Wolverine #1
Wolverine #1 (November 1988) is the opening chapter of the character's first-ever ongoing solo series — a milestone that made Logan the first X-Man to headline his own continuous title at Marvel. The series would run for 189 issues, cementing Wolverine as one of the publisher's defining stars of the late Copper and early Modern Ages. The debut issue also introduced the 'Patch' persona and planted Madripoor firmly on the Marvel map, giving the character a morally ambiguous underworld playground that stood in deliberate contrast to the superhero trappings of the X-books and shaped Logan's solo identity for decades. Claremont's stated creative intent — to write 'high adventure rather than super heroics, sort of a combination of Conan meets Terry and the Pirates' — set a storytelling template that influenced virtually every subsequent Wolverine writer.
ComicBooks.com Value
Show all 22 grades ▾
Find on ebay
Sell my copy
Have this issue — or a whole collection? Get a fair offer from us, skip the marketplace fees and the hassle.
We Buy Collections ▸History
The ongoing series grew directly out of the editorial fallout from the 1988 'Fall of the Mutants' crossover, in which the X-Men faked their deaths; because the world believed them dead and the team had relocated to Australia, the early years of the book deliberately buried Wolverine's superhero identity and costume in favor of the Patch alias and a mask-less all-black outfit, giving Claremont unusual latitude to tell grittier, non-spandex stories. Claremont — who had also written the 1982 Wolverine limited series with Frank Miller — launched the ongoing alongside John Buscema, with Al Williamson on inks, Glynis Oliver on colors, and Tom Orzechowski on letters; Claremont and Buscema held the title together for nine of the first ten issues, establishing a Madripoor supporting cast that would anchor the series through its early years. A preview of the Patch black costume had appeared in Marvel Age Annual #4 before the series debuted.
Trivia · 8 facts
- First issue of Wolverine's first-ever ongoing solo series, which ran for 189 issues from November 1988 to 2003.
- Written by Chris Claremont; pencilled by John Buscema; inked by Al Williamson; colored by Glynis Oliver; lettered by Tom Orzechowski.
- First appearance of Wolverine's 'Patch' alter ego — an eye-patch-and-black-suit disguise Logan adopted to operate in Madripoor while the X-Men were believed dead following 'Fall of the Mutants.'
- First appearances of villain Banapur Khan and his pirate gang, Kojima Noburo, and the Cult of the Black Blade, all of whom die or are defeated in the issue.
- First appearance of the Muramasa Sword (Black Blade) as a plot device, a mystically honed weapon that became a recurring element in Wolverine lore.
- Supporting character Lindsay McCabe (Jessica Drew's roommate) appears, establishing a Madripoor cast that would grow to include Jessica Drew and Karma over Claremont and Buscema's opening run.
- The series was collected in Wolverine Classic Vol. 1 (issues #1–5), and issue #1 received a facsimile reprint edition from Marvel in 2020 (with an additional variant cover in 2024).
- The debut issue's Patch black-costume look was previewed in Marvel Age Annual #4 before the series shipped.
Key issues in Wolverine
Reviews
Reader reviews
No reader reviews yet.