Wolverine

There are many popular Marvel characters that collectors love.  But who is the most collectible character out there?  An easy guess would be Spider-Man since he is the standard-bearer of the brand.  Hulk is the big green guy who has traditionally meant big green money for Marvel.  So yes both of these guys are popular and probably have the most notoriety, but when you review the comic market there seems to be nobody more popular than Wolverine.  Let's take a look at how some of Wolvie's main comic offerings are doing...bub!

The historical road for Wolverine has been long, winding, and confusing.  From Wolverine to Logan, to Patch, to Weapon X, to James Howlett, to a Zombie, to Old Man Logan, and to Hell and back again. The Adamantium warrior has really been written as all possible things.  It seems like he is the "Swiss Army Knife" or "Jack of all Trades" of Marvel.  Villain, hero, anti-hero, soldier, teacher, lover, father, friend, and just about everything in-between.

Wolverine made his first appearance in Incredible Hulk #181, in 1974, and he has been slashing his way into comic nerd's hearts ever since.  If you have studied anything about comic collecting, you probably know that Hulk #181 is one of the most sought after comics out there.  A holy grail to many, I have had collectors tell me they are trying to find and buy as many copies of this book as they can...in any grade...even at the highly-inflated prices of today.  That is probably a good bet, based on historical projections.

Comic titles like Wolverine's first solo comic, Wolverine #1, from the limited series in 1982, always seems to have positive traction on the market.  This is, of course, not to be confused with Wolverine #1 which is the first issue from the ongoing series.  Copies of both these books sell, they sell quickly, and they sell around a consistent price point.  With the popularity of the character being set, either book is a great addition to any collection and should gain value over time.

One of the more famous Wolverine covers for collectors is in another Hulk issue.  Incredible Hulk #340 features the famous McFarlane cover with Hulk's reflection in Wolvie's claws.  This cover has been paid homage to many times over the years and this comic has trended up in value over time, especially at the 9.8 grade.  I have even seen an ultra-rare newsstand variant of this book sell for a mighty premium.

Many great X-Men titles feature Wolverine covers, milestones, and the like.  One of my favorite comics to watch is X-Men #109, which features an early Wolverine cover along with the first appearance of Weapon Alpha.  I expect the X-Men to be making a Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) appearance in the future, and here's hoping someone has the vision to adapt an origin story for Wolverine that has him team up with Alpha Flight.

It will be exciting to see what the future holds for Wolverine in the movies now that the X-Men run is finally over.  The first wish I have is to see an actor true to the comic form of Wolverine.  Can we get Danny DeVito training with The Rock and all jacked up for the role?  Kidding...but get some feral, crazy, ball of berserker rage version of Wolverine lined up or I am out.

What are your favorite Wolverine comics to collect?  Are you excited about the future of the character?  Drop your comments and join the speculation!

 

Get social with GoCollect. Follow us on our social channels for exciting video content, giveaways, and more!

Facebook          Instagram          YouTube