003 - Young Logan (version 2.1)
Andy Kubert and Richard Isanove, Origin #4.
© and ™ by Marvel Characters, Inc.
Wolverine: The Origin #3 (Jan 2002) – “Part III: The Beast Within”
Plotter: Paul Jenkins, Bill Jemas & Joe Quesada; Scripter: Paul Jenkins;Penciler: Andy Kubert; Digital Painter: Richard Isanove
After the deaths of John Howlett and Thomas Logan, Elizabeth Howlett (James' mother) spurns James and his
bone claws as an abomination. Rose sprints after James who flees in tears, while Dog, who was severely clawed across the face,
tries to stop his bleeding. As Rose tends to a now unconscious James Howlett, Elizabeth picks up Dog's rifle and kills herself.
The local constables arrive at the elder Mr. Howlett's house in the early hours of the following day to break the news of
the killings, while Rose continues to tend to James who is now exhibiting signs of amnesia brought on by trauma. When the elder
Howlett arrives at the estate, Dog, under much duress, suggests that Rose instigated the whole thing and kidnapped James. By
evening, Rose returns to the estate with James, but they are confronted by the elder Howlett. Rose explains what happened,
but the elder Howlett orders her to take the abomination that is his grandson on the next train out of Alberta , Canada. He
gives them money for transit (the year 1900 is barely legible on the currency) and warns them to never return. The train takes
James and Rose to British Columbia where they finally stop at a quarry town along the Northern frontier, south
of the 1896 Yukon gold rush territories (though it is likely that these events occurred well after the neighboring
1903 Kluane Country Gold Rush. James's wounds have miraculously healed along the way and they
are hired by the tough, but fair quarry foreman, an imposing man by the name of Smitty. When asked for James's name, Rose,
in a panic, blurts out Logan.”
Wolverine: The Origin #4 (Feb 2002) – “Part IV: Heaven and Hell”
Plotter: Paul Jenkins, Bill Jemas & Joe Quesada; Scripter: Paul Jenkins; Penciler: Andy Kubert; Digital Painter: Richard Isanove
James Howlett, now known as Logan, struggles to keep up with the work at the quarry and finds an enemy in
the immensely overweight camp cook, Cookie Malone. But a year and a half later, Logan begins to earn the admiration of Rose
and the foreman, Smitty, for his grittiness and hard work. Before long, Logan learns to hunt, killing a deer and sharing it with
a widow in the camp. Logan pushes his past behind him and begins to take after Smitty, drinking, smoking and even talking in
the same manner. One night, Cookie picks a fight with Logan and beats him to a pulp. Smitty drops Cookie with one punch
and admonishes Logan for not standing up for himself. Logan flees in a panic, trying to hide his claws that popped during
the fight. Running into the woods, Logan finds himself face-to-face with a savage wolf, who seems to accept Logan as a fellow feral beast.
Wolverine: The Origin #5 (May 2002) – “Part V: Revelation”
Plotter: Paul Jenkins, Bill Jemas & Joe Quesada; Scripter: Paul Jenkins; Penciler: Andy Kubert; Digital Painter: Richard Isanove
As time passes, we see Rose and Smitty begin to fall in love, while Logan, blissfully unware, runs with the wolves,
taking down deer barehanded with the pack. At the quarry, Smitty trains Logan to handle dynamite, and the rest of the camp comes to
view Logan as a tremendously hard worker who digs like a wolverine. Cookie becomes jealous of Logan 's popularity and trims the
fuses on the dynamite, hoping that Logan will blow himself up. The result is a cave-in at the mine, killing five miners, but
Logan is found alive under the rocks, his body shielding a young boy. The following day, Smitty gives Logan a book on Japanese
samurai, all the while suspecting that there is more to Logan than meets the eye. During the funerals for the five miners,
Logan catches Cookie stealing from the cabins. Logan finally stands up for himself and decks Cookie. Excited by his victory,
he goes to tell Rose, only to find her in an embrace with Smitty. Enraged, Logan pops his claws, races to the forest and challenges
the Alpha Wolf. In minutes, Logan has defeated the wolf and is accepted by the pack as their new leader. Back in Alberta,
the elder Howlett, on his deathbed and regretting his earlier actions, requests that the now full-grown Dog find his grandson, James.
Wolverine: The Origin #6 (Jul 2002) – “Part VI: Dust to Dust”
Plotter: Paul Jenkins, Bill Jemas & Joe Quesada; Scripter: Paul Jenkins; Penciler: Andy Kubert; Digital Painter: Richard Isanove
When Rose accepts Smitty's proposal for marriage, the couple decide to move away from the quarry. Logan takes
this news especially hard since he had dreams of spending his days with Rose. Smitty, meanwhile, enters a bare knuckles competition
to raise money for the train fare. Logan enters as well, earning the nickname of wolverine for his ferocity during his first
few bouts. Dog tracks Logan down at the competition and gives brass knuckles to Logan's next opponent, Cookie Malone. Even
at a disadvantage, Logan makes mincemeat of Cookie. The final bout is between Logan and Smitty, and Logan easily manhandles
Smitty, much to everyone's surprise. At the last moment, Logan throws the fight, so Smitty can collect the money to start his
new life with Rose. As Smitty and Rose prepare to leave, Logan is attacked by Dog, who, with his height and size advantage, beats Logan to a pulp.
Iron Fist #15 (Sep 1977) – “Enter, the X-Men”
Writer: Chris Claremont; Penciler: John Byrne; Inker: Dan Green
Logan notes, after being dropped by Iron Fist, that he has not been hit like that since he was a kid.
This obscure comment could reference his encounter with Dog.
Wolverine: The Origin #6 (Jul 2002) – “Part VI: Dust to Dust”
Plotter: Paul Jenkins, Bill Jemas & Joe Quesada; Scripter: Paul Jenkins; Penciler: Andy Kubert; Digital Painter: Richard Isanove
When Dog mentions James' father, Logan loses control and knocks Dog out, popping his claws to kill, in his
mind, his father's murderer. Rose runs to stop Logan, but impales herself on his claws, dying instantly. Devastated, Logan heads
for the wilderness and joins the wolf pack, ignoring Smitty's pleas to return. Rose's diary chronicling the events of James
Howlett's earliest days is destroyed in a fire as Cookie Malone ransacks Rose's quarters looking for valuables.
Wolverine #175 (Jun 2002) – “The Logan Files: Conclusion”
Writer: Frank Tieri; Penciler: Sean Chen; Inker: Norm Rapmund
Sabretooth reveals that Logan's mutant healing ability not only works on his body, but also on his mind. In
other words, Logan's mind was able to block out especially painful memories, such as the deaths of his father and Rose, which would
explain why Logan has little or no memory of these events.
Wolverine #176 (Jul 2002) – “The Logan Files, Epilogue”
Writer: Frank Tieri; Penciler: Sean Chen; Inker: Norm Rapmund
In a near-death experience, Logan realizes that he does, in fact, block the memories of especially traumatic
events, and when he has a vision of Rose, he does not recognize her.
X-Men #74 (Apr 1998) – “Rituals”
Writer: Joe Kelley; Penciler: Carlos Pacheco; Inker: Art Thibert
Logan carries credentials from the Nassau Police Department, listing himself as Detective Jim Logan. While the ID is undoubtedly
a forgery (or a professional courtesy), it is interesting that Logan unwittingly chose the name he was given as a child.
Andy Kubert and Richard Isanove, Origin #4.
© and ™ by Marvel Characters, Inc.
...There has been evidence that others were aware of Logan's identity as James Howlett...
New X-Men #133 (Dec 2002) – “Dust”
Writer: Grant Morrison; Penciler: Ethan Van Sciver; Inker: Norm Rapmund
In referencing Wolverine's past, Fantomax drops the name of James in passing, showing that he knows more
about Wolverine's past than Logan does. In fact, Fantomax seems to imply that the Weapon X program knew quite a lot about Logan's past.
New X-Men #143 (Aug 2003) – “Assault on Weapon Plus, Part 2 of 4: The World”
Writer: Grant Morrison; Penciler: Chris Bachalo; Inker: Tim Townsend
Fantomax reveals details from the Weapon Plus files, such as Logan's real name listed as James Logan.
New X-Men #145 (Oct 2003) – “Assault on Weapon Plus, Part 4 of 4: The Devil”
Writer: Grant Morrison; Penciler: Chris Bachalo; Inker: Tim Townsend with Vey & Sowd
Logan reads through the Weapon X database and learns that he was listed as test subject ‘James.'
Weapon X #23 (Jul 2004) – “War of the Programs, Part 1: In the Beginning”
Writer: Frank Tieri; Artist Tom Mandrake
Prior to Logan 's involvement into the Weapon X program, the head of the program, the Professor, has a file
with the name, James Howlett.
...After the publication of Wolverine: Origin, Logan begins to have visions of his life as James Howlett...
New X-Men #137 (Apr 2003) – “Riot at Xavier's”
Writer: Grant Morrison; Artist: Frank Quitely
Quentin Quire, a young mutant telepath at the Xavier Institute, attacks Wolverine, psychically trapping
Logan in his past where he is called James.
New X-Men #148 (Dec 2003) – “Planet X, Part 3 of 5: Survivor Type”
Writer: Grant Morrison; Penciler: Phil Jimenez; Inker Andy Lanning
In a telepathic conversation with Jean Grey, Logan reveals that he has been having flashbacks of a woman with red hair
calling him James, screaming for help. Though Logan believes these might be memory implants from Experiment X, it shows that he is slowly remembering his past.
Wolverine: The End #3 (Jun 2004)
Writer: Paul Jenkins; Artist: Claudio Castellini
Badly beaten, Logan begins to hallucinate, seeing a vision of Rose. Since this story takes place in the future, however, we
cannot confirm this event will actually happen.
...The events House of M, another major Marvel event, more firmly established Logan's identity as that of
James Howlett...
House of M #8 (Dec 2005)
Writer: Brian Michael Bendis; Penciler: Olivier Coipel; Inker: John Dell, Scott Hanna & Tim Townsend
After the reality-changing events of House of M come to a close, Logan finds that he remembers his entire past.
House of M #3 (Sep 2005)
Writer: Brian Michael Bendis; Penciler: Olivier Coipel; Inker: Tim Townsend
Logan specifically remembers confronting a wolf with his bone claws. This is a clear indication that Logan remembers
the events of Wolverine: The Origin.
Wolverine (Vol. 2) #37 (Feb 2006) - “Origins and Endings, Part II”
Writer: Daniel Way; Breakdowns: Javier Saltares; Finishes: Mark Texeira
With his memories intact from the events of House of M, Wolverine dreams of Rose.
Wolverine (Vol. 2) #48 (Jan 2007) - “Vendetta -- Epilogue: Knocking on Heaven's Door”
Writer: Marc Guggenheim; Penciler: Humberto Ramos; Inker: Carlos Cuevas
Enduring a near-death experience, Logan has visions of his childhood as James Howlett and the death of Rose at
his own hands.
Civil War Files (2007)
Head Writer: Anthony Flamini; Writers: Stuart Vandal, Ronald Byrd, Madison Carter, Michael Hoskin, Chris Biggs, Mark O'English &
Mike Fichera
As part of the President of the United States daily intelligence briefing, Tony Stark (Iron Man) includes a
dossier of Wolverine that reveals his name as James Howlett.
…It would be negligent of me to not mention one other theory on Wolverine's origin. It appeared in the Marville
limited series, a pet project of Marvel Comics' President Bill Jemas...
Marville #5 (Mar 2003)
Writer: Bill Jemas; Penciler: Mark Bright; Inker Rodney Ramos
In the year 100,000 B.C., time travelers from 5002 A.D. meet the first human, and he looks surprising like Wolverine.
An individual similar to God declares to the time travelers,“After millions of years of genetic diversification, the perfectly matched male and female Neanderthal
partners got together and produced the first human son – Wolverine. The human race started as one solitary fertilized egg, with a brand-new chromosome
pattern. …Out comes Wolverine. He mates with dozens of Neanderthal women and they have hundreds of kids – all with Wolverine's basic genetic code…” When
the time travelers fast forward to 50,000 B.C., they again encounter Wolverine. Mickey, one of the time travelers, states that Wolverine “…is immortal,
but not because of the healing factor – that's just a metaphor. He's immortal because he was the first human, and his basic genetic code lives in all of us.”
Mark Bright and Rodney Ramos,Marville#5.
© and ™ by Marvel Characters, Inc.
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