"Wolverine" by Chris Claremont, Frank Miller (illustrator), Paul Smith (illustrator), published 1982

Written on 08/22/16

Seeing that at this point I would consider myself very new to the comic book world, this particular series, Wolverine #1-4 and Uncanny X-Men #172-173 was a great place to start, but only given the fact that I’ve already watched just about every Marvel (as well as DC) feature film that has been released since the ‘90’s. So, I am familiar with the character of Wolverine and that his bones are of indestructible adamantium metal due to a scientific experiment done to him by the shady Canadian government agency Weapon X. Why did the government experiment on him? To create a super solider of course, for such is life in the world of superhero comics. I may add that many subjects of this kind, including Wolverine, are, indeed sadly, forced into it. 

Many already know that Wolverine is part of a band of superhero mutants called The X-Men. Even before he was experimented on, he was already different because he had a unique blend of healing power (any physical injury that harmed him would magically heal itself over a short period of time) and of claws, these being his bones that stretch out of his knuckles at will, although painfully. My particular fascination with Wolverine starts with the idea that he is an outsider at first, reluctant to join the group of fellow mutants, wanting only to live for himself and whatever else he holds dear. Even when he does join the X-Men he still is fiercely dedicated to his personal life and ideals, such as the life of a woman (the two loves of his life being Jean Grey, also from the X-Men and later, the royal Japanese princess Mariko), or, as in the beginning of this particular collection of comics, the life of a bear – an animal for whom he feels sympathy for, perhaps because he sees a bit of himself in him, that part being the primitive animal. 

Now, this makes for a really cool looking comic book. Frank Miller, who drew this series of comics is especially famous, and I know why, though I am not that well familiar with the art of comics yet to explain it. But my experience reading this story, after already having watched The Wolverine directed by James Mangold in 2013, was a positive one. I did not find the drawings from the ‘80s dated; the characters, in my opinion, had an aura of realism, and looking at facial expressions for cues was my favorite part of reading. I like this story – which starts with Wolverine saving a bear who was punctured by a poisonous arrow of a callous hunter who never finished the job, and then Wolverine killing the bear to save the poor animal from an slow death in agony, and finally finding the hunter to punish him… and I like how this entire comic features a ton of close-ups and extreme close-ups. Wolverine’s anger expressed in intricate lines, his frowning mouth, his furrowed eyebrows, all express the character in a completely unique way. 

When I’m reading a novel, I tend to read the print as a reflection, an afterthought, with lots of pauses for contemplation. When I read this comic book, everything seems to happen in real time, and the story flows steady, with every bit of it a part of the action. It’s not better per se, but it’s different, and although I know that this kind of reading is a good thing, I’ll be honest – I’m still trying to figure out why. Visual literacy – what exactly does this mean? I have the idea that the more I read comics, I’m going to be better able to answer that question. 

The rest of the comic book really focuses on Wolverine’s love for Mariko, again the royal Japanese princess, who he has been sending letters to for a while. He finds out that she never received them, or never opened them, due to the fact that she is being forced to marry out of a vague “obligation” her father had to someone he owed a debt to. Of course, it is Wolverine’s duty to get her out of this predicament, which has a lot of bumps in the road. His run in and brief romantic affair with Yukio, one of Mariko’s acquaintances, is presented beautifully, with super interesting renderings of body language. Wolverine’s encounters with Samurai and Yakuza usually ended up in lots of fight sequences, which were so intentional and explicit in both the penciling and coloring (which, I’m learning, is done by a different artist – this one by Glynis Wein) that it made for a quick and fun read. 

Lastly, I would like to mention the dialogue. Writer Chris Claremont juxtaposed the language of the Japanese men and women featured in the comic to Wolverine’s language - the former being direct and formal, and the latter being tinged with an accent. (For example the word “and” is said as “an’”. He also has an air of teasing - he famously uses the word “Bub”, many times when he’s patronizing his friends or enemies, as well as other colloquialisms such as “Darlin’” when referring to women.) I think this is brilliant and although this probably shouldn’t be considered an “ethnic joke”, especially compared to what I’ve heard about early comics, I still think that, like the ethnic jokes of the earlier comics, this may actually also have the power to “diffuse the tension” between groups (Rimer 5/22/16), or at least give audiences some exposure.

Perhaps what I’ve written here is trivial to the broader world of comics, but like I’ve mentioned, I am very new to the genre, and these have been my honest thoughts on this series of Wolverine comics. I’d recommend it to all interested, and would regard this as a text for mature young readers and adults.

"...I told him (Frank Miller) the idea that had been swirling about in my skull for some time - that the essence of Wolverine's character was a 'failed samurai'. To samurai, duty is all, selfless service the path to their ultimate ambition, death with grace. Every facet, every moment of their lives is absolutely under control. Wolverine, however, is almost a primal life force, totally beyond control, as graceless as can be. The one might be considered the ultimate expression of humanity - wherein the will, the intellect, totally overmaster all other aspects of existence - while the other is totally animal." - from the Introduction by Chris Claremont