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Topic: Hey, It’s the Bobcat!! - 02.20.07 Post ReplyPost New Topic
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John Byrne
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Grumpy Old Guy

Joined: 11 May 2005
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Posted: 21 February 2007 at 8:20am | IP Logged | 1 post reply

I think that element was lost once the writing of the character changed to the schizoid samurai/berzerker, rather than the plain old "nasty sonuvabitch" he seemed to be in his first couple of years.

***

As originally conceived, Wolverine was a flat-out homicidal manaic. He was a ticking timebomb that could go off at any moment, for no apparent reason. This was the way Chris and Dave played him, and the way I played him when it became my turn.

But Shooter didn't like this. "My heroes aren't killers" he would say. Chris and I would point out that these characters weren't "his" any more than they were "ours", but that had little (read, no) impact.

After I left the book, Shooter upped the volume on his complaints, and so Chris, being thoroughly saturated with the samurai/ninja stuff that was becoming the rage at the time, began introducing "samurai" elements, and the "berserker rage" --- both of which were something that Logan could control. Which is very, very different from being a homicidal maniac.

So the character began to warp away from what he'd been when I was on the book -- and since his popularity increased in leaps and bounds (as with sales on UNCANNY), I can only assume that Chris was making the right choices.

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Patrick T Ditton
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Joined: 07 February 2007
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Posted: 21 February 2007 at 6:39pm | IP Logged | 2 post reply

JB -- my question to you -- weighing all the changes to Wolverine over the years from when you were working on him - very quickly using an "IN" blah, blah, blah and "OUT" blah, blah blah format if you could pick-up the character and do anything you wanted with him - what would you do?  Bearing in mind that since you had him he's a samuri, he's over 100 years old, he's not a homicidal maniac, he's got bone claws, all that stuff - some good, some bad.

Who/What is John Byrne's "Wolverine"...?  IN and OUT...
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Ronald Pegram
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Posted: 21 February 2007 at 6:45pm | IP Logged | 3 post reply

I have an interesting theory about Wolverine.

As a fan of horror fiction, I've heard various people say that while there are famous, fictional vampires like Dracula and Lestat, there are no famous, fictional werewolves. No particular were-creature has captured the public imagination.

I disagree.

I think Wolverine is to werewolves what Dracula is to vampires and while this may have been unintentional, look at the reasons this theory works.

Werewolves in movies were portrayed as being immortal, memory-less and remorseful creatures who hated the fact that their animalistic side often hurt those around them.

Wolverine is a seemingly immortal man with a history of violence against both friend and foe.

Werewolves couldn't be harmed by conventional means.

Wolverine heals from anything.

Werewolves often struggle to conceal their bestial nature.

And so on and so on.

I don't think a popular werewolf character could be developed now because of Wolverine. They'd have to go far, far away from the Universal treatment of the creature.




Edited by Ronald Pegram on 21 February 2007 at 6:46pm
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Brian Miller
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Posted: 21 February 2007 at 6:46pm | IP Logged | 4 post reply

I still dig the way you do the claws the best.
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Charles Valderrama
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Posted: 21 February 2007 at 10:47pm | IP Logged | 5 post reply

Awesome Wolverine, JB. Takes me back to when he was a cool
character in the pages of Uncanny X-Men and not over-exposed!!!

-C!

Edited by Charles Valderrama on 21 February 2007 at 10:48pm
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John Byrne
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Posted: 22 February 2007 at 8:54am | IP Logged | 6 post reply

And remember! He's 18 years old and the claws are
in the gloves!!
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Patrick T Ditton
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Posted: 22 February 2007 at 11:16am | IP Logged | 7 post reply

...in the gloves...weren't you (JB) the first to draw Wolverine with claws coming out of his hands??

oh -and JB - back to my earlier post - what of the current Wolverine would you keep and what would you toss if you could take control of the character?


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John Byrne
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Posted: 22 February 2007 at 11:55am | IP Logged | 8 post reply

...weren't you (JB) the first to draw Wolverine with claws coming out of his hands??

**

Nope. That goes to Dave, in, as I recall, X-MEN 99.

++

what of the current Wolverine would you keep and what would you toss if you could take control of the character?

**

I'd "toss" everything that takes away form the "man of mystery" aspect.

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Greg Kirkpatrick
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Posted: 22 February 2007 at 12:00pm | IP Logged | 9 post reply

I'd "toss" everything that takes away form the "man of mystery" aspect.

****

You would have to wait for bulk pick up.

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Kevin Hagerman
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Posted: 22 February 2007 at 4:00pm | IP Logged | 10 post reply

It was X-Men 98, my fanboy moment.

Even better, shortly after this there's an exchange between Banshee and Wolverine where we learn that his own team-mates didn't know his claws were a part of him.  That was a both an effective retcon and good characterization!

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Aaron Smith
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Posted: 22 February 2007 at 4:33pm | IP Logged | 11 post reply

I'd "toss" everything that takes away from the "man of mystery" aspect.

***

 Which, by you doing so, would put back exactly what was interesting about the character! 

 

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Steve Gumm
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Posted: 27 March 2020 at 8:58am | IP Logged | 12 post reply

Bump cause it's not often we see JB draw Wolverine in his original costume... pretty fun to see!
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