Wolverine Back Issue Talk, Part Five: What I Do Best Isn’t Very Nice.
First, get your 2025 comic industry predictions in! Come back in January 2026 to see how you did! …Well, I mean, keep reading my site ’til then, of course.
Next, to Mike Loughlin, I can get to those Wolverine-adjacent titles as an addendum to this series. I certainly have something to say about those comics.
And lastly, I’m sure I’ll miss some Wolverine issue or ‘nother in my overview here. You can bring ’em up in the comments, but I may or may not get to them. Nothing personal, but I only intended this to be, like, two installments, and here we are on five! Ah well, What Can You Do™?
So we move on with our discussion of Wolverine that still attract (or had attracted) interest in the back issue market, and their possibility of continuing to do so in the future.
First up is Wolverine #59 (1992), featuring the artwork of Darick Robertson and Joe Rubenstein:
I suspect the reasons for interest in this issue are self-evident, going back to, as Andrew said, reasons solely related to the cover. This Terminator-esque look for our favorite furball is a consistent eyecatcher, but not necessarily one that always results in a sale from the back issue bins. But it does sell, so I’ll give it the middling Two Claws rating…still gets attention and will likely receive attention in the years to come, but not a book that’s an insta-grab for your typical back issue hound.
Next up is Wolverine #67 (1993), art by Mark Texeira:
Texeira had a little run of Wolverine comics around this time, but this is probably the cover of the bunch. Certainly the most (here comes that word again) iconic. Now there was a bit of time some years ago when Texeira art had this measure of, well, “hotness” about it, goading sales along of any comics that featured it. That’s not quite the case now (Mike Loughlin, this probably answers one of your questions), which isn’t a comment on Texeira’s art or anything, which is certainly dynamic and attention-grabbing.
I would also give this issue the Two Claws ranking, as it does sell at a higher frequency than the issues around it, and I think as time wears on, it’ll continue as a consistent, if not high demand, item.
And here we are, the first Wolverine cover with a hologram glued to it…#75 from 1993, with art by Adam Kubert and Mark Farmer:
This is part of a storyline in which Wolverine loses the adamantium bonded to his bones. Specifically, Magneto uses his powers to pull out the adamantium, an event that happens in the previous chapter of this crossover story, the similarly hologrammed X-Men #25.
Of the X-comics that comprised this storyline, dubbed “Fatal Attractions,” it was (and still is) X-Men #25 that commands the most attention. That had been because of the events within, and maybe still because of them, but now mostly sell because of the demand for back issues for this X-Men series. (The Uncanny X-Men issue of this crossover sells at a high rate too, also because of demand for thos back issues.)
Yes yes, but what of Wolverine #75? I’m going to be a tad wishy washy on this, by giving this the most marginal of a Three Claws rating. Yes, it certainly sells, but sometimes…it takes a bit. It’s not an immediate grab ‘n’ slab (ugh, I’m sorry) for most folks diving into the old comics bins, like other Three Claw rankers. It’s definitely not in as much demand as X-Men #25. I don’t get calls from people desperately looking for it or anything. I think orders on this issue were particularly high, and it’s fairly common. But, priced right and put in front of the proper customer, it’ll move. And that hologram will continue to grab eyeballs in the future, making it stand apart from its non-gimmicked brethren.
On a related note, here’s a post I wrote long ago about just how these “Fatal Attractions” comics were shipped to us, and what the printer did to protect those precious hologram.
That’s probably it for Wolverine talk for this week…unless I’m stuck for a topic on Friday and I dive back in. Thanks for reading, pals, and I hope everyone has a safe New Year celebration!
Thanks for the updates and continued posting on how Wolverine covers sell, Mike! I forgot about the “Terminator” cover, that’s a good one. I remember that Wolverine shaved his hair down in order to go undercover. During the story, it gradually grows back to his original hairdo. I feel like Darrick Robertson deserves more appreciation, people don’t seem to talk about his work that much.
I’m kind of surprised Mark Texiera’s work isn’t in higher demand. He hasn’t done tons of comics, and no one else draws like he does. I suppose his Ghost Rider art is the most in-demand; I know the glow-in-the-dark cover for GR 15 still sells quickly in some markets. Tex’s art on Black Panther, Union, Cosmic Ghost Rider, and a handful of annuals and one-shots all looks really cool.
The Terminator has just finished a nice frothy Cappuccino
Since Popeye is set to enter the public domain in 2025 will Sterling Silver Comics be self-publishing a Popeye one-shot comic ? Maybe Tin Tin and Sam Spade could be it as well as they will also be public domain…
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/happy-public-domain-day-popeye-rhapsody-in-blue-the-sound-and-the-fury-and-thousands-of-other-captivating-creations-are-finally-free-for-everyone-to-use-180985744/
When tracking down back issues of X-Force a few years ago I discovered that (while priced the same as other issues) the ones with Deadpool on the cover were much harder to find. Is the same true for other series like Wolverine?
Wolverine #88, with Deadpool on the cover, is hard to find nowadays, especially at a sane price (if you can find a copy it seems to be priced at least over $50, with some priced over $100). That was the first on page meeting between the two characters though, which would explain the seeming rarity now.
I was buying Wolverine at the time, so I picked up that one off the rack for cover price.
Leaving aside the quality of the art, that Wolverine #75 cover is not good. Way too much copy (in so many different fonts!) and elements that bounce your eyes all over the place. If there’s a focal point, it seems to be Jean’s face, which is an odd decision given that 1) it’s Wolverine’s book and 2) he’s the one being pulled apart. But I guess the real draw was the hologram anyway, so who cares.
In contrast, the Texeira cover infuses a whole new level of menace to the Wolverine pose made iconic by Art Adams. You can feel the grime and the razor sharpness of the claws. Simple and effective. If I had to choose, that’s the one I’d buy.
“#67 (1993), art by Mark Texeira”
That’s a great cover! And another one where Wolvies running at you!
“Texeira’s art or anything, which is certainly dynamic and attention-grabbing”.
Yup! He did decent work in Ghost Rider (V.2) and Punisher War Journal.
” Wolverine cover with a hologram glued to the cover…#75″
That one’s a mess. Half the cover is obscured by copy and that STOOPID black rectangle, as it isn’t visible as a hologram if you don’t see it in person. And the cover concept is gross. And, since it’s years later, i HATED the Bone Claws concept for Wolvie.
“I know the glow-in-the-dark cover for GR 15”
THAT was a decent gimmick cover! SPOOKY!
“The Terminator has just finished a nice frothy Cappuccino”
Hasta La vista, Coffee!
“The Mickey who wears his now-signature white gloves, which didn’t appear until 1929, is entering the public domain in 2025.”
Disney: not happy.
also “Tintin”.
interesting!