When did Wolverine start appearing everywhere?

[Venomous Mask]

There are quite a few people who complain that Wolverine has too many appearances acorss the MU. Some people chalk it up to just a few years ago. Others blame it on the movies. For me personally, I remember him being super popular as far back as 1994. What do you think?

[Rasputin9977]

Wolverine, Ghost Rider and Punisher were the characters that Marvel over exposed in the '90s. Only Wolverine survived.

[Meehl]

There are quite a few people who complain that Wolverine has too many appearances acorss the MU. Some people chalk it up to just a few years ago. Others blame it on the movies. For me personally, I remember him being super popular as far back as 1994. What do you think?

Marvel Comics Presents became Wolverine's second title for awhile.

[AdamYJ]

Marvel has a history of using adjectives in their titles (Amazing, Incredible, Mighty, Uncanny, etc). So, I think the next time they release a new title starring Logan, they should call it "The Ubiquitous Wolverine".

[Venomous Mask]

Marvel Comics Presents became Wolverine's second title for awhile.

I forgot about that one.

[Time_to_Zap]

A circle has no beginning.

[cookepuss]

There are quite a few people who complain that Wolverine has too many appearances acorss the MU. Some people chalk it up to just a few years ago. Others blame it on the movies. For me personally, I remember him being super popular as far back as 1994. What do you think?

I think that it goes back just a few years further. It probably started in `88 and kicked into high gear in `91 and `92.

Between his inception and `87, he was pretty much locked into the X-books. Apart from his original mini and the ongoing, that was more or less it. In `88, it was apparent that there was some more demand for the character so Marvel started moving him into these prestige format minis like "Havok & Wolverine: Meltdown" by Walt Simonson and "Rahne of Terra" in `91.

It was in that same year, 1991, that Barry Windsor Smith's now classic "Weapon X" storyline demystified the character. That whole shadow government conspiracy really got people craving for more and more Wolverine. It was also in 1991 that Wolverine joined Spider-Man, Hulk, and Ghost Rider as the "New Fantastic Four."

The Wolverine hype machine went into overdrive starting `92. That was the same year that the X-Men animated series debuted. Wolverine wasn't just a fringe character at that point. He was mass audience pop culture. Probably to draw in those kids who watched the cartoon, but didn't read comics, Marvel started putting Wolverine everywhere at that point. Marvel probably figured that if he was the star in the cartoon and kids were going crazy over him then they'd give them more of what it appeared that the wanted.

It was really a process. The `88-`91 trades sold him to the hardcore fans as something special. The `91 BWS Weapon X story created a demand for more side stories. The `92 cartoon fueled a demand for more appearances of the character in the comics.

[Rosebunse]

Wolverine, Ghost Rider and Punisher were the characters that Marvel over exposed in the '90s. Only Wolverine survived.

I don't think you're giving Punisher enough credit. But you forgot to add Venom, who still hangs around, and maybe most of the "horror" characters, who Marvel just doesn't know what to do with.

[cookepuss]

I don't think you're giving Punisher enough credit.
To be fair, Punisher never really went away. His popularity goes up and down all of the time. It's just that, conceptually, Punisher is really no longer unique. The whole antihero thing was pretty new when Punisher debuted in 1974. Today, it's so common that you've got entire teams like X-Force who execute the bad guys. On top of that, Punisher's origin needs to be tweaked with each passing decade, as we're a long way from Vietnam and Frank doesn't enjoy and extended lifespan like Nick Fury and such.


But you forgot to add Venom, who still hangs around,
Venom's no longer at the height of popularity though. It's certainly not like it was in the 90s where he had a string of back to back minis. The new Remender helmed series has dropped consistently in sales each month since the debut a year ago. It's down more than 26% off its debut and sits at #68 on the sales chart. At this rate, it'll end up sitting in the #99 position and selling just a bit above 20k copies. Marvel cancelled X-23, which sold more. Personally, I figure Venom will be canned too by the end of the summer.


and maybe most of the "horror" characters, who Marvel just doesn't know what to do with.
It's not that Marvel doesn't know what to do with them. It's that the market doesn't support it. We're still stuck in superhero mode. Horror books saw a bit of a resurgence in the 70s, but were really at their prime during the 40s and 50s.

We, as a society, really just aren't fascinated by monsters anymore. They're a novelty. What scares us today in 2012 is far different than what scared my parents back in the 40s and 50s. It's a different world. Pitching a monster book that appeals to today's teens and 20-somethings is tough.

Marvel can update Dracula all they want, but our modern "monsters" are far more real and close to home.

[Rosebunse]

It's not that Marvel doesn't know what to do with them. It's that the market doesn't support it. We're still stuck in superhero mode. Horror books saw a bit of a resurgence in the 70s, but were really at their prime during the 40s and 50s.

We, as a society, really just aren't fascinated by monsters anymore. They're a novelty. What scares us today in 2012 is far different than what scared my parents back in the 40s and 50s. It's a different world. Pitching a monster book that appeals to today's teens and 20-somethings is tough.

Marvel can update Dracula all they want, but our modern "monsters" are far more real and close to home.

Yeah, I feel bad for the "horror" line in the MU. It's so rich, but nothing can really be done with it.

[Memphis Raines]

Wolverine, Ghost Rider and Punisher were the characters that Marvel over exposed in the '90s. Only Wolverine survived.

Add Venom to that list. He didn't really survive, but has had a successful resurgence as of late.

[Hulk_Is]

In the "extreme '90's". Dear god, don't make me post pictures.

[Perfection/Emma 2]

In the "extreme '90's". Dear god, don't make me post pictures.

Hahaha

10 chars

[motherofpearl1]

he started appearing everywhere when Marvel realised what a cash cow they had.

He's my favourite X Man, but I wish he'd go back to being how he used to be.

[worstblogever]

I think that it goes back just a few years further. It probably started in `88 and kicked into high gear in `91 and `92.


That's about it, yeah. You can pull up his list of appearances on sites like comicbookdb.com, and he went from about 1 a month up until 1982, to maybe two a month in 1982-1987, to 2-5 a month up through the mid-90s, to today's complete overexposure where it's more like 2-3 a week.

[a13506]

Doesn't Sinister clone the Marauders over and over? Maybe he does the same with Wolverine. Or he just the latest victim in Doom's robot replacement plan, like Storm.:wink:

[Jackraow21]

Pretty sure it's been this way since the 90s when the X-men were Marvel's top dogs. Wolverine was their biggest cash cow, but Cable and Gambit also had some pretty popular series at the time as well and made many guest-appearances. DC even created Magog as kind of a parody of Cable and the whole "grim 'n gritty" fad that was going on at Marvel at the time, and of course Image had a thousand Cable/Wolverine knock-off characters with guns, cybernetics and/or claws like Ripclaw, Stryker, etc. Deadpool also became popular later in the 90s and is obviously still pretty popular today.

Of all of those X-characters, Wolverine's popularity has been the most enduring. But the others still have their fans (like me) who started reading comics in the 90s. I'd be willing to bet that a cool, streamlined take on Cable in an X-men movie (perhaps X-men First Class 2) would see him catapult back into A-list territory much like DP's appearance in X-men Origins Wolverine did for him (and it was a very bastardized appearance at that, so just imagine what a good take on the character could do...). I know so many people who remember Cable from the Marvel vs Capcom game that I think he could make a big comeback with the right approach in the comics and other forms of media. I think a Pixar movie focused on Cable raising Hope in the future could be awesome too...but maybe that's just me. :redface:

Personally I'd like to see Cable become the "Wolverine" of the Blue side after X-Sanction. He could mentor Hope and the next generation of kids in one book, be a full-blown member of the X-Tinction team and also help Storm run the security squad in X-men. All the while doing things "his way" and flagrantly pissing off Cyclops, Nick Fury and SHIELD, etc. IMO that would kind of bring the character back to his old ways and help make him popular again, as the potential is there. Just my $.02. I know I sound like a broken record but so do most people when they drone on about their favorites. That's part of what message boards are for IMO. :tongue:

[streator]

wolverine has always been a common guest star in other books but it didn't really seem like overkill to me until he became an avenger and actually started appearing in avengers & x-men titles on a regular basis. especially when he's been on multiple teams at the same time within those broader families, like he was not too long ago & more or less still is (new avenger, avenger, x-force, astonishing x-men, x-men, uncanny x-men, etc.).