Everyone, it seems, wants to see the soon-to-be-released Wolverine movie.
Yes, I know that’s a fairly bold statement, and, honestly, I wouldn’t have said anything to that effect about the film — which hits theaters on May 1 and is officially titled X-Men Origins: Wolverine — a few months ago. I mean, it’s not like, after watching the first three X-Men films (which were adapted from the long-running X-Men comic books published by Marvel Comics) or even after viewing the trailer for the upcoming superhero flick at the cinema, I was so blown away I assumed that Wolverine had captured the imagination of mainstream America’s teeming masses. No, that was definitely not the case.
But based on the way an untold number of Web surfers illegally downloaded (and/or attempted to illegally download) a bootleg version of the film that hit the Web on April 1, I came to the conclusion that this film was anticipated by waaaaayyyy more people than anyone realized. The event garnered headlines all over the world; the most notable story that surfaced was that of a film critic from FoxNews.com (by the name of Roger Friedman) who actually lost his job for posting a review of the illegal movie. According to a report from the BBC News: “[Fox] said that Friedman’s behaviour (sic) was ‘reprehensible’ and that it ‘condemned this act categorically.'”
Hell, Creative Loafing‘s own Web site (clclt.com) got an ass-load of traffic from our own post that, as part of an April Fool’s joke, purported to contain a link to the movie. It was a joke that not everyone (especially one commenter aptly named “Yur Stoopid”) thought was funny.
Anyway, all the crap that got kicked up from that mess made me conclude that, yes, damned-near everybody wanted to see the new Wolverine film. And with that knowledge came the thought that millions of folks who see the film may actually be interested enough to want to read the comics that birthed the superhero.
But with that thought came the fear that as these curious new readers searched for comics about Wolverine, they’d get turned off from the art form forever — and that’s because there are tons of really awful Wolverine comic books in circulation. In fact, there are waaayyyyy more bad comics about Wolverine in print than enjoyable ones.
The big problem with Wolverine comics is that they usually don’t focus on the things that make the guy cool. Just like he was portrayed in the X-Men movies, Wolverine is the super-powered self-styled “best there is at what he does” — and what he does is slice people up with a set of razor sharp claws that pop out of his hands. He’s a tough, ruthless, mysterious loner with metal bones (seriously) and mixes the best aspects of Han Solo, James Dean and Hannibal Lecter (minus the propensity to eat flesh). But, unfortunately, most of the comics that star Wolvie focus on the fact that, as seen in those previously mentioned X-Men films, the character has no memory of his past; consequently most books show him trying to uncover his lost history. And, for a hero who’s been in print since 1974, that search for identity can get kind of boring and hampered with decades of confusing people, places and things.
Bottom line: As a lover and collector of comics, I didn’t want anyone getting their hands on crappy products. And to help alleviate that potential problem, I felt it was my duty to direct folks to Wolverine’s “greatest hits” — the comics that even the most casual fans of the rough-and-tumble super guy would understand and enjoy.
So, check out my list of essential Wolverine reading below. After you’re done watching the movie — especially if it doesn’t suck — curl up with a few of these stories, which are all available in collected editions at a comic book shop (or a regular bookstore) near you. Behold:
The Incredible Hulk No. 180-182 — Yes, the first Wolverine comics that I’m telling you to read are three issues of the Hulk. Well, Wolverine actually first appeared in the pages of The Incredible Hulk; in the story, our beloved bloodthirsty mutant tries to slice and dice everyone’s favorite big, green anti-hero and a cannibalistic monster called Wendigo. Truth be told, this book isn’t the greatest piece of comic literature, but it gives you the earliest look at the hero as he was imagined by his creator, writer Len Wein.
Wolverine Vol. 1 — This comic, written by longtime X-Men scribe Chris Claremont and illustrated by artist Frank Miller (the guy who created and co-directed the Sin City movie and directed The Spirit, among other stuff), was Wolverine’s first solo outing. It was originally released as a four-issue limited series in the 1980s and chronicled Logan’s journey to Japan to hook up with the love of his life, Mariko Yashida — who happened to be the daughter of a crime lord. Mariko’s dad, however, wasn’t too keen on the lovers getting together and went on to beat the shit out of Wolverine. And, without telling the ending, that led to Wolvie getting revenge. When it hit stands back in the day, it was a critical and sales success; from a reader-enjoyment standpoint, Wolverine Vol. 1 — which features a self-contained story and is relatively free of spandex-clad characters — is probably the perfect comic to pick up if you like the film.
Weapon X — The first few X-Men films touched on the secret experiments that caused Wolverine to get a metal-laced skeleton and claws, and it looks like Origins will delve even deeper into the macabre procedure. But if you want to get all the details behind the story, pick up Weapon X. Written and drawn by comic god Barry Windsor Smith (made famous for drawing Conan in the 1970s), Weapon X serves up the painful step-by-step tale of how Wolverine was surgically poked and prodded to become a secret weapon for a shadowy government agency. The book, which is more of a science-fiction yarn than a superhero adventure and features a twist ending, sports some of the most beautiful art to ever appear in a comic. If you’re interested in Wolverine, you’ve got to get this comic.
Origin — Wolverine Vol. 1 touched on Logan’s life in Japan and Weapon X showed how he got metal bones, but in Origin you see the hero’s earliest years. Origin — written by Paul Jenkins, Bill Jemas and Joe Quesada with art by Andy Kubert — shows Wolverine as a kid, growing up in the late 19th century (yeah, he’s really old) and experiencing his powers for the first time. Origin‘s story is a tragic one and gives up a lot of secrets about the character, such as how he got the name “Logan” and how he lost much of his memory.
Enemy of the State — Let’s face it: The real reason why readers like Wolverine is because he’s the ultimate badass. Unfortunately, like I said before, too many comics featuring the hairy hero focus on shedding light on his past instead of showing the guy in action. Writer Mark Millar understood this problem, and that’s part of what led him to write Enemy of the State. Millar’s storyline is probably the most action-packed Wolverine story ever, featuring tons of guest stars (like Daredevil, the Fantastic Four and more) and an army of hardcore villains. In the comic, the ninja group from Wolverine Vol.1 teams up with two other terrorist organizations and hatches a plot to brainwash Wolverine and have him murder some of Marvel’s most popular heroes. I won’t tell you how, but Wolverine finds a way to gain back control of his mind (surprise, surprise) and ends up killing literally thousands of bad guys. It’s a bloody, violent … and really fun … book. Where Origin is like a Shakespearean tragedy, Enemy of the State is a Tony Scott film.
Get Mystique — Actress Rebecca Romijn made the villain Mystique famous in the X-Men movies by getting naked and covering her body with blue makeup. Well, the comic book version of Mystique wears waaaaayyy more clothes and is a lot more of a big-time bad guy (and less of a lackey). In Get Mystique, after Mystique does some serious damage to the X-Men, Wolverine is sent on a mission to put the shape-changing villainess down … permanently. The comic — with amazingly kinetic art by Ron Garney — touches on issues like terrorism and America’s influence on the Middle East, but it’s mostly just mindless fun.
Elektra and Wolverine: Reedemer (by Yoshitaka Amano) — Less of a comic book and more of an illustrated novel, Elektra and Wolverine: Reedemer — as the title suggests — shows Wolverine reluctantly teaming with the ninja assassin Elektra to protect a young girl. You may remember Elektra from the character’s appearance in the Daredevil movie and her own self-titled film; both flicks sucked, by the way, but the character is pretty cool. Reedemer‘s story is not mind-blowing, but the art alone — by Japanese art legend Yoshitaka Amano (who designed the classic Japanese animated cartoon Gatchaman) — is worth the price of admission.
Old Man Logan — OK, this is probably the newest Wolverine comic on the list. It’s so new, in fact, that it’s still being published, and it’s not in a collected edition yet. Called “Old Man Logan,” the adventure is currently running in Wolverine‘s regular monthly series and tells the story of, well, Wolverine as an old dude. Decades in the future, America is completely jacked up, villains rule the land, all the world’s superheroes are dead and Wolverine is a pacifist. Why? Well, all the reasons are still unfolding, but — like Millar’s Enemy of the State — it’s entertaining (and violent) as hell. Check your local comic shop for recently published back issues, or you can wait for the trade paperback.
This article appears in Apr 21-28, 2009.
