Wolverine: Origin
Writers: Paul Jenkins (Scripter & Plotter), Bill Jemmas and Joe Quesada (Plotters)
Artists: Andy Kubert (Penciler) and Richard Isanove (Inker)
Wolverine, a man shrouded in mystery and tragedy, revealed…
Ranking: 4 stars
When it comes to the X-Men, no mutant has attracted more attention, and more questions, and more acclaim than the man known only as Wolverine.
I'm no exception either, as this savage, unkillable engine of destruction has kept the spirit of the X-Men flowing throughout the decades the comic has run. It's not only action-packed fights that our Logan has given us, but the entire concept of his character that has made him a fan-favorite. Despite the fact he has a healing factor, Wolverine experiences more pain than anyone else imaginable. He has no recollection of his past, who he was, or what kind of deeds he performed in life before the procedure that gave him his adamantium skeleton and claws. The savage, animal-like nature that derives from his mutant powers distances himself from walking among civilized men. The mystery of Wolverine's past is one of the main aspects of his appeal, and fans have been receiving more and more facts about his obscure background since his introduction to comics. But Jesse Schedeen of IGN said, "draw out a mystery long enough and people stop wanting to know the answer." After two decades of Marvel revealing bits and pieces of Logan's past to fans, WOLVERINE ORIGIN finally reveals the true events that created Wolverine, while staying faithful to the themes that mold him into the unstoppable mutant he is.
A risky and bold move on Marvel comics, the Logan's past dates back all the way to the late 19th century, only he was originally known as James Howlett. Born from a wealthy Canadian family, James entered life as a frail young boy who was vulnerable to allergy and illness. He has no one to look after him as his mother is mentally ill, and his generous father constantly battles against his cruel grandfather. That is until, he is introduced to an orphan named Rose, who quickly bonds with young boy she is assigned to watch over, as well as to the son of the Howlett Estate's groundskeeper, "Dog." Tragedy soon strikes when Dog and his father Logan revolt against the Howlett's leading to the manifestation of James' claws for the first time ever. As he and Rose flee as fugitives across the Canadian wilderness, they eventually settle down at a mining camp. It is here where young James, now "Logan," must learn to survive on his own two feet as he struggles with his growing animal nature, betrayal from loved ones, and dangers both within and out of the camp.
As I was reading this, I felt that this book expertly tied all Wolverine's known qualities to his newly revealed origins. As with the previous stories before this one, Wolverine is no stranger to pain and tragedy, as he struggles with his developing mutation, becoming more distant from his past self, just as he separates himself from others in his modern stories. The origin story is relevantly connected to the already known facts about his past, as they both involve personal agony, grief, and events that he has little to no memory of. I know that Wolverine starting out as a frail and sickly child offended some fans, but I personally feel that it's still faithful to his character. One of the key factors of Wolverine is that he is forced to adapt to all of the hardships he faces in life. After the tragedy that brought forth his claws, the small, sickly child he once was, ceased to exist, as he was forced to adapt to the harsh life in the camp, molding him into the man he is today. The character Rose quite possibly has the greatest responsibility to play in the book, as she is the only anchor to Wolverine's slowly deteriorating humanity, giving him a purpose for connecting with the rest of the world. I also enjoyed the role of Cookie Malone, the cruel, overweight, and perverted chef at the camp. Cookie acts as the focus of James' growth, as his constant abuse of the young Wolverine forces the child to mature to harsh truths of reality at a rapid pace.
The book was written by Paul Jenkins (INHUMANS, CIVIL WAR: FRONTLINES), illustrated by Andy Kubert (BATMAN AND SON, FLASHPOINT), and plotted by my mortal enemy, Joe Quesada (the monster behind SPIDER-MAN: ONE MORE DAY, although his covers here are remarkable; possibly the only good thing he's ever done for Marvel if you ask me). As the creators mention in the introduction, they took a great risk revealing the past of Wolverine, as many fans preferred it to remain a mystery. But taking risks is what creating comics is all about, as it allows writers to expand the depths of the characters they write. Personally I feel WOLVERINE ORIGIN gives more emotion and tragedy for the character, as it explores how he was born into a world of pain, and forced to mature and adapt because of it. It wasn't a perfect story however, as I felt that there were some components I felt could be better. The main bone I have to pick was the dialogue between characters, which is why I demoted one star. Some conversations between characters felt a little obscure, and could've been more specific in terms of the point they were trying to convey. I'm not criticizing it to a full extent, but I feel that I've seen better. Of course the story takes place in the eighteen hundreds, so the dialect was likely to be different than what we're used to. A few portions of the story could have been developed to a better extent in terms of plot twists and character motivations, but they were enjoyable nonetheless.
Despite the flaws I mentioned, WOLVERINE ORIGIN is overall, a worthwhile read, and a book that's near impossible to put down. The deciphered mysteries of Logan's past develop his character into one of greater hardship and struggle, and it faithfully follows standards that already make up Wolverine's atmosphere. In my opinion, the risk was definitely worth taking, as it gave more reasons to feel sympathy for the mutant Wolverine, and understand how he adapts to the tragedies he experiences
"It's time for me to start changin' the way I look at the world...and at myself."
-Wolverine (Logan; James Howlett)
