With The Wolverine opening this weekend to wash away the taste of Origins: Wolverine, I could think of no better time than now to write this article. Although Superman, Batman and Spider-Man might be most people's first choice, there is one hero that has proven that he can transcend the grey area of an anti-hero better than any other. He has risen through the ranks and now stands shoulder-to-shoulder with the best from the "Big Two" of Marvel and DC. That anti-hero is Wolverine. Wolverine's development came about at a time when the idea of an "anti-hero" was becoming chic; Marvel's Knights was a few years away and the seeds were laid thanks to the Dark Age/Copper Age ethos of the mid-80's. During this time people wanted more grit, "realism" and buckets of dark tones from their comic fiction. The Punisher, Daredevil, Batman were all given this treatment, as each walked the line between hero and outlaw. They became characters that cared about doing whatever it took for the greater good. Into this fray, enters Logan, Weapon X, James or The Wolverine...Born into the Marvel universe as an agent for the Canadian government as a foe to face off against the Incredible Hulk. He gained popularity after his debut as an X-Men, one year later. The mixture of a mysterious past, unique healing powers and a hardboiled persona all added to become an attractive selling point and his trademark. Wolverine, like others from the X-Men, was expanded into his own solo series and enjoyed the boom period for the X-Men franchise around the Copper Age. Since then, he has clocked up numerous guest appearances in various series, and he has even been a member of The Avengers. One thing that I must stress is that Logan is not a crime-fighter nor does he bring justice. Logan is very much in it for himself; he is a reactionary figure, one that will only response to what comes to him. Therefore a lot of the themes in his books are about his personal journey to find himself and atone for his sins. Finding the best place to start with Wolverine will vary on whom you ask, and some books are very hard to get outside of back issue hunting. So, I have broken this down into: An Introduction, Character Development and finally Wolverine's best fights, just for some fun. Here is where to start with Wolverine comics...
Quick Graphic Novel Suggestions: God Loves, Man Kills, The Dark Phoenix Saga and Days of Future Past.