From 2008 to 2009, Wolverine Files highlighted, in chronological order, iconic Wolverine covers and their homages. Want to start at the beginning? Click here…
X-Men #115, November 1978. Welcome to the golden age of X-Men comics.
Wolverine squares off against his teammates in a stunning cover by John Byrne and Terry Austin at the absolute top of their games. I can still remember my excitement when I saw this cover for the first time at Fat Jack’s Comicrypt in Philadelphia.
The brilliant two-page spread from the issue itself (also by John Byrne and Terry Austin) is below, with Wolverine cutting lose against Sauron…
While X-Men #115 was reprinted in Classic X-Men #21 (with Ka-Zar dominating the reprint cover), it was the cover to Classic X-Men #20 by Arthur Adams and Terry Austin that provides the better bonus feature for our purposes. And it is from the collection of George Kesidis that we get to see what Arthur Adams’ early preliminary sketch for this cover is like…
Previous Classic Wolverine Cover: X-Men #112 | Next: Classic X-Men #26
Want to see the Classic Wolverine Covers from the beginning? Start here…
From 2008 to 2009, Wolverine Files highlighted, in chronological order, iconic Wolverine covers and their homages. Want to start at the beginning? Click here…
X-Men #112, from August 1978, features one of the earliest of the truly classic Wolverine covers. For years, I assumed it was by John Byrne, but recently I realized it was, in fact, by George Perez (pencils) and Bob Layton (inks). D’oh!
Next up is my favorite panel from the issue by Chris Claremont, John Byrne and Terry Austin, wherein the entire X-Men team holds Wolverine back, trying desperately to stop him from eviscerating Magneto…
I always thought they should have let Wolverine go…
Since there aren’t a lot of extras this time around, I thought we should show a little love to the previous month’s cover, X-Men #111 by Dave Cockrum and Terry Austin depicting “Wolverine: Killer beast in human form!” Jon Bogdanove and Terry Austin did the honors for the reprint in Classic X-Men #17…
Last but not least is the humorous frontispiece by Jon Bogdanove and Terry Austin from the same issue…
Previous Classic Wolverine Cover: Alpha Flight #17 | Next: X-Men #115
Want to see the Classic Wolverine Covers from the beginning? Start here…
From 2008 to 2009, Wolverine Files highlighted, in chronological order, iconic Wolverine covers and their homages. Want to start at the beginning? Click here…
December 1984 gave us Alpha Flight #17 with a stunning cover by John Byrne, a retelling of the classic X-Men #109, chronicling Wolverine’s first encounter with Weapon Alpha, better known as Vindicator (or the controversial Major Maple Leaf)…
First up is the breathtaking original John Byrne artwork to Alpha Flight #17 from the collection of John Bamber. This is followed by the original X-Men #109 cover by Dave Cockrum from February 1978…
Finally, we have the Arthur Adams cover to the Classic X-Men #16 reprint of X-Men #109 as well as the original artwork featuring the inimitable inking of Terry Austin from the collection of David Mandel…
Previous Classic Wolverine Cover: Marvel Tales #236 | Next: X-Men #112
Want to see the Classic Wolverine Covers from the beginning? Start here…
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 April 1990 and Marvel Tales #236 hit the stands with a terrific cover by superstar artist Todd McFarlane, reprinting the second half of Marvel Team-Up Annual #1.
The story itself reprints the very first meeting between Wolverine and Spider-Man and boasts the classic Spider-Man line, “I’ve been keeping up for years, friend… and since I don’t hear them talking about you as the ‘Amazing Wolverine,’ I must be doing something right!”
Next up is the original Marvel Team-Up Annual #1 from 1975 by Dave Cockrum (Wolverine is lower right). To the right of that is the cover from Marvel Tales #235 by Todd McFarlane that reprinted the first half of the annual. While still impressive, it’s not quite as strong as our featured cover…
Finally, we have the cover to Marvel Tales #262 by Sam Keith from June 1992 that debuts a little known follow-up story. Since Wolverine is only part of the sidebar, I’ve magnified his appearance on the right…
Previous Classic Wolverine Cover: Marvel Holiday Special (1991) | Next: Alpha Flight #17
Want to see the Classic Wolverine Covers from the beginning? Start here…
From 2008 to 2009, Wolverine Files highlighted, in chronological order, iconic Wolverine covers and their homages. Want to start at the beginning? Click here…
The very first Marvel Holiday Special from 1991 boasts the best cover of this (mostly) annual book — and it’s another classic from Arthur Adams.
The X-Men story within flashes back to the Christmas Eve moments before X-Men #98, hence Wolverine’s early yellow and blue costume…
…and the complete wraparound cover in all its glory (Run, Santa, run!)…
In 1992, Arthur Adams returned for another crack at the Marvel Holiday Special (despite the January 1993 cover date) with Wolverine in the center of the action…
Though to get the full effect, the cover really needs to be viewed from the side…
Previous Classic Wolverine Cover: Deathblow and Wolverine #2 | Next: Marvel Tales #236
Want to see the Classic Wolverine Covers from the beginning? Start here…
From 2008 to 2009, Wolverine Files highlighted, in chronological order, iconic Wolverine covers and their homages. Want to start at the beginning? Click here…
Deathblow and Wolverine #2 is a personal favorite of mine and one not all that well known.
Back in 1996, Marvel Comics and Image crossed over two of their most popular characters in a story that takes place in the early days of the new X-Men. The artwork by Aron Wiesenfeld and Richard Bennett is simply breathtaking, and the second issue, from February 1997, sports an especially impressive cover…
…with an even more impressive opening spread from the first issue…
…and some truly spectacular original art from the second (and final) issue from the collection of Tim Townsend.
.
Previous Classic Wolverine Cover: Classic X-Men #1 | Next: Marvel Holiday Special 1991
Want to see the Classic Wolverine Covers from the beginning? Start here…
From 2008 to 2009, Wolverine Files highlighted, in chronological order, iconic Wolverine covers and their homages. Want to start at the beginning? Click here…
In September of 1986, Marvel Comics released Classic X-Men, a series reprinting early new X-Men stories with additional pages and backup stories by Chris Claremont and John Bolton.
And awesome new covers by Arthur Adams…
First up is a preliminary cover sketch by Arthur Adams from the collection of Drew Cheskin.
There also seems to be an earlier preliminary sketch courtesy of Fog City Art Exchange.
Next, we have the homage covers for Avengers Classic #1 by Arthur Adams himself from 2007 and The Official Handbook of the Universe: X-Men – Age of Apocalypse 2005 (whew!) by Mark Brooks…
It is interesting to note that early issues of Classic X-Men also boasted art on the inside front cover, and this stunning Arthur Adams frontispiece from the first issue is perhaps the best new X-Men team picture ever done…
And finally, we feature the back cover by John Bolton, a teaser for the all-new pages Chris Claremont and John Bolton incorporated into Classic X-Men #1…
Previous Classic Wolverine Cover: Giant-Size X-Men #1 | Next: Deathblow and Wolverine #2
Want to see the Classic Wolverine Covers from the beginning? Start here…
From 2008 to 2009, Wolverine Files highlighted, in chronological order, iconic Wolverine covers and their homages. Want to start at the beginning? Click here…
Perhaps the most iconic cover in X-Men history, Giant-Size X-Men #1 depicts the new X-Men bursting onto the scene, quite literally. Penciled by Gil Kane, the cover also debuted Wolverine’s new mask, an inadvertent penciling error that was deemed better than his previous mask. In fact, Dave Cockrum, who inked the cover and drew the issue itself, redrew Wolverine throughout to reflect the new look.
These early pencils by Gil Kane are the very first appearance of Wolverine’s present-day mask…
The first homage is a terrific cover by John Cassaday introducing the Astonishing X-Men to the cover of Wizard Magazine #159 from January 2005. This is followed by Dave Cockrum and John Cassaday on Giant-Size X-Men #3 from later in 2005. The cover is seemingly in response to the first (the characters are reversed) with Cockrum penciling the foreground while Cassaday penciled the backgrounds and inked the entire piece…
Next up is the rare variant cover painted by John Watson for the Uncanny X-Men Omnibus hardcover book from 2006. In the same year, Marc Silvestri created his own zombie version for the X-Men: Deadly Genesis #1 miniseries…
Finally, Steve McNiven offered up his own variation for Powerless #6 from 2005, the final issue of a miniseries focusing on what truly makes the hero, and last, but not least the Futurama Comics #8 parody from 2002…
Go Bender!
Previous Classic Wolverine Cover: Incredible Hulk #181 | Next: Classic X-Men #1
From 2008 to 2009, Wolverine Files highlighted, in chronological order, iconic Wolverine covers and their homages. This is the very first installment…
Though Wolverine debuted on the final page of Incredible Hulk #180, his first cover appearance wasn’t until the following month, cover dated November 1974.
Herb Trimpe provided the art, based on designs by John Romita, Sr., and the rest, as we say, is history…
First up is the greatest tattoo ever! And here I thought I was a fan!
Our first cover is an homage from Wild Thing #0 by Ron Frenz and Sal Buscema from 1999. Wild Thing is (will be?) the daughter of Wolverine and Elektra in the futuristic Marvel Universe of Spider-Girl (among others). The second is a stunning cover recreation by Arthur Adams from the collection of J. Michael Jackson. Wow!
Next up is the double-size cover for The Incredible Hulk and Wolverine #1 by John Byrne from 1986, the first reprint of Wolverine’s initial appearance. Too bad Wolverine looks like Batroc…
Finally, the cover of Wolverine Battles the Incredible Hulk from 1989 reprints the above reprint, though I have no idea who the cover artist was. And last but not least, the cover to Incredible Hulk (vol. 2) #80 by Lee Weeks from 2005 recreating Wolverine’s first battle with the Hulk…
Next Classic Wolverine Cover: Giant-Size X-Men #1
