Wolverine #5

Mar 1989 · Marvel · 1.50 USD; 2.00 CAD; 0.50 GBP

📊 ~82,199 copies sold its debut month

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“Hunter's Moon!”

★ 1st appearance — Chang

About this Issue

Wolverine #5 is the concluding chapter of the Claremont/Buscema run's second story arc and a structural cornerstone of the Madripoor era, introducing three characters — the mercenary trio Hardcase, Battleaxe, and Shotgun — who would recur across the broader X-Men line for years. More quietly, the issue seeds Landau, Luckman & Lake, a mysterious organization whose tendrils would reach into Wolverine continuity all the way through the 1990s and into the Deadpool corner of the Marvel Universe. It also plants the first in-story hint that Psylocke's then-new costume had an unearthly origin, a thread Claremont never fully paid off but which kept readers speculating for years. Taken together, the first-appearances density of a single issue this deep in a run is unusual, making #5 a genuine world-building marker within the Madripoor saga.

In "Hunter's Moon!", Wolverine finds himself hunted through the wilds of Canada, tracking a mysterious enemy with a personal vendetta—while the Marvel staff back home deals with a very different kind of challenge, from Thanksgiving wishes to a cancelled softball game. Written by Glenn Herdling and illustrated by Hector Collazo, this 1989 issue blends gritty action with a touch of workplace humor, all framed by John Buscema’s dynamic cover art and Al Williamson’s sharp inks.

writer Chris Claremont · artist John Buscema · inker Al Williamson · colorist Glynis Oliver · letterer Janice Chiang · cover John Buscema, Al Williamson

ComicBooks.com Value

Our Model is In Beta

Raw (VF) $4

CGC 9.8 · 344 in census $68*

CGC 9.6 · 152 in census $34

CGC 9.4 · 112 in census $24*

CGC 9.2 · 45 in census $22*

CGC 9.0 · 40 in census $20*

CGC 8.5 · 35 in census $20*

Show all 15 grades ▾

CGC 8.0 · 14 in census $20*

CGC 7.5 · 13 in census $20*

CGC 7.0 · 4 in census $20*

CGC 6.5 · 4 in census $20*

CGC 6.0 · 1 in census $20*

CGC 5.5 · 2 in census $20*

CGC 5.0 · 1 in census $20*

CGC 4.5 none in existence

CGC 4.0 · 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

More listings for this title

VF · Newsstand $5 Wolverine #5 (1989) Marvel Comics $4.77 Wolverine #5 (1989) Marvel Comics Chris Claremont X-Men John Buscema High Grade $5.99 Wolverine #5 (1989) Marvel Comics Solo Series LOOK AT PICS $9.99

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History

Written by Chris Claremont with art by John Buscema (pencils), Al Williamson (inks), Glynis Oliver (colors), and Janice Chiang (letters), the issue was edited by Bob Harras under editor-in-chief Tom DeFalco and cover-dated March 1989. It falls squarely within the foundational Claremont/Buscema run on Wolverine's first ongoing series, which launched in late 1988 and which Claremont himself described as 'high adventure rather than super heroics, sort of a combination of Conan meets Terry and the Pirates.' The name Landau, Luckman & Lake, introduced as a mysterious corporation in this issue, was Claremont's affectionate nod to the founders of the British comic shop Forbidden Planet — Nick Landau, Mike Luckman, and Mike Lake.

Trivia · 8 facts

First appearances of Hardcase (Harry Malone), Battleaxe (Jerome Hamilton), and Shotgun (Zeke Sallinger) — three founding members of the mercenary squad the Harriers, a group of ex-S.H.I.E.L.D. operatives.
First appearance of the Harriers as a named organization; Hardcase mentions the team by name but only three members appear on-panel in this issue — the full roster debuted later in Uncanny X-Men #261 (1990).
First appearance of Landau, Luckman & Lake (LL&L), an enigmatic interdimensional organization that would become a recurring presence through the 1990s Wolverine run and later in Deadpool comics. The name is a tribute to the founders of the Forbidden Planet comic store.
First appearance (and death in the same issue) of Chang, the LL&L expediter whose 19th-century tintype photograph alongside Logan plants an early mystery about Wolverine's long history with the organization.
Story title: 'Hunter's Moon!' (also solicited as 'In the Golden Triangle Lurks… Death!'); written by Chris Claremont, penciled by John Buscema, inked by Al Williamson, with back-cover pin-up art by John Bolton.
The issue reveals that a mysterious non-Earthly costume stored at the LL&L Madripoor office — discovered by Lindsay McCabe — was later retconned to be the armor Psylocke had already begun wearing in Uncanny X-Men, seeding a continuity puzzle Claremont left unresolved.
Supporting cast includes Jessica Drew (Spider-Woman), Lindsay McCabe, Karma (Xi'an Coy Manh), Tyger Tiger, Archie Corrigan, and the continuing villains Roughouse and Bloodsport — reflecting the dense, ensemble-driven approach Claremont brought to the Madripoor setting.
Collected in Wolverine Classic Vol. 1 (collects #1–5), Wolverine Epic Collection Vol. 1: Madripoor Nights (collects #1–16 plus related material), and Essential Wolverine Vol. 1 (black-and-white reprint).