Wolverine: The Mini-Series That Began It All By Kevin Davis

Wolverine: The Mini-Series That Began It All
By Kevin Davis


It may be hard to believe, but there was a time when it wasn’t so cool to be a Wolverine fan. Non-comic geeks could pretty much always get away with sporting a Superman, Batman, or Spider-Man T-shirt, but Wolverine used to be far less… I don’t know… mainstream. This started to change in the 1990s when the X-Men animated series and the work of superstar artist Jim Lee skyrocketed the X-Men into the public eye. Mutant mania started seeping its way into general popularity, and the diminutive Canadian furball took center stage. Then, in the year 2000, a relatively unknown Australian actor by the name of Hugh Jackman popped his claws in the first installment of what was to become the X-Men’s mega-film franchise. Each of the films had their faults – some even to the point of being generally panned – but there was always one constant high point… Jackman’s portrayal of Wolverine. Fandom – and the world at large – took notice.

Now, with Jackman’s portrayal approaching its end in what many expect to be the greatest X-Men movie to date, it seems like a good time to take a look at one of the stories that cemented Wolverine’s place as a comic book heavy-hitter long before the outside world sunk their claws into him. Yup, I’m talking about 1982’s Wolverine limited-series by Chris Claremont and Frank Miller.

Here’s the cover that first attracted me as a kid. It must have been 1989 or 1990. I was at the late, great Pegasus Comics in Boonton, NJ and I saw this on the shelf. At the time, I was heavily into Daredevil. I had, of course, heard of Wolverine. I remembered him from the Secret Wars series, as well as being one of the most elusive action figures from the corresponding toy line. Anyway, I remember having picked out three issues featuring Daredevil, two from his regular series and an issue of What If…? starring the Man Without Fear. I had enough money left over for a couple of packs of Ninja Turtle trading cards, so I made my way to the register. That’s when I saw this masterpiece sitting on a shelf. I knew nothing about the series, but the cover just grabbed me. Wolverine all by himself, unmasked, costume torn, and opening a can of whoop ass on a whole pack of ninjas. The intensity of the ninjas’ postures and the menace in their eyes was eclipsed by the unbounded fury in Wolverine’s expression. Oh, and can we discuss that the crazy son-of-a-bitch is gripping a chain in his teeth?!? I knew that I’d have to put my Daredevil books back on the shelf and that I’d have to go without the trading cards, but I also knew that I had to read that book.

I certainly haven’t regretted it since. What a great story! I loved it as a kid, and I still love it now. The story has everything: romance, betrayal, murder, mystery, disgrace, and so much action. Logan starts off trekking in the Canadian Rockies on a solo mission. He takes down a rogue grizzly bear who had been wounded by a poacher, gone mad, and killed fifteen people. He then settles the score with the hunter who failed to finish the bear when he had the chance. As an opening, it works so well. It shows Logan as a man of high morals, but one who has an intimate understanding with animals. The fine line that separates Logan’s man and animal sides is a theme that occurs throughout the rest of the story.

From there, Logan takes off for Japan, where we are introduced to Mariko Yashida, the woman whom Wolverine loves. She has been forced to marry a man to ensure that her father, a criminal kingpin named Shingen, retains power in Japan. This is where the story really takes off. Wolverine begs Mariko to shun her new husband and leave with him. She refuses his request citing her giri (family honor), a concept which Logan – as a Westerner – could not possibly understand. Shingen captures Logan as he attempts to leave the Yashida compound and challenges him to a duel with boken, wooden training swords. Wolverine asks why Shingen doesn’t dare to use a real blade against him, to which Shingen replies that Logan is unworthy of handling or being struck down by a true sword. During the course of a fierce battle, Shingen thoroughly wipes the floor with Logan and tosses him from the premises after emasculating him to Mariko. He calls Logan an animal and reaffirms that he is unworthy of Mariko’s love.

Logan is found in the street by the mysterious Yukio. Yukio serves a fascinating role in this story as femme fatale/sidekick/love interest/antagonist/wildcard. That one character can fill all of these roles – and do so remarkably well – is fairly unique in comics. Even at her worst (and she gets pretty bad), she somehow manages to retain the reader’s sympathy. Maybe this is because her villainy is partially eclipsed by the pure evil of Shingen. Maybe it’s because she loves and understands Wolverine – even when she is betraying him. Or maybe it’s because, if we’re honest with ourselves, we recognize that Logan is an extremely flawed hero, and Yukio’s flaws complement him perfectly. Even though we want Logan to end up with Mariko, there is a ring of truth when Shingen claims that he is not worthy of his daughter. In spite of ourselves, we know that he probably ought to end up with Yukio. This is one of the more subtle themes of the story, but it is a vital element in establishing Logan’s complexity and continues the story’s central theme of duality (East meets West, Logan’s man vs. animal struggle, X-Man vs. loner, and honor vs. dishonor).

Another thing that Yukio adds to the story is ninja fights. And I don’t mean a ninja here and a ninja there, I mean… well, I mean like this…

And that’s not the only one. This woman attracts ninjas like a porch light attracts moths. It seems that Yukio has run afoul of a criminal ninja brotherhood known as The Hand. Naturally, The Hand turns out to be under the control of Shingen, and the relationship between Shingen and Yukio is pivotal to the climax of the story. Anyway, ninjas just love attacking Yukio, and this leads to some awesome rumbles between Wolverine and The Hand. Frank Miller is great at drawing ninja battles, and he clearly had fun drawing some of the sequences in this book. The pacing is flawless, they are suitably violent without being gory, and – no matter how overwhelming the odds – they all end up looking something like this…

What a fantastic panel. That is classic badass Wolverine. Miller employs an interesting combination of negative space on Wolverine’s head and a solid white outline around his body. This is a bold attempt because it’s tough to mix hard lines with soft (or, in this case, no) lines without making the image look cartoonish or choppy, but does it ever work here! When I think of Wolverine, this is definitely one of the first images that pops into my head.

The conclusion of the story is somewhat unorthodox in that it is not a clear victory for Logan. Sure, he beats the bad guy and gets the girl, but in order to do this he gives in to his animal side. For a character so determined to prove that he is not just a man, but a man of honor, succumbing to his animal savagery is quite a sacrifice in order to achieve his other victories. The reader can guess from the onset of the battle that Wolverine is teetering on berserker rage mode. Check out his poised crouch and the fury in his teeth in the panels below.

He truly looks like a fearsome beast ready to strike. For all his skill with the sword, Shingen never stands a chance. After the battle, Mariko delivers a touching speech to assure Logan that in giving in to his savage side, he has actually proven his honor and his worth. The story ends with the X-Men reading an invitation announcing the upcoming wedding of Mariko Yashida to Logan. Although we all know better now, the story ends by giving the reader a sense of hope that Wolverine has tamed the beast within and found peace and true happiness with the woman he loves.

This is a tremendous story, produced by two masters of their craft. Chris Claremont would continue his run and ultimately become arguably the definitive writer for all things X-Men. Frank Miller was already one of the most influential creators in the entire comic book industry with his incredible run on Daredevil. He would go on to produce a couple of industry-shattering Batman stories (The Dark Knight Returns and Year One) and eventually his own immensely popular Sin City and 300. These two creators blend their considerable talents perfectly in this series. Claremont has the perfect voice for Wolverine, and Miller’s dynamic – and often experimental – artwork makes for a fast-paced and action-packed story. While certainly not the first Wolverine story or the one that made him a star, this mini-series showed Marvel that the furry little mutant could sustain his own title, which Claremont himself (along with legendary artist John Buscema) would launch a couple of years later. I highly recommend that everyone out there pick this story up and give it a read before heading out to see Logan next week. Even if you already know the story, dust off your copy from the bookshelf and take a couple of hours to relive the magic of this amazing mini-series.