Classic Wolverine Cover: Marvel Comics Presents #1

From 2008 to 2009, Wolverine Files highlighted, in chronological order, iconic Wolverine covers and their homages. Want to start at the beginning? Click here…

It was during the 1980s that Wolverine grew to become an extraordinarily popular character. And after two successful miniseries, the powers that be at Marvel decreed that Wolverine should have his own series.

To show just how much the comics industry has changed, the reason Wolverine didn’t already have his own series in 1988 was over concerns by writer Chris Claremont that a solo series would destroy the character. Wolverine worked best as part of an assemble with periodic solo travels, it was argued, and a monthly series would inevitably dilute his effectiveness as a character.

If only the Chris Claremont of 1988 could see the weekly deluge of Wolverine now…

In any event by 1988, such concerns had been brushed aside, and Chris Claremont wrote a ten-part Wolverine series (eight pages per chapter) to kick off a new bi-weekly anthology series, Marvel Comics Presents, a storyline that would lead directly into the upcoming monthly Wolverine series.

So when Walt Simonson delivered the following cover for Marvel Comics Presents #1, it could only mean one thing…

Wolverine was going solo.

Wolverine Covers: Marvel Comics Presents #1

The full wraparound cover is even more impressive when one realizes that Wolverine is joined by Man-Thing, Shang-Chi and Silver Surfer (who intersects nicely with the flash of Wolverine’s claws).

Wolverine Covers: Marvel Comics Presents #1

Sal Buscema provided the interior artwork and this impressive first appearance of the “capital of a small island principality south of Singapore.”

Wolverine Covers: Marvel Comics Presents #1 - Madripoor

Better known as Madripoor

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Classic Wolverine Cover: Incredible Hulk #340

From 2008 to 2009, Wolverine Files highlighted, in chronological order, iconic Wolverine covers and their homages. Want to start at the beginning? Click here…

Incredible Hulk #340 by Todd McFarlane and Bob Wiacek.

It’s about as perfect a cover as it gets.

Frankly, words don’t do it justice, so I’m going to shut up and let you enjoy their work…

Wolverine Covers: Incredible Hulk #340

Next up is the original black and white artwork for the cover…

Wolverine Covers: Incredible Hulk #340 original artwork /

Then we have two terrific homage covers.

On the left, Powerless #5 from 2004 by Greg Land, and on the right, Marvel Zombies #3 from 2006 by Arthur Suydam

Wolverine Covers: Powerless #5 Wolverine Covers: Marvel Zombies #3

Not to be outdone, the epic ‘Hulk vs. Wolverine’ animated short features a brief, but wonderful tip of the hat to the Incredible Hulk cover…

Wolverine Covers: Hulk vs. Wolverine DVD /

And finally, from within Incredible Hulk #340 itself, Todd McFarlane really struts his stuff…

Wolverine Covers: Daredevil #249 panel

Wow…

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Classic Wolverine Cover: Alpha Flight #52

From 2008 to 2009, Wolverine Files highlighted, in chronological order, iconic Wolverine covers and their homages. Want to start at the beginning? Click here…

Kevin Nowlan took a stylish turn on this wonderful throwback cover from November 1987 for Alpha Flight #52.

Known more for his Moon Knight work than Wolverine, Nowlan delivered an intriguing look at an Alpha Flight team that never was…

Wolverine Covers: Alpha Flight #52

The subsequent issue, Alpha Flight #53, featured a fairly run-of-the-mill cover by the trio of Carl Potts, Jim Lee and Terry Austin. But since it stars Wolverine, it’s worth a look here. As is Daredevil #249 (out the same month), which offered a surprisingly lifeless cover by Rick Leonardi and Al Williamson

Wolverine Covers: Alpha Flight #53 Wolverine Covers: Daredevil #249

The inside work by the same duo was a different story…

Wolverine Covers: Daredevil #249 panel

If only Rick could always draw like this…

Previous Classic Wolverine Cover: Uncanny X-Men #221 | Next: Incredible Hulk #340

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Classic Wolverine Cover: Uncanny X-Men #221

From 2008 to 2009, Wolverine Files highlighted, in chronological order, iconic Wolverine covers and their homages. Want to start at the beginning? Click here…

Following on the heels of a slew of guest artists, Marc Silvestri finally came on board as the new artist of Uncanny X-Men with issue #220.

And with Uncanny X-Men #221, he delivered a stunning cover with Dan Green that literally blew Wolverine away…

Wolverine Covers: Uncanny X-Men #221

Unfortunately, many Wolverine covers from the same year didn’t hold up quite as well…

Brett Blevins filled in as guest artist for Uncanny X-Men #219 and created a truly evil vision of X-Men, but the cover is more about Havok and the X-Men than Wolverine. Uncanny X-Men #222, on the other hand, is all Wolverine (and Sabretooth), but this cover by Marc Silvestri and Dan Green just doesn’t have the same pop as the classic cover of the previous issue…

Wolverine Covers: Uncanny X-Men #219 Wolverine Covers: Uncanny X-Men #222

Alan Davis and Paul Neary provided the cover for Uncanny X-Men Annual #11, but the issue is known more for Wolverine regenerating from a single drop of blood (really!) than for the cover. And while Spider-Man Versus Wolverine #1 is a great read, the cover by Mark Bright and Al Williamson really doesn’t do the story justice…

Wolverine Covers: Uncanny X-Men Annual #11 Wolverine Covers: Spider-Man Versus Wolverine #1

Jon Bogdanove and Terry Austin did a terrific job on the Fantastic Four vs. the X-Men miniseries (yup, Marvel liked the versus books back in 1987), but the covers never effectively captured the tension of the series itself. And finally, Wolverine failed to receive that truly classic cover from the X-Men vs. the Avengers miniseries (I told you Marvel liked versus books) by Marc Silvestri and Josef Rubinstein

Wolverine Covers: Fantastic Four vs. X-Men #2 Wolverine Covers: X-Men vs. Avengers #3

Previous Classic Wolverine Cover: Uncanny X-Men #213 | Next: Alpha Flight #52

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Classic Wolverine Covers: Uncanny X-Men #213

From 2008 to 2009, Wolverine Files highlighted, in chronological order, iconic Wolverine covers and their homages. Want to start at the beginning? Click here…

Uncanny X-Men #213.

Wolverine vs. Sabretooth.

It doesn’t get much better than this.

Alan Davis and Paul Neary kicked 1987 off in stunning fashion with this wonderful study in savagery…

Wolverine Covers: Uncanny X-Men #213

Inside Alan Davis filled in as guest artist with inker Paul Neary and provided a truly primal sequence when Chris Claremont was not quite as loquacious as he was in later years…

Wolverine Covers: Uncanny X-Men #213 panel sequence

Wow.

Previous Classic Wolverine Cover: Uncanny X-Men #212 | Next: Uncanny X-Men #221

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Classic Wolverine Cover: Uncanny X-Men #212

From 2008 to 2009, Wolverine Files highlighted, in chronological order, iconic Wolverine covers and their homages. Want to start at the beginning? Click here…

Barry Windsor-Smith returned to X-Men cover duty in December 1986 with Uncanny X-Men #212 and wrapped up an amazing year of Wolverine covers.

As with his previous cover, one can only look on in astonishment as it slowly comes to life…

Wolverine Covers: Uncanny X-Men #211

As for the issue itself, Rick Leonardi filled in as guest artist with Dan Green and provided some eye-popping interior art to go with some sharp Chris Claremont dialogue…

Wolverine Covers: Uncanny X-Men #212 panel

Followed by…

Wolverine Covers: Uncanny X-Men #212 panel

Rick Leonardi also produced a Wolverine poster around this time that proudly graced my wall for many years before finally disintegrating.

Wolverine poster by Rick Leonardi

This is the best copy I’ve been able to track down, if anyone has a cleaner version, please let me know…

Previous Classic Wolverine Cover: Uncanny X-Men #210 | Next: Uncanny X-Men #213

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Classic Wolverine Cover: Uncanny X-Men #211

From 2008 to 2009, Wolverine Files highlighted, in chronological order, iconic Wolverine covers and their homages. Want to start at the beginning? Click here…

Back in November of 1986, Marvel Comics celebrated the 25th anniversary of the “Marvel Age” of comics by featuring a character portrait on every single Marvel title that month.

Uncanny X-Men #211 was no different, placing Wolverine in the exalted position.

The cover by John Romita, Jr. and Bob Wiacek wonderfully captures Wolverine at his battle-tested best, mask torn asunder.

Wolverine Covers: Uncanny X-Men #211

If you want a real treat, alternate placing your hand over each side of the cover. You will be amazed to discover two entirely different images.

It is really difficult at times to determine if Wolverine is central enough to a cover to truly call it a classic Wolverine cover.

And because of the overabundance of genuinely terrific Wolverine covers from 1986, I made the difficult decision to downgrade Uncanny X-Men #210, also by John Romita, Jr. and Bob Wiacek.

But because the cover rocks so much, I decided to present it here as an added bonus…

Wolverine Covers: Uncanny X-Men #210

Make our day, indeed.

Previous Classic Wolverine Cover: Uncanny X-Men #207 | Next: Uncanny X-Men #212

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Classic Wolverine Cover: Uncanny X-Men #207

From 2008 to 2009, Wolverine Files highlighted, in chronological order, iconic Wolverine covers and their homages. Want to start at the beginning? Click here…

Uncanny X-Men #207 is perhaps the single most enduring Wolverine image of 1986.

John Romita, Jr. perfectly captures the savagery and danger of Wolverine while subtlety breaking the fourth wall.

And if the name sounds familiar, it should.

He is the son of legendary Spider-Man artist John Romita, Sr. who just so happened to have created the visual design for Wolverine back in 1974…

Wolverine Covers: Uncanny X-Men #207

From the collection of Chris Burnham, comes this stunning color guide by colorist Tom Smith

Wolverine Covers: Uncanny X-Men #207 color guide

I am so jealous…

Previous Classic Wolverine Cover: Uncanny X-Men #205 | Next: Uncanny X-Men #211

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Classic Wolverine Cover: Uncanny X-Men #205

From 2008 to 2009, Wolverine Files highlighted, in chronological order, iconic Wolverine covers and their homages. Want to start at the beginning? Click here…

Five years before the legendary ‘Weapon X’, Barry Windsor-Smith gave Wolverine fans a treat with this brilliant cover to Uncanny X-Men #205.

Look at it long enough and you can actually see Wolverine in three dimensions…

Wolverine Covers: Uncanny X-Men #205

Wow.

Jae Lee provided a terrific cover for the reprint appearing in X-Men Classic #109, the second to last issue of this exemplary reprint series and the last to feature Wolverine on the cover…

X-Men Classic #109 cover

‘X-Men Classic’, nee ‘Classic X-Men’ (1986-1995).

Requiescat in pace, that’s all she wrote.

Previous Classic Wolverine Cover: Captain America Annual #8 | Next: Uncanny X-Men #207

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Classic Wolverine Cover: Captain America Annual #8

From 2008 to 2009, Wolverine Files highlighted, in chronological order, iconic Wolverine covers and their homages. Want to start at the beginning? Click here…

1986 was a very good year for Wolverine covers.

We begin with the unforgettable Captain America Annual #8, where we finally witnessed Wolverine’s unbreakable claws go up against Captain America’s indestructible shield.

And the fiery visuals by Mike Zeck did not disappoint…

Wolverine Covers: Captain America Annual #8

I still get a grin looking at that cover!

Next up are two classic Alpha Flight covers from the same year costarring Wolverine…

Mike Mignola provided two terrific covers for Alpha Flight #33 and #34. Unfortunately, Wolverine doesn’t quite own the covers enough for me to classify them as classic Wolverine covers, but I share them because they are still pretty awesome…

Alpha Flight #33 cover Alpha Flight #34 cover

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