This story cements Wolverine as a Ronin, a Samurai without a master, and shows him one of his greatest loves, the tragic Mariko Yashida, who is still one of my favorites out of Logan's vast bevy of beauties.

Whether you're a long time Wolverine/X-Men reader and somehow managed to skip over this one, or a fan of the movies and looking for a place to start, I highly recommend this graphic novel.

Just a note, if you are just beginning, please check out the Essential Wolverine volumes 1-3. For the money you get a lot a great reading and even more insight into this enigmatic mutant.


Classic tale written by two excellent writers   December 4, 1999
 12 out of 12 found this review helpful

Back in the mid-80s Chris Claremont and Frank Miller joined creative talents to write the first 4 issure Wolverine miniseries. It had great plot, great art and excellent characterization of Wolverine. That story showed that he wasn't just a psycho killer. Now that story is collected here and is a must have for Wolverine fans.


Marvelous!   June 29, 1998
 10 out of 10 found this review helpful

This book reprints the very first solo Wolverine story, from the 1982 four-issue Wolverine miniseries. A tale of love, duty, and honor. The Claremont/Miller team is superb. Highly recommended.


Marvel's very own ronin   December 18, 2004
 7 out of 7 found this review helpful

Back when Frank Miller was at his most prolific at Marvel, and Chris Claremont was at the top of his form, this little four-issue mini-series hit the stands as something unseen. In this short volume, Miller and Claremont figure out what really makes Wolverine tick. And it's not the claws, or animalistic rage, or false-memory-implants, or whatever.

The real stroke of genius developed out of good, old-fashioned character. Boil Logan down to his essence, and you have an honourable man, prone to violence and weak to his own impulses. He is a samurai, but a failed one without a master. He is ronin, and though he has wandered in his adventures with the X-Men, it is in this solo book he really shines. We see a man with his heart laid out for all to see, that a man capable of so much violence and rage is a human who strives for the same things we all want for ourselves. Love, honour, a place in this world where we belong.

To say that he is wandering samurai is not to say that he is without direction. We also see Wolverine at some of his most calculated, that there's a reason that he's the best there is at what he does. Between Claremont's point-perfect wordsmithing and Kurasawa-esque visuals by Miller, this mini-saga gives us more insight into Wolverine than the misguided Origin mini-series ever hoped to. Claremont fires on all cylinders here; his Logan-voice is authentic without being a caricature. And Miller's love for Japanese art, culture, and history lends the story an authenticity that is lost in the majority of what's published today.

Whether you are a fan of the ol' Canuckle-head, the X-men, or samurai fiction, this is money well spent.


Layers added to the Wolverine Character   May 8, 2005
 6 out of 7 found this review helpful

When he first appeared in an Incredible Hulk comic book issue and then later as part of the mutant super team, the X-Men, Wolverine's character was portrayed as the berserker animal with the killer rage. He was the guy you would not want dating your daughter. Few decades later to this modern day and age, Logan's history is the richest and most complex out of all the characters in comics, including greats such as the Batman or even Spider-man. Due to being shrouded in mystery and allegedly to be more than 100 years old, Wolverine's character is beyond the scope of trying to cramp many layers of origins and histories in a short time. His experiences and life are stuff of legend and is a fertile soil for many creators to delve into.

All this is to thanks to two creators that are well known to both the comic book industry and mainstrem entertainment. Chris Claremont is the definitive writer of the X-men and though he had a short departure in the 90s from the characters he helped cultivate, his comeback has been much wanting and less than stellar to the works that he helped write in the old, including this story that helped make Wolverine who he is now and forever. His take on the character made him more complex and alluring to the readers, both young and those who were growing up and wanted to more out of him. In this story where we learn Wolverin's strong Japanese roots help shed light to that and pave the way to future stories of the same caliber.

Frank Miller has recently been hailed in the mainstream media as the creator and co-director of the Sin City movie. He was widely appraised before that on most of his works in comics, including Batman, Daredevil and Wolverine. He is the ultimate method creator of comic books when it comes in both writing style and in your face, gritty drawing. He makes the character alive with his strokes in this book.

Combining both artists to the most controversial comic book character was done just right and the work is one of the best and the greatest that will leave fans wanting for more. Only time will tell whether these two greats will ever come together in the future. All we can do is hope and see.