's first solo adventures!
Check it out!!
I particularly liked the Mr. Fixit (aka the Incredible Hulk) stories, like most of the stories in this first volume these stories are a little pulpy, the issue Promises to Keep (a great little horror story), 24 Hours (a great story of Wolverine with his archenemy Sabretooth in the Wild West) are my favorites and the six issue story the Gehenna Stone Affair is a lot of pulp (Indiana Jones-like) fun! Wolverine Basic and the last couple of issues featuring the villains Geist, Tiger Shark and the fellow hero La Bandera are a great ending to the first volume of Wolverine Essentials.
I recommend this to every Wolverine fan and people who are interested in reading some great early Wolverine stories by Chris Claremont and other great writers. It's great fun reading Wolverine's first solo adventures!
Check it out!!
October 13, 2023
Taking advantagenof the "Fall of the Mutants" Chris Claremont, Peter David and many other take Wolverine to Madripoor and use the popular mutant to tell a series of stories more focused in corruption, drug cartels, and many happenings in a third world fictional location.
What resulta of this is a action packed spin off for a character tha gets to shine in a stting not so heroic but fitting for Him.
The beginning of a long running series is collected here in black and white, and somehow the black of color makes it timeless.
What resulta of this is a action packed spin off for a character tha gets to shine in a stting not so heroic but fitting for Him.
The beginning of a long running series is collected here in black and white, and somehow the black of color makes it timeless.
September 1, 2020
A good run of early Wolverine stories from the late 80s. Set during the period of the Outback era, Logan assumes the role of Patch whilst in Madripoor because "the world believe the X-Men are dead".
The Patch persona was never very convincing though and through the years Logan has resumed it now and again and I had never understood why.
An interesting cast of supporting characters are featured in this run too.
The Patch persona was never very convincing though and through the years Logan has resumed it now and again and I had never understood why.
An interesting cast of supporting characters are featured in this run too.
December 26, 2017
3.35/5
March 25, 2019
I am not a huge fan of these early solo Logan tales. These are more pulp adventures rather than standard super-hero fare.
March 27, 2021
Gotta love these early stories in his solo series.
November 10, 2020
Actually a review of the first 50 issues, but this seemed as good a place as any for the link: https://gnomeship.blogspot.com/2020/1...
March 9, 2017
As always, loved the art. Need to read more Fixit.
One thing that has stuck with me through the years is Magneto's visit with Geist.
One thing that has stuck with me through the years is Magneto's visit with Geist.
January 8, 2013
WOLVERINE!!!!
When I was growing up I really didn't read comic books.
ZOmg and gasp!!
Well, there really wasn't an easy way to get to comics. I lived in a small town and the only way to get a comic book (that wasn't carried at Wal-mart... there was a time when they had them near the toys) was to drive 45 minutes up to Florence and either visit Rarities or Wizard Comics. That's where you got em.
But then again... you had to have money.
Soooo... I didn't have many.
Butters, that's ok!! Because I just noticed these ESSENTIAL books. WoooO!! There's tons of comics in them!! And wow!! I'm super stoked that my library has a couple of them :)
I picked up the Wolverine book thinking "Oh yeah!! I'm going to educate myself!! I'm going to learn all about WOLVERINE!! Check out my smartness!!"
Uhhh... no.... THis book didn't make me smart lolz!! It kinda confused me. Like for one reason, the peeps think the X-men are dead and Wolverine goes around through half of this book with a pirate patch over an eye thinking that changes his identity. Dude..... you should have like changed your hair. We know who you are with the patch hahahs!! And he later learns this when his friends are like "Dude!! What's up with the dumb patch?"
And then the Incredible Hulk (who called himself Mr. Fix It) comes into one bit (which was super cool!!). But he was GREY and he turned into the HULK at night and BANNER in the daytime. And the HULK didn't just say SMASH. What was up with that? No really... someone tell me because that was pretty cool. I'd like to read more of those.
All in all, this was pretty decent. I think guys would like it more but I think guys are supposed to like Wolverine more. I'm always amused that he's a short little dude who shouldn't be messed with. RAWR!! Plus, he has super cool claws. Those are awesome!! And he doesn't play by the rules... WAit... what super hero does?
Anyways, if you are wanting to read a comic series but don't have the cash these books are the way to go. The only bad thing is that they aren't in color. BUT!! IF you own the book then you can color them yourself!! (I seriously wanted to but this is a library book and that would be frowned upon).
So, go check it out! I'm curious to check out a couple more just to see what I was missing.
WOLVERINE!!!
When I was growing up I really didn't read comic books.
ZOmg and gasp!!
Well, there really wasn't an easy way to get to comics. I lived in a small town and the only way to get a comic book (that wasn't carried at Wal-mart... there was a time when they had them near the toys) was to drive 45 minutes up to Florence and either visit Rarities or Wizard Comics. That's where you got em.
But then again... you had to have money.
Soooo... I didn't have many.
Butters, that's ok!! Because I just noticed these ESSENTIAL books. WoooO!! There's tons of comics in them!! And wow!! I'm super stoked that my library has a couple of them :)
I picked up the Wolverine book thinking "Oh yeah!! I'm going to educate myself!! I'm going to learn all about WOLVERINE!! Check out my smartness!!"
Uhhh... no.... THis book didn't make me smart lolz!! It kinda confused me. Like for one reason, the peeps think the X-men are dead and Wolverine goes around through half of this book with a pirate patch over an eye thinking that changes his identity. Dude..... you should have like changed your hair. We know who you are with the patch hahahs!! And he later learns this when his friends are like "Dude!! What's up with the dumb patch?"
And then the Incredible Hulk (who called himself Mr. Fix It) comes into one bit (which was super cool!!). But he was GREY and he turned into the HULK at night and BANNER in the daytime. And the HULK didn't just say SMASH. What was up with that? No really... someone tell me because that was pretty cool. I'd like to read more of those.
All in all, this was pretty decent. I think guys would like it more but I think guys are supposed to like Wolverine more. I'm always amused that he's a short little dude who shouldn't be messed with. RAWR!! Plus, he has super cool claws. Those are awesome!! And he doesn't play by the rules... WAit... what super hero does?
Anyways, if you are wanting to read a comic series but don't have the cash these books are the way to go. The only bad thing is that they aren't in color. BUT!! IF you own the book then you can color them yourself!! (I seriously wanted to but this is a library book and that would be frowned upon).
So, go check it out! I'm curious to check out a couple more just to see what I was missing.
WOLVERINE!!!
April 1, 2009
Okay, so I probably had this a bit overrated but the setting and idea of the series is gonna have me leave this four stars.
I don't hide the fact that I generally don't care for the character of Wolverine, but it is a tad more complicated then that. I try not to dislike him because he is popular, but truth be told I have a feeling that is part of it. I do dislike his popularity affecting the way he is written. In a group book dynamic it is really painful because the character is just pushed to the ideal in too many ways which negatively affects the balance of a book. However for the beginning of the series collected in this book they do something that makes me actually enjoy this character.
There's no team, there's no silly costumes, just a dirty old Singapore-esque made-up city called Madripoor and some heavy noir trappings. Now if there's a setting where an overly macho character fits, it is a noir. It should be known, the Wolverine-Madripoor matchup first began in Marvel Comics Presents stories. I have not read those, but I know they at least started with John Buscema penciling and Claremont writing just as these do.
Claremont starts out the book, then Peter David steps in to have a so-so Indiana Jones wannabe adventure. A little too blatant though. He does the best noir first person narrative of the bunch though. Practicing up for voicing a certain Mr. Madrox. And this book wraps up with Archie Goodwin doing a take on a South American dictatorship in the midst of revolutionary conflict. It felt kinda like Tintin's "The Broken Ear" adventure, though I'd probably rather read that story.
One of the best things about this book is the art though. If you want a study on inking, this would be an interesting start. John Buscema starts out the art duties, as I mentioned, but he goes through three different inkers: Klaus Janson, Al Williams, and Bill Sienkiewicz. Then John Byrne takes over the penciling duties and Klaus Janson comes back for inks. Now John Buscema's art is great for the style of this book. Lots of black, a little ugly. I really enjoy it. But when Bill Sienkiewicz does the ink the art gets transformed. It is obvious that they were giving Sienkiewicz free reign on inking, and it is fun to watch him work, while being balanced by Buscema's structure. As for Byrne and Janson... this pairing is interesting. Byrne is famous for his X-Men work, but Janson so transforms his art that at times you'd think you are looking at Frank Miller. (Janson was a long time partner with Miller) It is interesting to see a different take on Byrne's art. I have never read these issues in color, but I think I almost prefer reading it in the black and white of the essentials. It fits the noir and it shows off the talent of these artist.
I don't hide the fact that I generally don't care for the character of Wolverine, but it is a tad more complicated then that. I try not to dislike him because he is popular, but truth be told I have a feeling that is part of it. I do dislike his popularity affecting the way he is written. In a group book dynamic it is really painful because the character is just pushed to the ideal in too many ways which negatively affects the balance of a book. However for the beginning of the series collected in this book they do something that makes me actually enjoy this character.
There's no team, there's no silly costumes, just a dirty old Singapore-esque made-up city called Madripoor and some heavy noir trappings. Now if there's a setting where an overly macho character fits, it is a noir. It should be known, the Wolverine-Madripoor matchup first began in Marvel Comics Presents stories. I have not read those, but I know they at least started with John Buscema penciling and Claremont writing just as these do.
Claremont starts out the book, then Peter David steps in to have a so-so Indiana Jones wannabe adventure. A little too blatant though. He does the best noir first person narrative of the bunch though. Practicing up for voicing a certain Mr. Madrox. And this book wraps up with Archie Goodwin doing a take on a South American dictatorship in the midst of revolutionary conflict. It felt kinda like Tintin's "The Broken Ear" adventure, though I'd probably rather read that story.
One of the best things about this book is the art though. If you want a study on inking, this would be an interesting start. John Buscema starts out the art duties, as I mentioned, but he goes through three different inkers: Klaus Janson, Al Williams, and Bill Sienkiewicz. Then John Byrne takes over the penciling duties and Klaus Janson comes back for inks. Now John Buscema's art is great for the style of this book. Lots of black, a little ugly. I really enjoy it. But when Bill Sienkiewicz does the ink the art gets transformed. It is obvious that they were giving Sienkiewicz free reign on inking, and it is fun to watch him work, while being balanced by Buscema's structure. As for Byrne and Janson... this pairing is interesting. Byrne is famous for his X-Men work, but Janson so transforms his art that at times you'd think you are looking at Frank Miller. (Janson was a long time partner with Miller) It is interesting to see a different take on Byrne's art. I have never read these issues in color, but I think I almost prefer reading it in the black and white of the essentials. It fits the noir and it shows off the talent of these artist.
March 11, 2013
John Buscema at his best
Wenn dieser Band KEINEN Text enthielte, und keine zusammenhängenden Stories, wäre er trotzdem das doppelte des aktuellen Preises wert. John Buscema zeigt hier sein ganzes Können, und man sieht, warum er als einer der großartigsten Zeichner gilt, die das Comicgenre hervorgebracht hat. Dazu kommen aber interessante Geschichten, die nicht in das vielleicht erwartete X-Men-Schema passen, die mehr Detektivgeschichten sind und in denen Logan mehr zeigen muss als seine Krallen.
Außerdem - wer könnte nicht die Frisur von Logan lieben und sich allein deshalb dieses Buch kaufen?
Wenn dieser Band KEINEN Text enthielte, und keine zusammenhängenden Stories, wäre er trotzdem das doppelte des aktuellen Preises wert. John Buscema zeigt hier sein ganzes Können, und man sieht, warum er als einer der großartigsten Zeichner gilt, die das Comicgenre hervorgebracht hat. Dazu kommen aber interessante Geschichten, die nicht in das vielleicht erwartete X-Men-Schema passen, die mehr Detektivgeschichten sind und in denen Logan mehr zeigen muss als seine Krallen.
Außerdem - wer könnte nicht die Frisur von Logan lieben und sich allein deshalb dieses Buch kaufen?
August 9, 2022
This was an interesting read. I didn’t realize until recently that this is a collection of Wolverine’s comic but that it’s a collection of the Volume 2 chapters which go up into the triple digits. I’m still working through what is chronological, and slowly I’m beginning to see how these all fit together. The artwork is on the lower end of what I like but I got used to it. It wasn’t hard to put down and pick up later, which is good for my school, but it means I’m not flying through these comics either. That’s okay. I’m looking forward to more of Wolverine.
March 19, 2011
This book could really use the four issue Wolverine limited series that Claremont wrote and Frank Miller drew. There's a bunch of issues written by Peter David, whose writing a really like. I hope I feel the same way about his issues. Also, I'm going to skip the issues that Archie Goodwin wrote because I don't care about them.
January 15, 2015
This is the fourth and final volume to A Marvel Comics Limited Series: Wolverine! They didn't have any of the volumes besides the first one, so I had to choose random Wolverine Comic books. I loved this short 4 comic book series. It was pretty much the last Wolverine movie set in Japan. This volume was so good. The last couple of pages were so good!
I love Wolverine so much!
5 stars! <3
I love Wolverine so much!
5 stars! <3
February 28, 2011
Pretty good, with a long, arcing plot divided into subchapters. Pretty typical wolverine, but nothing really amazing, other than his horrible disguise and seeing him play at spy/ international stuff.
August 8, 2022
As the start of Wolverine’s solo outings, this was certainly an interesting beginning. Even if some of it hasn’t aged well, and some stories aren’t great, it’s still an enjoyable read. I also enjoyed the art. Certainly a good read for anyone looking to read up on Wolverine.
Read
August 23, 2008isbn,original
December 21, 2008
These stories don't hold up as well as some from the same era such as Zot! The use of black and white for a comic originally in color also hampers the storytelling.
May 3, 2011
It's a tough read in b&w.
September 6, 2011
Brings back memories.
June 29, 2013
Leaves you wanting more. Credit to my other half for gifting me the book. Seriously, Logan won't let you stop by just reading the #1 volume..
April 21, 2015
An amazing story that works as single issues or combined together. Perfect comic-form storytelling. Logan's tenure as "Patch" is perfectly kept.
December 17, 2016
this is so good , the art is amazing !!!!!!
September 18, 2023
Nota 7,0.
O começo da mensal do Wolverine é bastante memorável.
Com Madripoor, intrigas mafiosas, porradaria e participações especiais.
O começo da mensal do Wolverine é bastante memorável.
Com Madripoor, intrigas mafiosas, porradaria e participações especiais.
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews