Wolverine #2
Published and © by Marvel, October 1982
Title: “Debts and Obligations”
Synopsis: Following a battle with the Hand, Wolverine and rebound love-interest Yukio invade the stronghold of a Japanese crime lord.
Writer: Chris Claremont
Penciler: Frank Miller
Finisher: Joe Rubinstein
Review: Marvel’s breakout hit miniseries continues with a second strong issue. This tour de force features all the signature stylings of its A-list creative team: Chris Claremont’s internal monologues and relationship angst combined with Frank Miller’s masterful layouts, kinetic action sequences and ninjas! Japan provides a great – and unexpected – setting for exploring Wolverine’s then-mysterious (and far-less-convoluted) past. Inker Joe Rubinstein’s finishes provide a very different feel than Miller’s frequent partner Klaus Janson delivered on Daredevil; the results are a bit rough in places, but not enough to distract from Miller’s superlative storytelling. A fantastic Bronze Age outing.
Grade: A
Second opinion: “4 out of 5 stars.” – Comics Coast to Coast #3, 1982 …Recommended by The Slings & Arrows Comic Guide (second edition), 2003.
Cool factor: Wolverine in full berserker mode. (Too bad for him it’s the first time girlfriend Mariko had even seen it!)
Collector’s note: According to the Grand Comics Database, there is a 75¢ Canadian variant of this issue.
Character quotable: “Gotcha!”– Yukio, temporary love interest and kindred spirit
Editor’s note: This review was originally published by Sequential Reaction (Vol. 1) on Jan. 27, 2016.
