Wolverine a Reader's Perspective Part 4

The Wolverine!

Marvel In-house ad art by Dave Cockrum




Chronological Wolverine facts as revealed to the reader part 4

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, who he was, and how and when we learned it.

Oct 1976
THE All-NEW, ALL-DIFFERENT X-MEN 101
Writer: Chris Claremont
Penciller: Dave Cockrum



Jean Grey having saved the X-Men during re-entry was bombarded with cosmic radiation. The team crashed and ended up in Jamaica Bay. The X-Men fear Jean lost until the Phoenix emerges from the water. Wolverine knows how to swim (not shown, implied). Well he at least knows how to get to the surface as he plunged into the bay.



Here is the first time we learn that Wolverine has a crush on Jean Grey. It is also the first time we see him in a cowboy hat and a gentler side to him as he buys flowers for her. The narration says that he never had any friends but he told us he had friends at Valhalla Base, NORAD.*

*Back in X-Men 94 - NLogan



It looks like he is not ready to share that side of himself with the team yet, just Jean Grey.



Professor X decides to send the X-Men on a much needed vacation for themselves and to allow Jean Grey to recuperate in the hospital. Wolverine takes exception to the idea and that is the first time he addresses a team mate by their first name. That is also the first time he retracts his claws on panel with the very first "SNAKT!" sound. The team ends up visiting an Irish castle, ancestral home of Banshee.

Dec 1976
THE All-NEW, ALL-DIFFERENT X-MEN 102
Writer: Chris Claremont
Penciller: Dave Cockrum



They fall into a trap laid by Black Tom and the Juggernaut!



There really is no new insights to Wolverine this issue although he does call Colossus by his first name saying "Peter Pureheart" during the battle. Wolverine is determined to continue fighting until the end but is overpowered by Juggernaut. We will have to wait to find out what happens as the X-Men are seemingly defeated with Colossus, Nightcrawler, and Wolverine out of the fight, and Storm paralyzed by fear from her claustrophobia in the next issue.

Before that however two other X-Men appearances are published as the X-Men at the time were only being published every other month.

1976
MARVEL TEAM-UP STARRING SPIDER-MAN AND THE X-MEN KING-SIZE ANNUAL 1
Writer: Bill Mantlo
Penciller: Sal Buscema





Wolverine and the X-Men are flying incognito for the international conference on man-made mutation. Peter Parker is a reporter sent to cover the conference. This is the first time Spider-Man meets Wolverine. The plane crashes and the X-Men with Spider-Man's help save the passengers.



Nightcrawler gives us some reasoning as to why he thinks the surly Wolverine is always name-calling and gruff, perhaps a look into the psychology of Wolverine during his beginnings with the X-Men.



During a battle with Yama Dharma the self proclaimed death-god Wolverine tells us his business is dealing death.

 

During the battle Wolverine is injured by Agni, but it is never mentioned again by any of the characters and he acts as if he is uninjured for the rest of the story-line. Perhaps the first non-specific glimpse of how his incredible stamina will eventually become his regenerative healing factor.

Jan1977
MARVEL TEAM-UP FEATURING SPIDER-MAN AND THE INCREDIBLE HULK 53
Writer: Bill Mantlo
Penciller: John Byrne (his first art of the X-Men!)





After the battle the X-Men are giving Spider-Man a lift back home to New York with Spider-Man riding on the front of the X-Shuttle like a hood ornament. They run into a few UFOs who are quarantining a town where a battle is taking place. After a brief encounter with the UFOs, they fly over a battle between Hulk and the Woodgod. Spider-Man gets dropped off and joins the battle while the X-Men continue home. Yes that is right Marvelites, we missed a Hulk and Wolverine rematch by a few hundred feet of airspace. At the top of this page Wolverine partially extends his claws a few inches with a Snik sound.

Feb 1976
THE All-NEW, ALL-DIFFERENT X-MEN 103
Writer: Chris Claremont
Penciller: Dave Cockrum



Finally the conclusion to the battle as Storm frees the X-Men trapped in the dungeon. Banshee remains a prisoner of Black Tom and Juggernaut and Nightcrawler has been secreted away while unconscious by leprechauns. Wolverine is warned by Colossus, "Do not ever call her a 'broad' again-- shorty!". Not long afterwards Wolverine fails to heed the warning.



While trying to get back into the fight Wolverine encounters a leprechaun also.



This leprechaun knows Wolverine's name. So for the first time we learn that Wolverine's last name is Logan! We know it is the last name because Padraic included a mister before it.

There you have it folks, this edition we learned that Mr. Logan has a soft side and a crush on Jean Grey. That the Wolverine can partially extend his claws if he wishes with an abrupt SNIK. There is a SNAKT sound upon retraction of his claws. Wolverine's last name is Logan. 'Nuff Said!