“X-Men Origins: Wolverine” opens nationwide today but it dropped just a little earlier across the pond. Owen Vaughan at The Times of London has put together a nice dissection of the Wolverine character with comic writers Len Wein and Chris Claremont in mind but I really wish Wein had participated because the entire piece is filled with Claremont quotes.
The significance of the two men is undeniable. Wein, of course, created Wolverine way back in 1974 as a sideline villain in the pages of “The Incredible Hulk.” You might remember that photo of Hugh Jackman meeting his maker, so to speak, at San Diego ComicCon last year.
The character’s first appearance came on the final page of issue #180 of the series, but it’s #181 that stands out most to fans (and commands the most dollars if you’re looking to bulk up your Wolvie collection). The cover is a classic image: Wolverine, in his odd recognizable regalia, slashes violently at the Hulk as the villainous Wendigo stalks the two of them in the background.
Claremont, meanwhile, gave Wolverine all of his characteristic charm and, together with artist Frank Miller, added texture and depth in “Wolverine” mini-series of 1983. As Claremont says in the Times interview, “The film is based on the Wolverine Weapon X series and [Paul Jenkins’s] Wolverine Origin but the essential character is my guy.”
Further expanding on his vision of the then nine-year-old character:
“My idea of Wolverine was that if you walked into his room half of it would be a total trash heap, a sloppy couch and more beer cans than you can imagine, and half would be the quintessence of economy and grace – a stand for his sword and maybe a picture on a table. Wolverine is essentially at war with himself. There’s a part of him that wants to be this pure, pristine man of honour and there’s a part of him that wants to say, ‘F*** this’ and hit the bars. He hasn’t found a way to reconcile those two things.”
