Marvel Comics Presents: Wolverine, Vol. 1

Marvel Comics Presents (1988) #1–10

by Chris Claremont, John Buscema (Illustrator)

Ever wonder what Wolverine gets up to when he's not out saving the world with the X-Men? More mayhem than you can shake a "SNIKT" at Here, Logan makes his first foray into Madripoor - an island nation where anything goes, and everything is for sale - in this prelude to Wolverine Classic Vol. 1 Collects Marvel Comics Presents #1-10.

Genres: Comics, Marvel, X Men, Graphic Novels, Comic Book, Fantasy, Crime

96 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 1988

About the author

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

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

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

Reviews

[Baba · Rating 3 out of 5]

Collecting the Wolverine tales in Marvel Comics Presents #1 through to #10. The origin of the 'Patch' identity of Wolverine, which he undertook during the X-Men are 'dead' period in the late 1980s. This tale was subtitled 'Save the Tiger'; it recounts Wolverine's taking of sides in the organised crime war in Madripor with the former banker Jess Hoan from the pages of the X-Men who was originally kidnapped by the Reavers, before being freed by the X-men. A Claremont jam. 6 out of 12, Three Star read.

2010 read

[Chad · Rating 4 out of 5]

The origins of Wolverine hanging out in Madripoor and assuming his Patch alias. Also the first time we meet Tyger Tiger and enter the Princess Bar. I thought this was pretty cool. John Buscema is a perfect artist for these gritty Wolverine stories.

[Derek · Rating 2 out of 5]

Chris Claremont has written some truly classic comics. This is not one of them. Overall, this collection isn't terrible but it's not what you would call good, either.

At some point someone at Marvel okayed this pitch: "We want Wolverine to spend a lot of time in a fictional Asian city. When we say 'a lot of time' we mean most of the '80s. But he won't be Wolverine there. We'll put him in his costume on the covers of the books so people will buy them but the Logan they'll meet inside will be dressed head to toe in solid black spandex and he'll have an eye patch for some reason. We will call him...Patch. That is the extent of the thought we will put into this new identity for one of our most popular characters. People love Wolverine, the X-man, the superhero. But we're also willing to bet they will love Patch, the guy who hangs out at a place called the Princess Bar and gets into many scuffles with bad guys we will refer to exclusively as 'punkboys'.

Marvel editor: "...hmm. I like this. Let's do it. After a decade or so, once this Patch thing has run its course, let's strip him of his adamantium. We will get another five to ten years worth of stories out of that too. Since people respond so strongly to the badass mutant with the unbreakable skeleton and claws, let's do something else entirely and see what happens."

Marvel writer: "...ok. Why not?"

[John Ekleberry · Rating 4 out of 5]

More old-school Wolverine fun. Originally serialized as ten 8-page segments in Marvel Comics Presents, Claremont felt the need to recap frequently. Ah, comic writing in the 80s.

I first read this in 1992 when it was collected as the one-shot Wolverine: Save the Tiger and recall enjoying it immensely. It was just as good this time around, packaged as the first volume of the Marvel Comics Presents: Wolverine paperback series, reprinting the Wolvie stories from the popular anthology comic.

Wolverine visits Madripoor (a fictional Marvel Comics locale modeled after Singapore, and frequent Wolvie hangout) and no surprise, trouble ensues. In a nutshell, Wolvie goes up against the local crimelord Roche and his colorful minions, conflicted in the knowledge that Tyger Tiger (Jessan Hoan, from an earlier X-Men tale) will replace Roche at the earliest opportunity. When the dust settles, Wolvie allows her to operate as long as he can keep her in check- once again demonstrating the gray-area of Logan's morality to be as vast as the Canadian wilderness from which he hails. But that's part of why we like him so much isn't it? He has his own code of honor, and in his mind the world couldn't be more black and white.

[Shannon Appelcline · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a disappointing comic, given Claremont's previous strength in his two earlier Wolverine series. Granted, this one had severe constraints in its 8 page story segments ... but the problem is it's just not very interesting, even ignoring the introduction of characters like Razorfist (and Patch!) that seem like self-parody. Still, it creates an interesting new environ and some good characters for the first Wolverine continuing series.

[James DeSantis]

Snoozefest. Claremont writing style is either for you or not. This wolverine so boring though.

[Lani Gabrielle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really fun solo outing keeping everything I love about Wolverine intact.

[Rexhurne · Rating 2 out of 5]

Clearly meant as experimental short story content to see which random ideas with Wolverine will stick. It does set up some things in the Wolverine and Marvel as a whole lore (most importantly the location of Madripoor), but doesn't do a lot of interesting things with it. Better to skip this and go straight to the Wolverine comic, unless as a quick skimthrough when you are interested in Wolverine's comic history.

[Crazed8J8 · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mediocre art (very dated at this point in time), and an odd tale. The pacing is odd, as the story is spread across 10 books. C-List characters,and Logan becomes Patch (for no explained reason other than he wears an eye patch). This story has minimal lasting implications other than it introduces Madripoor.

[Frank Byrns · Rating 3 out of 5]

Story was not great, but Madripoor! Always a sucker for stories set in Madripoor.

Also, the serial nature of the original presentation led to a lot of repetition (which is fine, just a bit jarring in a collected format).

Just OK.

[Richard Schaefer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gritty and fun. The fact that this story was originally serialized in 8 page installments means you get plot summaries what feels like every other page, but still a quick read and a nice precursor to the ongoing Wolverine series to follow.

[Mikey The Librarian · Rating 3 out of 5]

4 mini stories in this issue. Wolverine, Man Thing, Master of Kung Fu Shang-Chi, and the Captain. All are just small enough to make you interested. Normal formatted comics are like popcorn this formate is like M&Ms. bit sized. The Wolverine story seems like worth following.

[Devero · Rating 3 out of 5]

Questo albo raccoglie il serial Wolverine e La Tigre, apparso sulla rivista quindicinale americana. In Italia questa storia fu uno dei primi speciali pubblicati dalla Play Press e protagonista del rilancio della pubblicazione di fumetti Marvel in tutta la penisola. Certo, la Star Comics col suo Uomo Ragno aveva iniziato già da qualche anno, ma fu l'arrivo della Play a dare quella spinta alla pubblicazione del fumetto americano super eroistico che continua ancora oggi.
La storia di Claremont non è invecchiata benissimo, ad essere sinceri, ma resta comunque una storia godibile, un noir esotico nella città fittizia di Madripoor, in cui Logan prende il nome di Guercio e non usa praticamente mai gli artigli, se non nel suo scontro finale con Razorfist. Le matite di John Buscema credo fossero poco più che degli schizzi, perché la mano di Klaus Janson, uno dei miei inchiostratori preferiti, si vede tantissimo. Oggi rappresentano comunque una ottima prova di scansione della storia, con alcune delle vignette tipiche di John Buscema quali il pogno che centra la faccia di un antagonista. Già visto tante volte, ma sempre bello.
3 stelle meritate

[Adam Stone · Rating 2 out of 5]

Many of the Wolverine comics that exist follow a similar pattern: Wolverine searches for a piece of his identity and ends up battling someone from his part, probably that person also has a healing factor and maybe claws. Oh, and he ends up in either Madripoor or Japan where someone he loves is murdered, often for the second or third time.

This collection is a bit different. Wolverine disguises himself as "Patch", a ne'er do well who hangs out at a bar and messes with the gangs of Madripoor.

While it's certainly different from most Wolverine books, I'd struggle to call it good as Wolverine isn't really even Wolverine here, and "Patch" is pretty boring. Although someone from his past is in danger here, and he goes up against a guy with a razor for a fist. So....it's not Too Different, I guess.

If you love the Wolverine wannabe-noir stuff, you might genuinely enjoy this. Otherwise, while the story is not awful, you might struggle to care what's happening.

[Melissa Kidd · Rating 3 out of 5]

These Marvel Comics Presents volumes seem to be what happens to Wolverine before anything that happens in the Essentials. I'm still trying to figure it out but it looks like there is these (all the way up to 116 chapters although some seem to be missing from this collection) sort of like a Wolverine season 1. Then the essentials which cover "wolverine season 2 with around 186 chapters. Then season 3 with 80 some chapters and season 4 with 20 chapters? That doesn't seem completely right, because then there’s other volumes with chapters 300 and on which I have no clue where to fit. Anyways, this prelude is about how Tyger Tiger became the crime lord of Madripoor and how Wolverine was involved. Interesting. Artwork is not what I like but I can put up with it for Wolverine.

[Matthew Ledrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great start to MCP, with an amazing story about Wolverine from his Madripor days, a horror tale starring Man-Thing, kung-fu starring Shang-Shi, and the first part of the multi-part "Fear Itself" arc starring Silver Surfer. Little bit for everyone in this issue, which was the point of MCP.

This is "compressed" storytelling at its best, and something I think modern authors might struggle to accomplish. Shame, I think this format of MCP could use a comeback as a way of finishing storyrcs from cancelled titles, a few pages at a time. :)

[Rick · Rating 3 out of 5]

Chris Claremont presents this story Wolverine in a very noir-ish way, or at least as noir as Marvel could get at the time in an all-ages anthology comic. Because of the nature of the short chapters necessitated by the original publication format, this story suffers from pacing issues. But all things considered, this wasn't bad and it sets up the solo Wolverine series nicely.

[Roman Colombo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some classic Claremont and Buscema. It's a good Madripor story, and introduces Tyger Tiger to the Marvel Universe. Might find more later on. Marvel Comics Presents had a lot of classic Wolverine moments.

[Cyn McDonald · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wolverine stories from Marvel Comics Presents Wolverine #1 - 10

[Erik · Rating 2 out of 5]

Story is just ok, but it is the first visit to Madripoor. One of the villains has swords for arms though, which is stupid even for a throwaway character.

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really like the Wolverine and the Man-Thing stories.

[Tim Hackenberg · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decent book that takes me back to my childhood. Best part is three stories in one. Nothing profound here but an enjoyable read.