Wolverine #1 cover by Alan Davis
Last week we unveiled the latest in teaser images from Marvel Comics, which hinted at something Wolverine related with the very vague word, “Snikt.”
Today we can put the speculation to rest as Marvel Comics has revealed to us that the next issue coming from Marvel NOW! is Wolverine #1, written by Paul Cornell with art by Alan Davis.
This book marks Paul Cornell’s return to Marvel Comics after the past couple of years at DC Comics. Leveraging Cornell’s admiration of the work done on the character of Wolverine by Chris Claremont, Wolverine #1 is an opportunity for Cornell to set his mark on Wolverine’s legacy, something Cornell finds severely undervalued. One of the key components of Wolverine will be how it Cornell plans for it to be continuity light and easy for new readers to dive in. Teaming up with Alan Davis who has done some of his best work of late for Marvel Comics, Wolverine #1 will be set in New York City and goes from there.
We needed to know more, so we chatted with Paul Cornell about what we can expect from the new title.
iFanboy: What’s your take on who Wolverine is these days? Logan’s been through many versions. How do you see him?
Paul Cornell: I think it’s actually quite strange that he’s this normal, down to earth guy who likes to have a beer, someone you’d trust to run a school, when he’s been alive so long, had so much happen to him, be, actually, such a weird being. I think he values that normality highly, that he fights for it. So this is the action series title where we meet him in his New York context, with many non-super hero friends (like Claremont always had the X-Men know), part of a community of professionals, a very civilized man of violence who’d prefer to be a man of peace.
iF: This book marks your return to writing at Marvel, how does it feel to be back at the House of Ideas?
PC: It’s great, especially that I’ve been given a high-profile chance to connect with a character that meant so much to me when I was at school. Chris Claremont’s X-Men *made* so much of me. This is where I get to try to return the favour. It’s great having Alan Davis as the artist, because that’s such a link to the classic era, and he can do action and acting both so well. And Jeanine Schaefer as editor means we’ve got all sorts of storytelling smarts in play.
iF: What can fans of Wolverine expect from this new ongoing series? How will you be kicking it off?
PC: James is caught up in a hostage situation, which involves a threat to innocents from a very disciplined, ruthless new character, the nature of which we’re only gradually going to reveal. That turns into an action movie chase, where James is highly motivated to stop having to repeat something not very nice he had to do in front of one of said innocents. James is at his best when he’s protecting others. I’ve been a father for four weeks, and I asked myself, which super hero would I hand my baby to? And the answer is James Logan, because he will die before he see that child hurt, and anyone who wants to do so has to get through the Wolverine. This title is about that balance between protector and berserker, between long-lived oddity and regular guy.
iF: Wolverine continues to be one of Marvel’s most popular characters, appearing in numerous books, several as the lead character. What does this book do that the others don’t?
PC: I think we go deep into who he is, with the sensibility of a show like Person Of Interest, so there are flashes of character, hard action, a few laughs, James with a new supporting cast of fellow professionals, going hunting in the big city, the lives of innocents at stake.
iF: With connections to the X-Men, Avengers and a rich history of supporting casts, will any other notable characters be appearing with Wolverine or will this mainly be focused on his solo adventures?
PC: Just a light spicing of that. I think of this as the central Wolverine title, so I want people to come here for the story and the character, and go elsewhere for the crossovers.
iF: This is an awfully British creative team for a backwoods Canadian like Wolverine. Can you tap into his outwardly expressed rage?
PC: He summed me up when I was growing up. It’s so not all outward. There is, indeed, something motivating him in this series that he doesn’t want to talk about. And can you really see him letting it all out and crying on someone’s shoulder?
Wolverine #1 comes out in March 2013 and below is the full solicitation for the upcoming series’ first issue:
WOLVERINE #1
Written by PAUL CORNELL
Pencils & Cover by ALAN DAVIS
Variant Cover by OLIVIER COIPEL
Blank Cover Also Available
Variant by SKOTTIE YOUNG· ALL NEW ONGOING by superstars Paul Cornell (CAPTAIN BRITAIN AND MI:13, Doctor Who, Action Comics) and Alan Davis (AVENGERS, CLANDESTINE, EXCALIBUR, UNCANNY X-MEN)
· Hunting Season, part 1.
· A new enemy sets its sights on Wolverine…though Logan doesn’t know it yet!
· To save a little boy, Wolverine must make a terrible decision that will haunt him.32 PGS./Parental Advisory …$3.99
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I know Origin revealed Wolferine’s name, but does he actually go by James Logan now? So weird to see him referred to something other to just Logan.
I have a feeling that’s a clue to Mr. Cornell’s intent. Either a plot clue (he never specifically says this story takes place entirely in present day, does he? — I may have missed it), or an indication that he’s going to be focusing on the man at the core of the Wolvie mythos. Or both.
This is all just speculation, though.
I’ve heard Beast call him James as well as a few others. Usually it only happens when they need to let him know something serious.
Was it 616 or Ultimate Cap that calls him James?
I agree that it’s probably a clue to Cornell’s intent, but “James LOGAN” doesn’t sit right with me. It’s either James Howlett, or it’s Logan. The two names were never one (Logan was an alias to hide the Howlett name), and mixing them like that doesn’t make any sense.
SOLD!
Enough Wolverine already, although this one does sound better than Savage Wolverine
Loved MI13 and Davis is my favourite artist. Can’t wait!
Agreed. Although I’d love to see these two do the definitive Captain Britain run, suppose Logan will shift a few more units
So is Cornell still writing anything at DC?
Saucer Country.
He left Stormawatch ages ago and is finishing up his run on Demon Knights. Saucer Country is being published by Vertigo but other than that, no new DC work announced. Shame really, I would have liked him to have written the new Hellblazer lite book; Constantine.
He would’ve been great for Constantine.
Why does everyone love Wolverine so much? He’s ok, there are just so many more interesting characters out there… I wish they would have tried something more risky with the talent they have on this book.
but he’s so cool and edgy! He’s got attitude! He’s… I honestly don’t know. Wolverine always reminds me of Poochy from ‘The Simpsons’. I’d rather there was a Beast solo title but at least he’s in Secret Avengers, Wolverine & the X-Men and All-New X-Men.
Because hes a great character hes know less then ine of the five most recognized comic character. Plus he’s just cool
Logan is many things to many people(which is why he works so well in many stories). A samurai, a soldier, a loner, a teammate, a government tool, a killer, a lover, a teacher, a drinker, and maybe most of all, an X-men. He’s an incredibly flawed, contradiction of a man. He murders people(even his own children by accident!), he’s an alcoholic, he’s got SERIOUS anger issues. But on the other hand, he’s an incredibly wise, very intelligent man, a zen master who can teach you a lot about life. He loves people, and he’s loved right back as a good man despite his bad past or his violent nature. There’s that core to his character that keeps him interesting, conflicting sides of himself he’s always fighting against that keeps me engaged, no matter how many dumb stories or retcons that come along.
Plus, he’s like a ninja version of Clint Eastwood. That is just distilled awesomeness, right there.
Well said Jeremy
Agree with Jeremy
@Jeremy good points. I think part of my frustration is the over saturation of his character in the marvel universe. In in so much that I’m tired of seeing him. The “in moderation” motto of the Greeks would benefit Wolverine greatly. He’s not so interesting that I need him in 10 books, 3 of which are just him.
Between Marvel and DC he probably doesn’t even make my top 20.
Can’t you say the same with Batman as far as ovet saturation. How many books is Batman in
I think there is a nostalgia aspect as well. I started reading comics in the mid to late 80’s and to me, at that time, he really did seem more different and edgy than all the other Marvel characters. The Claremont Wolverine-as-Patch-in-Madripoor run felt like an indie book to me and I felt as though I was tapping into something that other comics fans did not know about. I realize that was not the case at all, but to a 12 year old me it really felt that way. Alot has changed since then but I feel like many of us are trying to tap back into that feeling. It’s not at all clear that this book will do that, but I’m willing to give the first trade a shot.
No character is so interesting that they should appear in ten monthly books. But if you don’t understand the appeal of Wolverine, you must not have read a lot of him. When written and drawn properly, he can be one most compelling characters in superhero comics.
Ehhhh…. I’m on the fence. I don’t want to… but I might… must… talk myself out of… it
All in
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Despite my being a Canuck, I’ve never loved Wolvie as much as so many others. I think I started feeling like tehre was just too much of him out there… I don’t know.
That said, this creative team may prove too good to resist!
I think most USA-Americans are kind of disappointed when they find out Wolverine is Canadian. They think that there must be some mistake. They rationalize that maybe he was just shipped to Canada for the Weapon-X experiments. They run with the false memory implants. Surely – they shout – he’s a real commie fightin’ American!
They don’t realize all Canadians have a healing factor so we can deal with the winter weather!
As long as they never EVER refer to him as James again I might be in.
I swear whomever thought that Wolverine: Origins was a good idea was drinking the stupid juice. Took the best thing about the character and broke it utterly……
Agreed. I’d like to see Mephisto come and erase all that. Just so long as Wolverine doesn’t go back to the Indiana Jones look.
Interesting. I’ve always felt that from an editorial standpoint (if not a creative one), the original mini Origin (not the series that “followed” it) was a stroke of genius. Let’s be honest, Wolverine’s origin was going to be done at some point. I’m glad they decided to do it when they did and with the talent they had. Personally, I was surprised by how much I enjoyed Origin. And it was damn pretty.
It was good. But it answered the question that shouldn’t have been answered.
I could not agree more. Origin was a huge mistake for the character.
I am looking forward to this book. Cornell and Davis are both great creators.
Whew that was a close call, Wolvie almost had less than 20 books a month for a sec there. But seriously, the creative team is killer, so I will prob try this out.
A Wolverine comic isn’t something that would typically attract my attention these days. It just seems so… standard. Plus he is in other comics I’m reading. But I think Cornell will do something interesting with it so the creative team has me sold.
People talk about over-saturation, and they may have a point. But I’d argue the Wolverine and the X-Men isn’t really a Wolverine book. His name is in the title, and he may be the “lead character,” but that book’s much more about the school than it is about any specific character. I can think of a handful of issues that Wolverine where isn’t even around. It’s as much a Wolverine book as West Wing was a show about Jed Bartlett.
I plan on pulling this, but I’m holding off on Savage Wolverine for the moment. I initially held off on Wolverine and the X-Men and lived to regret that decision. Hopefully I’m making the correct choice this time.
Wolverine and Detective comics were the only two titles that I never dropped in all my years of reading comics. And then when Aaron left Wolverine and Daniels started “writing” Detective, I dropped them both within a year of each other. I just couldn’t justify it anymore. But Cornell is a really creative writer, and he’s got me intrigued. Depending on how thick my pull list is and how thin my wallet is come March, I may give this one a shot. I’d love to enjoy a good solo Wolverine book again.
I thought that this was going to be a new book with X-23. I like Wolverine but isn’t he in like five different books already? I remember when people thought that Spider-man was overexposed.
Well god damn it, I guess I have no choice but to buy this.
Although, why do I have a sneaking suspicion that this was announced only because Frank Cho is no where close to finishing an arc of his own Wolverine series?
They’ve been announcing books for over a month. And from the interview, it’s clear that Cornell’s been working on this for a while. What makes you think that one has anything to do with the other?
@WheelHands: I would just think a book by Paul Cornell and Alan Davis would be something to announce much sooner than today. Considering that Frank Cho is holy as hell unreliable on a monthly schedule I’d assume a second Wolverine ongoing is going to compensate for it. I hope I’m wrong though, cause Cho drawing a Wolverine book is a great thing.
I”M IN!!!
I WISH this was a Captain Britain series instead… Ah wells.