History ComicBook / FrankMillersWolverine

''Wolverine'' (1982) is the first solo adventure of ComicBook/XMen BreakoutCharacter {{Wolverine}}. A four-issue miniseries written by Creator/ChristClaremont with layouts by Creator/FrankMiller and pencils by Joe Rubinstein, it is considered one of Wolverine’s defining stories and features some of the most iconic images of the character’s career. The series is mostly referred to as ''Frank Miller’s Wolverine'' due to the layout work and SignatureStyle provided by Miller, who would go on to be one of the defining artists of TheEighties.

'''{{Wolverine}}''''s first solo adventure was a four-issue miniseries published in 1982, written by Creator/ChrisClaremont, with layouts by Creator/FrankMiller and pencils by Joe Rubinstein. The story continues through Uncanny X-Men #172 and #173, when the rest of the team arrive in Japan.

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Wolverine_1_5935.jpg]]

[[quoteright:233:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Wolverine_1_5935.jpg]]

!!'''Wolverine''' provides the following trope examples:

!!Tropes:
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%% PLEASE read Administrivia/ExampleIndentationInTropeLists
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* BadassGrandpa: Lord Shingen. A mere common man with no super powers and no special weapons (and an old man, for that matter), capable to defeat Wolverine on hand-to-hand combat, is not something we see very often.

* ActionGirl: Yukio. To the point that she would have sex with Wolverine [[TooDumbToLive on the rails of the supersonic train]], just for the thrill of the risk.
* AncestralWeapon: The sword of the Yashida clan.

--> LOGAN: "The bear lasted longer... but I let the man live."

* HonorBeforeReason: Staying with an abusing husband, just because of honor?

* RunawayBride: [[LikeYouWouldReallyDoIt As if someone like Wolverine would really end married]].

* SignatureStyle: For a book written by Chris Claremont, the miniseries has a ''lot'' of Frank Miller's writing quirks -- FilmNoir style InnerMonologue, {{Ninja}}, HonorBeforeReason, and {{Deconstruction}}/{{Reconstruction}} of the protagonist. But that's actually because [[OlderThanTheyThink Claremont was doing them first]] - earlier Wolverine [[ADayInTheLimelight spotlight stories]] had much of the same style.
* TokyoIsTheCenterOfTheUniverse: Many 80's adventures of the X-Men took place in Japan, but this one is the greatest.
* TranslationConvention: Text enclosed in < > is in Japanese. Well, they ''are'' in Japan, the only "gaijin" is Wolverine, who speaks Japanese without problem... so, it's < > basically the whole time, except for Wolverine's internal monologue.

%% PLEASE read ExampleIndentationInTropeLists

* UsefulNotes/The47Ronin: The kabuki play in the second issue of the miniseries is Chushingura, which based on the story of the 47. Wolvie spends a couple panels' worth of InnerMonologue musing about its themes of honor and devotion before all hell breaks loose.

* SignatureStyle: For a book nominally written by Chris Claremont, the miniseries has a ''lot'' of Frank Miller's writing quirks -- FilmNoir style InnerMonologue, {{Ninja}}, HonorBeforeReason, and {{Deconstruction}}/{{Reconstruction}} of the protagonist. But that's actually because [[OlderThanTheyThink Claremont was doing them first]] - earlier Wolverine [[ADayInTheLimelight spotlight stories]] had much of the same style.

[[caption-width-right:233:[[BringIt Do you want to fight?]]]]

* SignatureStyle: For a book nominally written by Chris Claremont, the miniseries has a ''lot'' of Frank Miller's writing quirks -- FilmNoir style InnerMonologue, {{Ninja}}, HonorBeforeReason, and {{Deconstruction}}/{{Reconstruction}} of the protagonist.

* The47Ronin: The kabuki play in the second issue of the miniseries is Chushingura, which based on the story of the 47. Wolvie spends a couple panels' worth of InnerMonologue musing about its themes of honor and devotion before all hell breaks loose.

'''{{Wolverine}}''''s first solo adventure was a four-issue miniseries published in 1982, written by Creator/ChrisClaremont, with layouts by FrankMiller and pencils by Joe Rubinstein. The story continues through Uncanny X-Men #172 and #173, when the rest of the team arrive in Japan.

This comic had a SequelSeries of a sort in the ''KittyPryde and Wolverine'' miniseries (published in 1984–1985), which was also set in Japan and featured some of the same characters and themes (such as Wolverine's internal conflict between his animal rage and his samurai honor). Many elements of the original four-issue series were later used in the ''Wolverine'' anime, including Yukio, Shingen, Mariko, and Logan's buddy on the Japanese Secret Service. It also ends up incorporating many later facets of the ''Wolverine'' ongoing, like Madripoor. The 2013 film ''Film/TheWolverine'' also includes characters and concepts from this limited series.

!!''Wolverine'' contains examples of:

-> LOGAN: "The bear lasted longer... but I let the man live."

* {{Seppuku}}: If Wolverine was not around, Mariko would have killed his father, for bringing dishonor to the family, and then suicide (or die trying to kill her father). In any case, she would not live in dishonor. But Wolverine did it first, saving her from that dilemma.

This comic later had a SequelSeries of a sort in the ''KittyPryde and Wolverine'' miniseries, which was also set in Japan and featured some of the same characters and themes (such as Wolverine's internal conflict between his animal rage and his samurai honor). Many elements of the original four-issue series were later used in the ''Wolverine'' anime, including Yukio, Shingen, Mariko, and Logan's buddy on the Japanese Secret Service. It also ends up incorporating many later facets of the ''Wolverine'' ongoing, like Madripoor. The 2013 film ''Film/TheWolverine'' also includes characters and concepts from this limited series.

This comic later had a SequelSeries of a sort in the ''KittyPryde and Wolverine'' miniseries, which was also set in Japan and featured some of the same character and themes (such as Wolverine's internal conflict between his animal rage and his samurai honor). Many elements of the original four-issue series were later used in the ''Wolverine'' anime, including Yukio, Shingen, Mariko, and Logan's buddy on the Japanese Secret Service. It also ends up incorporating many later facets of the ''Wolverine'' ongoing, like Madripoor. The 2013 film ''Film/TheWolverine'' also includes characters and concepts from this limited series.

Many elements of the original four-issue series were later used in the ''Wolverine'' anime, including Yukio, Shingen, Mariko, and Logan's buddy on the Japanese Secret Service. It also ends up incorporating many later facets of the ''Wolverine'' ongoing, like Madripoor. The 2013 film ''Film/TheWolverine'' also includes characters and concepts from this limited series.

'''{{Wolverine}}''''s first solo adventure was a four-issue miniseries, written in 1982 by Creator/ChrisClaremont and pencilled by FrankMiller. The story continues through Uncanny X-Men #172 and #173, when the rest of the team arrive in Japan.

* SignatureStyle: For a book nominally written by Chris Claremont, it has a ''lot'' of Frank Miller's writing quirks -- FilmNoir style InnerMonologue, {{Ninja}}, HonorBeforeReason, and {{Deconstruction}}/{{Reconstruction}} of the protagonist.

* SignatureStyle: For a book nominally written by Chris Claremont, it has a ''lot'' of Frank Miller's writing quirks -- FilmNoir style InnerMonologue, {{Ninja}}, HonorBeforeReason, and an appreciation of Japanese culture.

* The47Ronin: The kabuki play in the second issue of the miniseries is Chushingura, which based on the story of the 47. Wolvie spends a couple panels' worth of internal monologue musing about its themes of honor and devotion before all hell breaks loose.

* AncestralWeapon: The sword of the Yashida clan.

* BillingDisplacement: Remembered overwhelmingly for Frank Miller's involvement, despite the fact that he principally did layouts, with inker Joe Rubinstein doing the finishes. And of course the plot was a culmination of Claremont's storylines that had been ongoing for some years.

* HarsherInHindsight: The Japan Air Lines flight that Wolverine takes to get to Tokyo is called JAL 007. One year later, a real-life Korean Air Lines flight, Flight ''K''AL 007, was shot down by a Soviet fighter, killing all aboard, while flying the exact same route (minus a disputed drifting over the Kamchatka Peninsula) that the fictional JAL 007 took in the story.

The X-Men were invited to the wedding, including their newest member, Rogue. Wolverine still hated her for her fight with Carol Danvers when she absorbed her memories and powers. But things had not ended yet, and the criminal ties laid by Shingen were not very easy to break. The Silver Samurai requested an interview with Mariko, and she accepted, refusing any help from the X-Men. Still, she has to take it, when they are attacked. Mariko, Yukio and Storm defeated the Silver Samurai, and Wolverine and Rogue joined the fight in the hospital. Everything was going to end well... [[spoiler:but Mariko stopped the wedding, and rejected Wolverine because he was not worthy. It was revealed in later issues that she was under Mastermind's control when she rejected him, but refused to get married with Wolverine until she could clean her family from criminal links.]]