Cover: Frank Miller & Joe Rubinstein

Wolverine #2

Oct 1982 · Marvel · 0.60 USD; 0.75 CAD; 0.25 GBP

📊 ~100,044 copies sold its debut month

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“Debts and Obligations”

About this Issue

Issue #2 of the 1982 Wolverine limited series — titled 'Debts and Obligations' — delivers the first full appearance of Yukio, the free-spirited assassin who would become one of the most durable figures in Wolverine's supporting cast and a significant presence in Storm's life across decades of X-Men storytelling. The issue deepens the series' central moral tension: Yukio is simultaneously working for crime lord Lord Shingen and developing a genuine bond with the man she was sent to destroy, dramatizing the murky boundary between ally and enemy that defines the whole miniseries. As part of Marvel's earliest stand-alone limited series — only the second such format the publisher had attempted — the Claremont/Miller Japan arc as a whole reshaped how Wolverine was understood, transforming him from a short-tempered team player into a character with a rich inner life anchored in ideas of honor, shame, and self-mastery. The characters and story beats introduced across this series fed directly into the 2013 film The Wolverine and left an unmistakable mark on every Japan-set Wolverine story that followed.

In "Debts and Obligations," Wolverine finds himself entangled in a deadly game of loyalty and vengeance when he rescues Mariko from a troupe of assassin Kabuki performers. With Yukio operating under Lord Shingen’s shadow and Wolverine’s rage threatening to spiral out of control, Mariko confronts the terrifying truth behind the man she once trusted. Written by Chris Claremont and illustrated by Josef Rubinstein and Frank Miller, with Frank Miller’s dynamic cover art capturing the issue’s intensity.

writer Chris Claremont · artist, inker Josef Rubinstein · artist Frank Miller · colorist Glynis Wein · letterer Tom Orzechowski · cover Frank Miller, Joe Rubinstein

ComicBooks.com Value

Our Model is In Beta

Raw (Fine) $14

CGC 9.8 · 1331 in census $251

CGC 9.6 · 1951 in census $93

CGC 9.4 · 1660 in census $82

CGC 9.2 · 1011 in census $55

CGC 9.0 · 791 in census $47

CGC 8.5 · 651 in census $41*

Show all 19 grades ▾

CGC 8.0 · 430 in census $36

CGC 7.5 · 296 in census $30*

CGC 7.0 · 219 in census $24

CGC 6.5 · 149 in census $23*

CGC 6.0 · 94 in census $21*

CGC 5.5 · 61 in census $20*

CGC 5.0 · 45 in census $20*

CGC 4.5 · 23 in census $20*

CGC 4.0 · 16 in census $20*

CGC 3.5 · 10 in census $20*

CGC 3.0 · 4 in census $20*

CGC 2.5 · 3 in census $20*

CGC 2.0 · 2 in census $20*

* estimate — limited direct-sales data at this grade

Our model’s value — refined as new sales data arrives · CGC census counts shown where available

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History

The series grew out of a collaboration between Chris Claremont and Frank Miller that, according to widely circulated accounts, was sketched out during a shared cab ride at San Diego Comic-Con. Miller's sensibility pushed the concept toward what Claremont had been developing as a 'failed samurai' interpretation of Logan — a man whose feral nature is in constant war with his aspiration toward a disciplined, honorable life. Editor Louise Jones (later Louise Simonson) shepherded the project at Marvel. The series sat within live X-Men continuity, and its fourth issue fed directly into Uncanny X-Men #172–173, meaning the Japan arc was designed as a seamless bridge between Wolverine's first solo outing and the ongoing flagship title.

Trivia · 8 facts

Published October 1982; story titled 'Debts and Obligations'; written by Chris Claremont, penciled by Frank Miller, inked by Joe Rubinstein, colored by Glynis Oliver (credited as Glynis Wein), lettered by Tom Orzechowski.
First FULL appearance of Yukio — the deadly, free-spirited ronin and assassin who had appeared in a more limited role in issue #1; this issue establishes her name, personality, and her double-agent relationship with Lord Shingen.
Yukio is revealed to be in Shingen's employ with orders to manipulate Wolverine; the issue exposes the deception when Shingen's Hand ninjas attack both of them, with Yukio fighting alongside Logan despite her conflicted loyalties.
The plot turns on a 'peace conference' staged around a performance of Chushingura (the classic 47 Ronin story), during which Wolverine and Yukio infiltrate the gathering of crime lord Katsuyori — Katsuyori and his wife both die in this issue, their only appearances.
Mariko Yashida appears, witnessing Wolverine fight off the ninja 'actors' to protect her — her horrified reaction and flight from the scene deepen the series' running theme of Logan's violence alienating the very person he is trying to redeem himself for.
The 1982 limited series was only Marvel's second limited-series format experiment, published in tandem with Hercules: Prince of Power, making it an early structural landmark for Marvel's publishing model.
The full limited series (#1–4) and its direct continuation in Uncanny X-Men #172–173 have been collected multiple times, most recently in the Wolverine by Claremont & Miller: Deluxe Edition (Marvel, 2021), which includes original art and supplementary material.
Yukio was adapted for the 2013 film The Wolverine (played by Rila Fukushima) and a separate, reimagined version named Yukio appeared in Deadpool 2 (2018) and Deadpool & Wolverine (2024), played by Shioli Kutsuna.