A yellow mask. Six claws. A life scattered across wars, laboratories and lost memories. Follow Logan from a Hulk encounter to the stories that made him impossible to replace.
By Comic Agent Editorial · 18 October 2026 A reader’s guide and a UK collector’s companion.
Wolverine #1 (1982 limited series)Issue 1 of the original four-part Claremont and Miller limited series.
1974 The published debut12 Essential stories35 Covers to exploreUK Collecting guide
01 Your first route
Three doors into one complicated life.
You can recognise Wolverine before you know anything about him. The pointed mask, the compact silhouette, the claws held ready: a few shapes carry an extraordinary amount of history. Reading him reveals something more surprising. Inside that fierce image is a man who keeps trying to decide what sort of person he will be.
Logan can survive appalling injuries. He can also carry a slight for decades, lose people he loves and make decisions he struggles to forgive. His best stories bring those scales together: the body that repairs itself and the life that remains complicated. Honour, friendship and restraint become interesting because violence comes so easily.
A Wolverine collection has several possible centres. There is the Bronze Age X-Man, the samurai, the victim of Weapon X, the Madripoor adventurer and the older survivor facing what his life has left behind. Choose one thread first. You will discover the others along the way.
Route 01 / Honour
Go to Japan.
Claremont and Miller’s 1982 limited series gives you Logan, Mariko and a beautifully contained conflict between instinct and discipline.
Wolverine’s beginning spans three consecutive Hulk issues. Their collecting roles are distinct, and clear descriptions make the whole sequence more interesting.
Incredible Hulk #180 / 1974
The arrival.
Wolverine appears at the end of the story, stepping into the Hulk–Wendigo conflict. This is his first published story appearance: a cameo that announces the newcomer and sets up the confrontation.
Collect it for: the first moment readers meet him in the story.
Incredible Hulk #181 / 1974
The full introduction.
The confrontation occupies the issue, and Wolverine appears on its cover. This is his first full appearance and first cover appearance, making it the most prominent centrepiece of the debut sequence.
Collect it for: the substantial introduction and the unmistakable cover.
Incredible Hulk #182 / 1974
The brief return.
A short follow-up appearance closes his immediate involvement. It completes this first Hulk encounter without carrying the same debut status as either preceding issue.
Collect it for: the complete opening sequence.
Incredible Hulk #180 (1974)The final-panel Wolverine debut: the first part of the collecting conversation.Incredible Hulk #181 (1974)Wolverine’s first full appearance and his first cover appearance.Incredible Hulk #182 (1974)A brief follow-up appearance completes the original Hulk three-issue sequence.
Issue #181’s cover date is November 1974; #180 is cover dated October and #182 December. Cover dates were publishing labels, so avoid treating them as exact shop-arrival dates. The useful collecting language is simple: first published story cameo, first full and cover appearance, then brief follow-up.
When buying an original, inspect the whole comic. These issues belong to Marvel’s Value Stamp era, so confirm the stamp is present and that the relevant page has not been cut. A handsome front cover can accompany an incomplete interior. Record restoration, missing pages and detached components alongside the edition.
Facsimiles let you enjoy the presentation of the early book at a different price level. Their purpose is easy to understand when the listing identifies them accurately. Check the indicia, publication details and the seller’s edition description before treating a familiar image as an original 1974 copy.
Wolverine’s creation brings several contributions together. Roy Thomas commissioned a Canadian character; Len Wein developed and wrote the introduction; John Romita Sr. designed the original costume; Herb Trimpe drew the first published appearances. Naming only the writer and the artist of #181 misses part of the story.
Len Wein and Dave Cockrum bring him into the new X-Men in Giant-Size X-Men #1. Cockrum’s continuing visual development and Chris Claremont’s long association with the team help turn a combative newcomer into a layered character. John Byrne’s X-Men work adds further definition, including the brown costume introduced in Uncanny X-Men #139.
The character in close-up
Claremont & Miller
Japan becomes a stage for honour, desire and self-command. Joe Rubinstein’s inks complete the 1982 mini’s distinctive finish.
The body as evidence
Barry Windsor-Smith
Weapon X makes machinery, flesh and broken perception tell the story together.
The illustrated past
Jenkins, Kubert & Isanove
Origin gives the childhood story a period atmosphere through Andy Kubert’s pencils and Richard Isanove’s colour work.
The future as reckoning
Millar & McNiven
Old Man Logan builds a harsh alternate landscape around an ageing version of the familiar figure.
These are useful collecting routes in their own right. Follow an artist’s interpretation and you will see posture, facial expression and costume alter the mood as much as a new supporting character does.
The original 1982 limited series
Four issues. One defining Wolverine story.
The complete #1–4 cover sequence, from the beckoning claws of the opening issue to the final confrontation. Claremont and Miller’s Japan story makes a focused four-book collecting project and a clear starting point for readers.
Wolverine #1 (1982 limited series)Issue 1 of the original four-part Claremont and Miller limited series.Cover reference ↗Wolverine #2 (1982 limited series)Issue 2 of the original four-part Claremont and Miller limited series.Cover reference ↗Wolverine #3 (1982 limited series)Issue 3 of the original four-part Claremont and Miller limited series.Cover reference ↗Wolverine #4 (1982 limited series)Issue 4 of the original four-part Claremont and Miller limited series.Cover reference ↗
Marvel Comics Presents #72–84. Barry Windsor-Smith. 1991. A defining Wolverine story, and a wonderfully focused mini-collection with a clear finish line.
13 Original issues72–84 The complete run1991 One publication yearBWS One creative vision
The experiment did not begin the man.
Logan is already a mutant, with a healing factor, heightened senses and natural bone claws. The Weapon X programme takes that existing person and subjects him to adamantium bonding, conditioning and experimentation. Barry Windsor-Smith turns the procedure into something far more disturbing than a diagram explaining where the metal came from.
The scientists talk about control. The images show its human cost: wires, restraints, monitors, a body treated as equipment. Fractured perception makes the reader question what Logan is experiencing and who is arranging it. The story’s horror grows from the distance between the clinical language of an experiment and the person trapped inside it.
Windsor-Smith writes and illustrates the sequence, using dense machinery, colour and page design to sustain its atmosphere. The covers give the original issues a visual identity of their own. Together, the story and the artwork make this a natural collecting project for Wolverine readers, artist collectors and anyone drawn to Marvel’s darker material.
The person
Before the metal.
The mutation belongs to Logan. Wolverine #75 later reveals the bone claws to readers after the loss of his adamantium.
The intervention
The Weapon X process.
Bonded adamantium and manipulation of his mind become lasting traces of a programme that tries to turn a life into a tool.
A mini-collection with a purpose
Why chase the whole thirteen?
#72 is the obvious starting point. The satisfying collecting goal is the complete #72–84 sequence: the original serial, all its Wolverine-side covers and a run you can actually finish. Collectors pursue this as a recognised set; the CGC Registry gives the thirteen issues their own Weapon X set category.
A clear target
Thirteen slots.
You can build it issue by issue at comic marts and back-issue shops, or look for a complete run. Each gap has a number; the finish line stays in sight.
A strong visual identity
Follow the artwork.
The laboratory imagery and Wolverine’s changing presence make this a rewarding cover sequence. The complete line-up gives the familiar opening image its wider context.
A complete reading project
Own the whole story.
Every instalment belongs. The middle issues carry the experience forward, and #84 supplies the conclusion. A full run has a purpose beyond its headline book.
The complete cover checklist
All thirteen. In reading order.
The original 1991 issues, #72 through #84. Tap any cover to open the individual image.
A complete original run contains all thirteen issues, including the prologue in #72 and the finale in #84. Ask for the issue list when a listing simply says “Weapon X set”.
Choose your copy standard.
A consistent, attractive raw run makes a satisfying project. Check spine stress, colour-breaking creases, staple attachments and completeness across the set. Price the actual copies and account for the cost of filling gaps.
Keep the edition clear.
This story was serialised within the ongoing Marvel Comics Presents anthology. Collected editions are a convenient reading route; the thirteen original comics form the mini-collection shown here. Other comics titled Weapon X are separate publications.
Thirteen issues. One complete story. A collection with a finish line.
Victor Creed makes the Wolverine conflict intimate. He has the strength, senses and appetite for violence to meet Logan at close range, but the disturbing part is his pleasure in hurting people. Where Logan tries to impose rules on himself, Creed repeatedly attacks the very attachments that make those rules matter.
Sabretooth’s first appearance is in Iron Fist #14 (1977). His debut belongs to Iron Fist’s history before his relationship with Wolverine becomes central. That is a rewarding collecting connection: an important Wolverine adversary enters Marvel through another hero’s book.
Wolverine #10 (1989) makes a useful companion. Its birthday recollection ties Creed’s cruelty to Logan’s personal history and demonstrates why their encounters feel different from a routine supervillain fight. The menace is the promise that someone will keep coming back, remembering precisely where it hurts.
Their relationship has accumulated revelations, reversals and disputed accounts. Early suggestions about their family connection should not become an unqualified claim that Sabretooth is Logan’s father. Keep the emotional thread clear: Creed is the recurring possibility of savagery embraced, while Logan keeps struggling towards an identity shaped by responsibility.
Lady Deathstrike / Yuriko Oyama
A body rebuilt for revenge.
Her cybernetic transformation makes the human cost of weaponisation visible in another form. Uncanny X-Men #205 is the essential reading stop: a wounded Logan and a pursuer who turns the city into hostile territory.
Omega Red / Arkady Rossovich
The weapon from another programme.
The coils, the Cold War history and the lethal physical presence move Wolverine into espionage and state experimentation. His arrival in the 1990s expands the visual vocabulary of a Wolverine rivalry.
Silver Samurai / Kenuichio Harada
The blade and the code.
Harada belongs to the Japanese family and power struggles surrounding Logan. The armoured silhouette looks wonderful on a cover; the relationships give the confrontation its stakes.
And then there is the person he protects.
Kitty Pryde, Jubilee and Laura Kinney bring out different sides of Logan’s capacity to mentor and care. Mariko Yashida brings love, duty and belonging into his Japanese stories. Jean Grey and the X-Men place his desires within a shared life. A good reading collection makes room for these relationships alongside the fights.
06 The changing silhouette
Yellow. Brown. Black. The life keeps moving.
Costumes make useful visual signposts. The stories explain why each period deserves space in the collection.
Dates describe the publication eras. Later origin stories can revisit much earlier points in Logan’s life.
1974–1979
The outsider joins the family.
The Hulk debut leads to Giant-Size X-Men #1 and the new team. Logan’s abrasive manner becomes part of an ensemble built around difference and belonging.
1980–1988
The solo identity takes shape.
Uncanny X-Men #133 delivers a memorable solo stand. The brown costume, the 1982 limited series and the launch of the 1988 ongoing give collectors several distinct foundations.
1988–1990s
Madripoor and the missing past.
The ongoing develops Logan’s life beyond the team, including the Patch identity. Weapon X and the bone-claw revelation push questions about his body and history into the foreground.
2000s
The origin opens; the future darkens.
Origin reaches into childhood. Enemy of the State turns his training against his allies. Old Man Logan imagines an alternate endpoint.
2010s onward
A name with a legacy.
Death of Wolverine, Laura’s time as Wolverine and Logan’s subsequent returns expand the meaning of the mantle. Identify the character and continuity whenever a title promises “Wolverine”.
07 Read the man
Twelve stories. Twelve different scars.
Start with one complete story. These selections move between adventure, horror, espionage and tragedy; several contain graphic violence and mature material.
01 / The essential starting point
Wolverine
#1–4 · 1982 Chris Claremont, Frank Miller & Joe Rubinstein
Wolverine #1 (1982 limited series)Issue 1 of the original four-part Claremont and Miller limited series.
Logan travels to Japan and enters the struggle surrounding Mariko Yashida’s family. Miller’s controlled movement and Claremont’s interior voice make violence feel inseparable from character. Love, shame and the desire to conduct himself honourably give the famous claws a human context. Read all four issues together. This is the original solo limited series; the ongoing titled Wolverine begins in 1988.
02 / The mentor
Kitty Pryde and Wolverine
#1–6 · 1984–1985 Chris Claremont & Al Milgrom
Kitty’s ordeal in Japan draws Logan into a story about manipulation, survival and the difficult work of recovering yourself. Their relationship allows him to become a teacher with responsibilities beyond winning the next fight. It also gives the Japanese stories another perspective. Choose this after the 1982 mini to see how its concerns develop through someone younger and more vulnerable.
03 / One issue, lasting impact
Wounded Wolf
Uncanny X-Men #205 · 1986 Chris Claremont & Barry Windsor-Smith
A badly injured Logan moves through a wintry city while Lady Deathstrike and her allies pursue him. Katie Power’s presence changes the scale: a seemingly indestructible adult becomes someone a child tries to help. Windsor-Smith makes cold, pain and disorientation feel physical. This compact story is especially useful for readers who want a concentrated example before committing to a longer run.
04 / Painted danger
Havok & Wolverine: Meltdown
#1–4 · 1988–1989 Walter & Louise Simonson; Jon J Muth & Kent Williams
Logan and Alex Summers are pulled into an espionage adventure with a distinctive painted atmosphere. Muth and Williams make this feel visually separate from a standard monthly X-Men comic. It is an excellent detour for a collector interested in format and artwork as well as continuity. The four-issue sequence offers a clear project with a beginning and an ending.
05 / The laboratory
Weapon X
Marvel Comics Presents #72–84 · 1991 Barry Windsor-Smith
The adamantium procedure becomes a nightmare of observation, machinery and stolen agency. Windsor-Smith’s writing and art put the reader inside an experience whose meaning is repeatedly controlled by others. Read the complete sequence, preferably in a collected edition first. The original story is serialised across thirteen anthology issues; buying only #72 gives you the opening instalment.
06 / The hunted man
Not Dead Yet
Wolverine #119–122 · 1997–1998 Warren Ellis & Leinil Francis Yu
Wolverine #119 (1997)Not Dead Yet begins: Warren Ellis and Leinil Francis Yu’s four-part thriller.
A figure from Logan’s past brings a fast-moving threat into his present. Ellis writes him with the instincts of someone who has spent years surviving dangerous people, while Yu gives the action a sharp, restless energy. This is a useful four-issue taste of the ongoing’s later 1990s period. Keep the 1988-launched series in your search terms to find the right numbering.
07 / Before Logan
Origin
#1–6 · 2001–2002 Paul Jenkins, Andy Kubert & Richard Isanove
Origin #1 (2001)Origin #1, “The Hill”: the opening chapter of the six-part 2001–2002 story.
The childhood story takes the reader back to James Howlett and the circumstances that shape his early life. Kubert and Isanove give the period setting a soft, unsettling beauty. Jenkins scripts a story developed with Joe Quesada and Bill Jemas. Read it for the deliberate opening of a longstanding mystery, keeping it distinct from the later ongoing titled Wolverine Origins.
08 / The weapon turned outward
Enemy of the State / Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.
Wolverine #20–31 · 2004–2005 Mark Millar, John Romita Jr. & Klaus Janson
Wolverine #20 (2004)Enemy of the State begins in the 2003 Wolverine series.
Mind control turns Logan into a threat to the people who know him. The premise delivers large-scale action while asking what happens when his abilities are stripped of his judgment. Read #20–25 for Enemy of the State and #26–31 for the answering Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. sequence. Together they form the complete twelve-issue confrontation in the 2003-launched series.
09 / A very personal pursuit
Get Mystique
Wolverine #62–65 · 2008 Jason Aaron & Ron Garney
Wolverine #62 (2008)Get Mystique begins: Jason Aaron and Ron Garney send Logan hunting.
Logan pursues Mystique through a story built around deception, history and ruthless calculation. The pairing works because neither can rely on the other behaving predictably. Aaron and Garney give the chase a stripped-down momentum that makes an effective change of pace after a large event. This is another short, complete route into the 2003 ongoing.
10 / The past in close-up
Logan
#1–3 · 2008 Brian K. Vaughan & Eduardo Risso
Logan #1 (2008)Brian K. Vaughan and Eduardo Risso’s three-part memory story.
A return to Japan opens a wartime memory and an old wound. Risso’s expressive shadows let the past feel dangerous without needing an army of guest stars. Vaughan builds a contained encounter around love, loss and endurance. Seek the three-issue series or a collection with those contents; the short title is easy to confuse with other comics and the later film.
11 / The alternate future
Old Man Logan
Wolverine #66–72 & Wolverine: Old Man Logan Giant-Size #1 · 2008–2009 Mark Millar & Steve McNiven
Wolverine: Old Man Logan Giant-Size #1 (2009)The conclusion to the original Millar and McNiven Old Man Logan story.
An older Logan crosses a conquered America with Hawkeye. McNiven’s landscapes and Millar’s grim revelations give the journey a scale far beyond its travelling pair. Keep the giant-size finale with the seven ongoing issues when building the original story. This Logan belongs to an alternate future; later Old Man Logan series continue and reinterpret that publishing branch.
12 / Facing an ending
Death of Wolverine
#1–4 · 2014 Charles Soule & Steve McNiven
With his healing factor gone, Logan has to approach danger under unfamiliar conditions. Soule and McNiven draw together old relationships and the consequences of his weaponised body. Read it after establishing some of that history so the encounters carry weight. It is a specific four-issue event in a continuing publishing life, with later stories taking Logan and the Wolverine mantle onward.
Wolverine #1 (1982 limited series)Issue 1 of the original four-part Claremont and Miller limited series.Origin #1 (2001)Origin #1, “The Hill”: the opening chapter of the six-part 2001–2002 story.
Watch the volume.Wolverine #1 can mean the 1982 limited series, the 1988 ongoing or one of several later launches. Title, launch year, issue and printing belong together in every search and collection record.
08 Give every issue a job
A key is a reason to care about a book.
Debuts, story landmarks and visual statements serve different collecting goals. These are purposeful starting points rather than a claim that every significant Wolverine issue fits in one table.
Wolverine collecting landmarks
Comic
Why it belongs
What to check
Incredible Hulk #180
First published story appearance, a final-page cameo.
Original 1974 issue, completeness and Value Stamp.
Incredible Hulk #181
First full appearance and first cover appearance.
Edition, restoration, interior and condition evidence.
Incredible Hulk #182
Brief follow-up in the opening Hulk sequence.
Accurate description of its role; completeness.
Giant-Size X-Men #1 (1975)
Wolverine joins the new X-Men team.
Original, facsimile or other reprint; full interior.
Uncanny X-Men #133
A defining solo stand within the Dark Phoenix period.
Buy the surrounding sequence if reading the full arc.
Uncanny X-Men #139
The brown costume arrives.
Presentation of the cover and the correct edition.
Wolverine #1 (1982)
The first solo limited series begins.
First printing and identification of the four-part mini.
Wolverine #1 (1988)
The first ongoing solo series begins.
Volume, printing and any market-specific edition.
Marvel Comics Presents #72
The original Weapon X serial opens.
There are thirteen instalments through #84.
Wolverine #75 (1993)
The bone-claw revelation changes the reading of his body.
Edition and condition of any enhanced cover.
Incredible Hulk #340 (1988)
Todd McFarlane’s reflected-claws cover and another Hulk encounter.
Original issue or later reprint; inspect the dark cover and spine.
NYX #3 (2004)
Laura Kinney’s first comic-book appearance.
Laura’s key; her screen debut preceded the comic.
09 The UK collecting guide
Build the collection you want to open.
A deliberate Wolverine shelf can start with a single paperback or grow towards the major Bronze Age originals. Give the next purchase a clear purpose.
Tier 01 / Reading
Meet Logan.
Choose a collected 1982 mini, Weapon X or Old Man Logan. Check the contents list so you get the complete story.
Tier 02 / Entry collection
Choose a compact project.
Build Kitty Pryde and Wolverine #1–6, a favourite short arc or a selection of covers by one artist.
Tier 03 / Building depth
Own a defining period.
Work towards the original 1982 mini, early ongoing issues or a complete Weapon X serial, according to condition and available budget.
Tier 04 / Major keys
Choose the centrepiece.
Compare original Hulk debut issues and Giant-Size X-Men #1 individually. Completeness and restoration can materially change the buying decision.
For a budget around £100, pick the project first.
That can mean a reading stack, a complete shorter run or money set aside for one particular original. Prices move, so compare recent completed UK sales for the exact edition and similar condition before deciding how many books the budget should buy. Postage, import VAT and fees can change the result when an overseas copy initially looks cheaper.
Condition should match the reason you are buying.
For a cover-led copy, examine the face, claws, central artwork, colour-breaking spine stress and the overall presentation. For a major original, add clear back-cover and interior photographs, page and staple checks, and explicit restoration and completeness information. Check dark covers carefully: strong contrast can make wear more visible.
A variant is a separate decision.
Write down the artist, printing, cover designation and whether the edition is a standard alternate, incentive or retailer exclusive. A ratio describes ordering terms. It does not establish the number of copies still available or guarantee a resale premium. A later reprint of a celebrated image can make a satisfying display copy when that is the purpose.
UK market snapshot · 18 October 2026.
These are individual copy references in GBP, with the seller’s condition description retained. Active asks, archived asks and a recorded sale are identified separately; they are starting points for comparison.
Dated price evidence · raw comics and identified sets
Comic
Price reference
Copy
Status & evidence
Wolverine #1 (1982 limited series)
£115.00
Raw; dealer-described VFN
Archived dealer ask; marked sold out. Printing and distribution edition not specified. View price evidence ↗
Wolverine #1 (1988 ongoing series)
£46.61
Raw/ungraded; eBay condition category Very Good, not a verified comic grade
Recorded eBay sale, 14 August 2026. Displayed £46.61 includes a £2.11 buyer fee; postage extra. Printing and distribution edition not verified. View price evidence ↗
Marvel Comics Presents #72 (1991)
£25.00
Raw; dealer-described VFN+/NM 9.0, small corner bends; complete
Active dealer ask. Small corner bends disclosed; described as complete. Printing and distribution edition not specified. View price evidence ↗
Wolverine: Origin #1–6 (2001–2002), complete first-print set
£25.00 for all six issues
Raw; dealer-described VFN++ / NM
Active dealer ask for the complete six-issue first-print set; this is a set price. View price evidence ↗
Wolverine #8 (June 1989), newsstand first print
£50.00
Raw; dealer-described FN 6.0, foxing centre cover, light corner wear and surface bend
Active dealer ask. First-print newsstand copy; foxing, light corner wear and a surface bend disclosed. View price evidence ↗
Wolverine #10 (August 1989)
£15.99
Raw; seller-described Hi Grade Comic, with no numerical grade
Active dealer ask. Broad seller condition description; printing and distribution edition not specified. View price evidence ↗
Giant-Size X-Men #1 (1975), first print
£1,700.00
Raw; dealer-described FN / VFN
Archived dealer ask; marked sold out. First print stated. This is not a recorded sale. View price evidence ↗
Wolverine: The Origin #1 (2001)
£8.03
Raw/ungraded; eBay condition category Very Good, not a verified comic grade
Active UK business-seller ask. Printing not verified; postage extra. View price evidence ↗
Add postage and any applicable charges. Seller grades are descriptions to inspect. A sold-out listing does not establish the amount a buyer paid.
The Comic Agent approach: buy a story you want to revisit, a historical milestone you understand or an image you enjoy. Keep the edition and condition in your records so the collection remains intelligible as it grows.
10 The name beyond Logan
Laura Kinney. Her own life. The same mantle.
Laura begins on screen in X-Men: Evolution before making her comic-book debut in NYX #3. Her publishing history grows through X-23 stories and into All-New Wolverine, where she takes the Wolverine identity. She is a distinct person with her own relationships, choices and experience of being treated as a weapon.
That makes her a meaningful companion collection. Follow Laura’s development through her own stories rather than using her only as an extension of Logan’s key list. Tom Taylor’s All-New Wolverine supplies a particularly accessible route into her time with the mantle; Gabby’s presence opens space for family, humour and responsibility alongside the danger.
When a cover says “Wolverine”, identify who it features. Logan, Laura, an alternate Logan and a story set in another reality can all sit beneath related branding. The label in your records should preserve the difference. Film familiarity can be a useful doorway, while the comic supplies its own continuity.
The wider family also leads towards Daken, and the team history returns repeatedly to the X-Men. You can follow those branches as deeply as you like. A focused Logan collection remains coherent when each additional book answers a question you actually want to explore.
11 The visual archive
Six claws. A thousand ways to draw them.
Explore 35 covers across the debut, solo breakthrough and later story landmarks. Tap a cover to see the full image at its natural proportions.
Showing all 35 covers
Incredible Hulk #180 (1974)The final-panel Wolverine debut: the first part of the collecting conversation.Cover reference ↗Incredible Hulk #181 (1974)Wolverine’s first full appearance and his first cover appearance.Cover reference ↗Incredible Hulk #182 (1974)A brief follow-up appearance completes the original Hulk three-issue sequence.Cover reference ↗Giant-Size X-Men #1 (1975)Wolverine joins the new international X-Men team.Cover reference ↗X-Men #94 (1975)The new team moves into the monthly X-Men title.Cover reference ↗X-Men #133 (1980)Wolverine takes the fight to the Hellfire Club.Cover reference ↗Wolverine #1 (1982 limited series)Issue 1 of the original four-part Claremont and Miller limited series.Cover reference ↗Wolverine #2 (1982 limited series)Issue 2 of the original four-part Claremont and Miller limited series.Cover reference ↗Wolverine #3 (1982 limited series)Issue 3 of the original four-part Claremont and Miller limited series.Cover reference ↗Wolverine #4 (1982 limited series)Issue 4 of the original four-part Claremont and Miller limited series.Cover reference ↗Incredible Hulk #340 (1988)Todd McFarlane’s Wolverine reflection cover: a collecting landmark in its own right.Cover reference ↗Wolverine #8 (1989)Patch and Joe Fixit share John Buscema’s much-loved white-tuxedo cover.Cover reference ↗Marvel Comics Presents #72 (1991)Set issue 01 of 13 · Prologue (1991).Cover reference ↗Marvel Comics Presents #73 (1991)Set issue 02 of 13 · Chapter 1 (1991).Cover reference ↗Marvel Comics Presents #74 (1991)Set issue 03 of 13 · Chapter 2 (1991).Cover reference ↗Marvel Comics Presents #75 (1991)Set issue 04 of 13 · Chapter 3 (1991).Cover reference ↗Marvel Comics Presents #76 (1991)Set issue 05 of 13 · Chapter 4 (1991).Cover reference ↗Marvel Comics Presents #77 (1991)Set issue 06 of 13 · Chapter 5 (1991).Cover reference ↗Marvel Comics Presents #78 (1991)Set issue 07 of 13 · Chapter 6 (1991).Cover reference ↗Marvel Comics Presents #79 (1991)Set issue 08 of 13 · Chapter 7 (1991).Cover reference ↗Marvel Comics Presents #80 (1991)Set issue 09 of 13 · Chapter 8 (1991).Cover reference ↗Marvel Comics Presents #81 (1991)Set issue 10 of 13 · Chapter 9 (1991).Cover reference ↗Marvel Comics Presents #82 (1991)Set issue 11 of 13 · Chapter 10 (1991).Cover reference ↗Marvel Comics Presents #83 (1991)Set issue 12 of 13 · Chapter 11 (1991).Cover reference ↗Marvel Comics Presents #84 (1991)Set issue 13 of 13 · Chapter 12 (1991).Cover reference ↗Origin #1 (2001)Origin #1, “The Hill”: the opening chapter of the six-part 2001–2002 story.Cover reference ↗Wolverine #20 (2004)Enemy of the State begins in the 2003 Wolverine series.Cover reference ↗Wolverine: Old Man Logan Giant-Size #1 (2009)The conclusion to the original Millar and McNiven Old Man Logan story.Cover reference ↗Return of Wolverine #1 (2018)Logan’s return: the 2018 five-issue limited series.Cover reference ↗X-23 #1 (2005)Laura Kinney’s first solo limited series explores the person behind the weapon.Cover reference ↗All-New Wolverine #1 (2015)Laura Kinney takes the Wolverine name in her own ongoing series.Cover reference ↗Wolverine #1 (2020)Benjamin Percy’s Wolverine era opens on Krakoa.Cover reference ↗Wolverine #119 (1997)Not Dead Yet begins: Warren Ellis and Leinil Francis Yu’s four-part thriller.Cover reference ↗Wolverine #62 (2008)Get Mystique begins: Jason Aaron and Ron Garney send Logan hunting.Cover reference ↗Logan #1 (2008)Brian K. Vaughan and Eduardo Risso’s three-part memory story.Cover reference ↗
Cover artwork identifies the publication discussed. Check the individual edition when buying: an image can be reused on a facsimile, later printing or collected edition.
The Comic Agent perspective
Find your Logan. Follow the story.
The first yellow mask. A snowy street. A laboratory tank. A road through a ruined future. Choose the image that pulls you in, then discover the person inside it.
Comic Agent is based in the UK. Not every comic is listed on eBay; contact us if you are looking for something specific. Covers here are editorial references. Individual listings show available stock and condition.
Publication details, creator credits and story contents are checked against Marvel’s records and publisher catalogues. Reading routes and interpretations are Comic Agent editorial judgments. “First appearance” descriptions specify the distinction between a cameo, a full appearance and another medium.
The debut, the creators and the changing costume
Marvel: All of Wolverine’s Costumes — Distinguishes the debut in Incredible Hulk #180 from the first full appearance in #181; identifies John Romita Sr.’s original costume design, the Giant-Size X-Men #1 look and the brown costume in Uncanny X-Men #139.
AIPT: Roy Thomas discusses Wolverine’s origins — Firsthand creator interview on the editorial request for a Canadian hero called Wolverine; read alongside the distinct Wein, Romita and Trimpe contributions.
Marvel: The History of Wolverine — Wolverine joins the X-Men in Giant-Size X-Men #1 (1975); also provides the Team X and early Madripoor reading connections.
Stories 01–04: Japan, mentorship and painted espionage
01 · Wolverine (1982), #1–4 — Four-issue first solo limited series by Chris Claremont and Frank Miller; the Japan and Mariko story.
01 · Wolverine (1982) #1: extended credits — Josef (Joe) Rubinstein inks, Glynis Wein colours and Tom Orzechowski lettering. Older digital issue metadata can show digital prices and inconsistent publication dates; it is not a source for original cover prices.
Stories 05–08: Weapon X, the past and the weapon unleashed
05 · Weapon X: Marvel Comics Presents #72–84 — Thirteen installments; Barry Windsor-Smith wrote, illustrated and coloured the original serial. The collection also includes Uncanny X-Men #205 and material from Wolverine #166.
06 · Not Dead Yet: Wolverine #119–122 — Publisher description verifies the four-issue range in the 1988-launched ongoing and the White Ghost premise.
07 · Wolverine: The Origin, #1–6 — Six-issue 2001–2002 series, Paul Jenkins and Andy Kubert; James Howlett’s childhood. Distinct from the Wolverine Origins ongoing launched in 2006.
11 · Old Man Logan: the original complete story — Wolverine (2003) #66–72 plus Wolverine: Old Man Logan Giant-Size (2009) #1; Mark Millar and Steve McNiven. Seven ongoing issues plus the giant-size finale.
12 · Death of Wolverine, #1–4 — Publisher contents and credits: Charles Soule and Steve McNiven; the 2014 four-issue event.
Wolverine’s Adamantium Skeleton, Explained — The natural bone claws, Weapon X adamantium bonding, Magneto’s removal of the metal in X-Men #25, and later body-history milestones.
Wolverine (1988) #1 and the first ongoing series — Publisher description explicitly identifies the first long-running ongoing, Chris Claremont and John Buscema, and the Indonesian/Madripoor direction.
Sabretooth’s Iron Fist debut — Publisher description explicitly identifies Iron Fist #14 as Sabretooth’s first appearance.
Omega Red’s X-Men debut — Publisher guide explicitly identifies X-Men (1991) #4 as Omega Red’s first appearance.
Laura Kinney / X-23: comic debut and Wolverine mantle — NYX (2003-launched series) #3 is Laura’s comics debut; All-New Wolverine (2015) #1 marks her Wolverine mantle. The issue was published in 2004, despite the series launch-year label.
Return of Wolverine, #1–5 (2018–2019) — Five-issue follow-up by Charles Soule with Steve McNiven and Declan Shalvey; not an all-McNiven interior-art series.
CGC: comic collecting and grading glossary — Terminology for defects, completeness and qualified grading. Missing original material must be recorded; do not infer a guaranteed label or a fixed market discount.
Weapon X: the complete thirteen-issue collecting project
Marvel: Origin #1 — The uploaded replacement image reads Part I of VI: The Hill, the opening issue of the original series.
Wolverine, associated characters and cover artwork belong to Marvel and their respective rights holders. Comic Agent is an independent collector-run editorial and retail site.
