Wolverine a Reader's Perspective Part 2

The Wolverine!

Wolverine art by Dave Cockrum


Chronological Wolverine facts as revealed to the reader part II

Continuing our journey to know and understand the Wolverine character as was revealed issue to issue, month to month through his publication history. So from a reader's point of view here is Wolverine's history, and who he was, and how and when we learned it!

May 1975
Giant-Size X-Men 1
Writer: Len Wein
Penciller: Dave Cockrum

Wolverine's 4th appearance in comic books



Gil Kane changed Wolverine's cowl on the cover of this issue to have bigger points, and Dave Cockrum followed suit on the inside pages, altering forever the look of Wolverine from the original John Romita design and his first comic appearances as pencilled by Herb Trimpe in the Incredible Hulk 180-182.

Wolverine, having previously appeared as a Canadian government agent in the Incredible Hulk 180-182, gets recruited by Professor Charles Xavier as part of a second (deadly) genesis of the X-Men team to rescue the first incarnation.



Wolverine's home base is a secluded military installation in Quebec Canada. Wolverine is a special agent as part of a special government agency. Wolverine's claws are shown retracted*. Charles Xavier is aware that Wolverine is a mutant*. He now is acknowledged by Professor X to have powers as opposed to only being described as having skills and incredible speed, strength, and stamina. Wolverine is also shown as gruff and rude.

*as established in the previous Wolverine a Reader's Perspective from Incredible Hulk 181 - NLogan



Curiously he now has housings on the back of his hands when on the previous page he did not. His claws are shown to be able to protrude independently which he does to make his point! Pun intended. This is the very first onomatopoeic claw sound as he extends a single claw from the housing with a SNIKT!  Wolverine's claw tips are just visible inside the housings on the claws not extended. Wolverine has a commission with the Canadian Military and resigns effective immediately. Wolverine displays his temper and attitude towards authority figures. The Canadian military officer warns Wolverine that the Canadian government cannot let him just go after spending so much time, effort, and money on his training. They consider him an asset, one they cannot afford to lose.



After Professor X has traveled around the globe collecting new members Wolverine becomes part of the X-Men. Since Wolverine, Banshee, Nightcrawler, and Sunfire already had costumes it is unknown whether or not they received a new one made from unstable molecules like Storm, Thunderbird, and Colossus.



Wolverine, used to being a lone agent, is surly and rude to his new teammates . Banshee's sonic scream powers his ability to fly but that doesn't agree with Wolverine eliciting an exclamation from him with the first "Cripes!". Possibly this is an indication of Wolverine's heightened senses and Banshee's screeching is uncomfortable to him.



Wolverine shows his battle lust.



Dubious of being told how to fight during the battle with Krakoa, Wolverine contradicts Cyclops' direct order to "scatter, X-Men -- Quickly--!" and begins his recalcitrant objections to Cyclops' leadership of the X-Men.

Giant-Size X-Men 1 has been reprinted many times. Two that I have are Special Edition X-Men from 1983 and Classic X-Men 1 from 1986, but because they have new material included I will address them when we get to them chronologically in publication order.





So far Wolverine has acted rudely and is diametrically opposed to working within a group setting or following orders. You have to wonder why he decided to accept Professor Xavier's offer in the first place. Well if you keep moving on to avoid problems but continue to have problems wherever you go, perhaps the places and people are not the problem, you are!