Wolverine #20

Name: Wolverine #20
Brand: Marvel
Availability: InStock

Jan 1990 · Marvel · 1.50 USD; 2.00 CAD

📊 ~116,720 copies sold its debut month

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“Miracles”

★ Key event — Wolverine

About this Issue

Wolverine (Vol. 2) #20 concludes the series' two-part contribution to Marvel's 1989–90 'Acts of Vengeance' crossover event, pairing Logan against Tiger Shark — a villain whose normal beat is Namor's corner of the Marvel universe — in exactly the kind of mismatched hero-versus-unfamiliar-villain match-up that crossover was designed to produce. The issue also marks a quiet but meaningful production milestone: beginning with this issue, the Wolverine ongoing series returned to standard monthly publication after having shipped twice a month. Narratively, it pays off the Sister Salvation/Roughouse thread that writer Archie Goodwin had been developing across several prior issues, using the supernatural healing dynamic to give Roughouse one of the character's more affecting beats in the early run. The fictional nation of Tierra Verde, introduced across issues #19–20, would resurface decades later as a setting in Benjamin Percy's X-Force (2019), giving these early Goodwin issues an unexpected second life in Marvel continuity.

In "Miracles," Stan Lee pens a heartfelt, personal note as he bids farewell to Archie Goodwin, who's leaving Marvel for DC, marking a quiet shift in the company's creative landscape. The issue also celebrates Marvel's triumphs at the year's Comics Buyer's Guide Fan Awards, rounding out a reflective and nostalgic chapter in the series' history.

writer Archie Goodwin · artist John Byrne · artist, inker Klaus Janson · colorist Mike Rockwitz · letterer Jim Novak · cover John Byrne

ComicBooks.com Value

Our Model is In Beta

Raw (VF) $3

CGC 9.8 · 144 in census $35

CGC 9.6 · 34 in census $20*

CGC 9.4 · 21 in census $20*

CGC 9.2 · 11 in census $20*

CGC 9.0 · 6 in census $20*

CGC 8.5 · 7 in census $20*

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CGC 8.0 · 1 in census $20*

CGC 7.5 none in existence

CGC 7.0 · 1 in census $20*

CGC 6.5 · 1 in census $20*

CGC 6.0 none in existence

CGC 5.5 none in existence

CGC 5.0 · 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

This exact issue on ebay

Raw / ungraded ▾ $3.66–$9.66 2 listings

Newsstand $3.66 Raw / ungraded $9.66

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MINT $1.99 NM $3.49 FN · Newsstand $3.99 Newsstand $5.99 NM- $5.99 VF+ $5.99 NM $12 WOLVERINE #20 Cvr A $2.9

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History

The issue was written by Archie Goodwin — widely regarded as one of Marvel's most respected editor-writers of his era — with breakdowns by John Byrne and finishes by Klaus Janson, a pairing that defined the visual texture of Wolverine from issues #17 through the early twenties. Bob Harras edited the book under editor-in-chief Tom DeFalco. The Tierra Verde arc, of which this is the second chapter, was Goodwin's effort to develop the supporting cast of recurring Madripoor characters, particularly Roughouse and the newly introduced La Bandera, within the framework of a Marvel-wide crossover that required a Wolverine villain swap. Goodwin's approach to the Acts of Vengeance hook was notably loose — Tiger Shark's presence is explained by the Kingpin hiring him independently — keeping the Tierra Verde political thriller largely self-contained even as it carried the crossover trade dress.

Trivia · 8 facts

Written by Archie Goodwin; breakdowns by John Byrne; finishes (inks) by Klaus Janson; colors by Mike Rockwitz; letters by Jim Novak; edited by Bob Harras.
Cover-dated January 1990; titled 'Miracles!' — the second chapter of a two-part Tierra Verde story that began in Wolverine (Vol. 2) #19.
Serves as a tie-in to Marvel's 'Acts of Vengeance' crossover event, functioning as Part 4 of the larger Goodwin Tierra Verde/cocaine arc spanning approximately issues #17–23.
La Bandera (the mutant revolutionary) made her first appearance in the preceding issue, Wolverine (Vol. 2) #19; she continues as a major supporting character throughout #20 and the subsequent arc.
Tiger Shark (Todd Arliss) — traditionally a Sub-Mariner antagonist — serves as the primary villain; his presence in a Wolverine book was driven by the Acts of Vengeance premise of heroes fighting unfamiliar foes.
Sister Salvation uses her mutant healing powers on Roughouse in this issue, a key payoff to the Roughouse captivity storyline established in earlier issues of the arc.
Beginning with this issue, Wolverine (Vol. 2) reverted to a standard monthly publication schedule after having shipped twice a month.
The issue has been reprinted in Wolverine Epic Collection Vol. 2: Back to Basics (first published 2019; new printing 2022), which collects Wolverine (1988) #17–30 alongside related original graphic novels.