There was a time in the early eighties when a comic book star almost escaped the limited realm of comic lovers and became popular to the mass population. This had happened before with characters like Superman and Batman, but both of these reached the popular culture through TV shows and movies. Wolverine was so beloved by comic book collectors that many felt the need to show it to non-readers to show them what they have been missing.
I know the X-men have now become a movie franchise, and Wolverine was perhaps the main focus of the whole film, but his true nature is still not well known, even by those who have watched the cartoon.
Wolverine was introduced as Mutant X several years earlier in an issue of the Hulk comic book. He looked human, but acted like a wild animal with long metal claws. When the X-men received revitalization by Christ Claremont, he chose to use the barely seen Wolverine as one of its new members. He pretty much recreated the character from scratch, only leaving his claws in place. It did not take long before Wolverine rose to the top of the popularity charts for comic book heroes, and he remained there for years and years. He is a sort of anti-hero. He wants to work alone, but knows his limitations. He hates to train, saying that he doesn’t jump through hoops for anyone. He doesn’t want to lead, and he certainly doesn’t want to be led by anyone.
It is often mentioned that he may be a borderline psychopath, who can easily be sent over the edge, into an animal like rage. When he is like this, he calls it a berserker’s rage.
Wolverine’s powers have nothing to do with his metal claws or skeleton. This also made him very unique in terms of comic book origins. Wolverine’s primary power is that he has an incredibly fast and powerful immune system. He heals from almost any wound, and fast. This enhanced immune system has also kept him from aging very quickly. He is supposed to be several hundred years old, but even he doesn’t know for sure. We know he spent time studying the martial arts almost one hundred years ago in Japan. Later stories put him in the Canadian Rockies over two hundred years ago. His enhanced healing has also allowed him to become very strong, although not superhuman by any means.
Another extraordinary power he has is a super enhanced sensory skill. Like his animal namesake, he can detect scents and track people like a canine might. His hearing, and presumably his vision, are also highly attuned.
His skeleton is a different matter entirely. A Canadian scientist developed a process to transform one’s bones into a metal alloy called adamantium, which is far stronger than steel, and as unbreakable as any alloy man has created. One cannot replace just anyone’s bones this way, however. It is assumed that many patients died quickly from metal poisoning, so when this scientist heard of Wolverine’s healing power, the scientist had him kidnapped and subjected him to the procedure. For what reasons it is unknown, but there have been many hints that it was a government funded operation to create a super solider or spy. Unfortunately, although the procedure was a success, the trauma and pain drove Wolverine mad and he escaped into the wilderness, losing track of much of his memory and sanity for several years.
Aside from the replaced bones, each hand also has twelve-inch razor sharp claws that retract through holes above his knuckles. He used his martial arts skills to develop a fighting system that makes good use of these.
Before he had his bones altered, Wolverine spent many years in Japan training in the skills of Samurai and apparently the Ninja as well. His instructors, and the exact time periods are never mentioned. It is also known that sometime during the forties through the sixties he was a rogue spy, apparently working for a number of different countries and agencies.
He had martial arts training; He was a spy; He was a lone wolf. He actually killed people, and thought it was weak to let enemies live. This was very unusual for a comic hero at the time. Yet, how could he not appeal to everyone?
The series consists of four parts that came out in late 1982. They were written by Chris Claremont, but drawn by Frank Miller. This is probably Miller’s most realistic work that he had ever done. His slightly surreal artwork is not seen at all here. But his amazing cinematic type of editing is.
The series starts in the Canadian Rockies. He has been asked to hunt a wild grizzly bear that has killed over ten people. He tracks it to his cave and kills the bear after a brief battle. Then he realizes that the bear has an arrow in him that contained poison, but not enough to kill, just enough to drive it insane. Now he tracks the hunter from the scent on the arrow back to a hunter’s bar to give him over to the authorities.
After his return journey he finds out that the love of his life, Mariko, has returned to Japan and will not take calls from him. He immediately takes a plane to Japan and finds out that she has been married in his absence. Finding her, he discovers that she married out of Giri, or Honor, because her father has returned to lead a criminal empire. In order to settle a debt, he had to give his daughter’s hand in marriage. The father challenges him to a duel with Bokan, or wooden swords. Wolverine asks “Why only Bokan?”, and the father responds, “You are not worthy of a real sword.”
The father is a master swordsman who fights Wolverine and would have killed him if not for his enhanced healing and skeleton structure. Wolverine fights back with the same full strength, but to all those watching it appeared that Wolverine went insane and tried to kill someone who was only fighting with wooden weapons. He is shamed both by his behavior and his loss and finds himself tossed into the streets of Tokyo.
There he is rescued by Yukio, a rogue ninja. Soon he gets to return the compliment when dozens of ninjas try to kill them both. The ninjas are members of a sect called ‘the hand’ and were sent by Mariko’s father to finish the job he started, of killing Wolverine. After the victory, we soon see the Yukio is actually a member of the hand herself, and her job was to gain Wolverine’s confidence for an eventual assassination. Wolverine & Yukio travel to where Mariko is going to be, which is at a criminal meeting in front of a group of Kabuki performing Chusingara, or “The 47 Ronin”. The actors are actually assassins sent by a rival warlord to kill Mariko. Wolverine rescues her, but during the battle he is almost killed and goes berserk. Mariko seeing this side of him for the first time begins to fear Wolverine, and he finally accepts that he has lost her for good.
This issue is a good example of how Miller’s artwork and layout can combine with the text to be greater than their sum. This is not just a written book with pictures. When the head Kabuki lunges off the stage at Mariko, Wolverine jumps to intercept. He says to himself “The actor’s a pro. A master of his craft. Without missing a beat he shifts targets from Mariko to me. We pass in mid-air, stage lights flashing off sword and claws.” The next picture is of the two of them passing in mid air. He says, “His cut draws blood.”. Then he says, “So does mine.”, and the next panel is of the actor falling to the earth with a blood gushing from his throat. Just reading it wouldn’t have been as exciting, and the images lets us know exactly what is happening without having to describe it in detail.
Yukio falls for Wolverine and finds herself unable to kill him. The hand decides that they both must die. Just as Wolverine is figuring out her place in all this, Yukio realizes that the only way to get Wolverine to love her is if she kills Mariko. Soon Wolverine tries to kill Yukio, but they are attacked by members of the hand in a Zen garden. Yukio escapes, and Wolverine slays all the Ninjas. Yet, when the battle is over, looking around at the garden he realizes that he is an animal, but it is his desire to change and improve himself that makes him a man instead. He considers himself worthy of Mariko’s love, and intends to challenge her father again to win back his honor, and Mariko. Only this time to the death.
Wolverine spends a day or so attacking his criminal empire. The best ninja’s are sent after him. Their hoods are sent back to Shingen with a written message saying only “Tonight”. After several more battles, Wolverine finds himself facing Shingen again. He only says, “Am I worthy now?” Shingen answers by drawing an actual blade.
This story was one of Chris Claremont’s finest, but I am sure that Miller had a lot to do with the dialogue. Many of the catchy phrases will be more familiar to readers of Miller’s work than of Claremont’s. Yet, credit needs to be given to Claremont because he virtually created the character. Miller’s input into this series is his wonderful understanding and use of the strengths of the graphic novel format. He edits better than most film directors, and he uses internal dialogue in a way that only graphic novels can.
This is an excellent story, comic book or otherwise.
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