From beast to honor-bound warrior, Wolverine has led a life of heartache while striving to be a better man. Check out his story in Life of Wolverine #1 by Marvel Comics.

LIFE OF WOLVERINE #1

Writer: Jim Zub
Artist: Ramon F. Bachs
Colorist: Java Tartaglia
Letterer: Joe Sabino
Editor: Mark Basso
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Cover Price: $4.99
Release Date: July 3, 2024

Previously in Life of Wolverine: Wolverine has gone by many names and traveled to many places. He was a wild man, an assassin, a soldier, and eventually an X-Man. The complete history is here to show us his life without the confusion of time and multiple mindwipes!

THE LIFE STORY

Life of Wolverine #1 begins with Jean Grey delving into Logan’s memories and serving as a mental anchor for him. Through Jean Grey’s narration, we learn about his time as James Howlett and the emergence of his mutant powers. His early stories have a classic tone, depicting his struggle to control his wild side while ultimately becoming a killer. He traveled around Canada, Madripoor, the United States, China, and Japan, finding love and encountering death. Eventually, he became a living weapon and was ordered to fight the Hulk until Professor Xavier saw him, and he joined the X-Men.

As an X-Man, he began to tame his wild side and refrain from being the angry entity he once was, even making decisions to show mercy despite the monster he had been. Logan is now depicted as a teacher, a soldier, a champion, and a friend.

NOT WHAT I WANTED

I wanted a story told from Wolverine’s perspective, with his commentary. The choice to use Jean Grey to provide a factual retelling of his story made Life of Wolverine #1 makes the comic feel like a history book with pictures. It was a list of facts about Wolverine, and I already knew many of them. I wanted to see Logan’s bias in his attempts to justify or accept his actions. While seeing these old costumes and villains was neat, I didn’t gain much from the story. The art was well done and well-designed, which ultimately carried my interest more than the writing.

BOTTOM LINE: NOT FOR ME

This book is a good pick for readers who like the character but are unfamiliar with his publication history or need a refresher. For me, I didn’t learn anything new about the character, nor did it seem to hook into a future story. With that in mind, Life of Wolverine #1 gets a 3.5 out of 5 from me. It does a good job condensing Wolverine’s history, but that’s all it does.

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