Wed Apr 29, 2009 — by Alan Kistler

Stories That Inspired 'X-Men Origins: Wolverine'

Classic comics that inspired the new movie.

So you're excited for the new movie X-Men Origins: Wolverine.

You're thinking, man, I can't wait to see the full-out origin of the Canucklehead himself, the guy who is the best he is at what he does even if what he does isn't very nice. Now, at least, you can see for yourself the truth behind the project that gave Wolvie his adamantium-laced skeleton, the famous Weapon X Program. And along the way, you get to meet fun guys such as Remy LeBeau (the card-wielding mutant called Gambit) and Wade Wilson, the "merc with a mouth" who calls himself Deadpool.

And yet, we all know films take liberties with the comics they are based on. Many of you are wondering what comic book stories this is lifting from and where you can find those same tales so that you can properly judge the adaptation.

Well, look no further, folks. Here is a small list of stories that are being used as the basis for the new movie. Enjoy!

Weapon X: First Class

This recent three-issue series is a crash course on some of the basics of Wolverine's time before joining the X-Men, such as Team X. Each issue also has a back-up story. One features Sabretooth years after leaving the Weapon X program, one features an adolescent Gambit breaking into the Weapon X facilities, and one features Deadpool ... well, being Deadpool.

If you prefer not to delve into the rest of this reading list and just want the basics of Logan's past in one fell swoop, this is the mini-series for you.

Wolverine: Origin

(Not to be confused with the later series "Wolverine: Origins").After decades of keeping the character in mystery, Marvel finally revealed the childhood and birth name of Logan AKA Wolverine in this mini-series. Beautifully illustrated by Andy Kubert, Origin shows us the very foundation of what made Wolverine who he was. Learn where he grew up, what his parents were like, and how he got the strange nickname that would become his super-hero moniker.

Weapon X

Written and drawn by Barry Windsor-Smith, this story showed Wolverine being captured by a secret agency roughly a decade before joining the X-Men. If you want to understand the full nature of how Wolverine's body and mind were altered in an attempt to make him a killing machine, read this book.

Interestingly, if for some reason you prefer prose to sequential art, this story has also been adapted into a novel which you can find on Amazon.

Wolverine #10 (volume 2)

A flashback to Logan's first real battle with Victor Creed AKA Sabretooth. This stand-alone issue shows a younger Wolverine who has not yet been tempered by war and life-and-death battles. Witness his love affair with the woman Silver Fox and how its tragic end would haunt our hero for years to come.

Uncanny X-Men #268

While fighting evil in Japan alongside his friends Psylocke, Black Widow and Jubilee, Wolverine recalls teaming-up with Captain America during World War II. This stand-alone tale has some great art by Jim Lee and was the first to reveal to us that Logan had worked alongside the star-spangled avenger during the 1940s.

Wolverine #48-50 (volume 2)

In this three-part tale, Wolverine realizes that some of his memories are lies. Investigating the Weapon X facility, he learns about his time spent on Team X, a black ops groups whose members were not only soldiers but lab rats.

New X-Men: Assault on Weapon Plus

Collecting New X-Men #141-145. Wolverine has learned that Weapon X was only the tenth version of the Weapon Plus Program, an operation that has been going on since World War II to create government super-soldiers. Recruiting the help of Cyclops and the mysterious Fantomex (himself a product of the Weapon XIII program), Wolverine attacks the World, a secret base where the Weapon Plus Program is creating its latest soldier, Weapon XV, the "ultimate sentinel." As if this new enemy weren't bad enough, Wolverine learns some things about his own past he's not happy about. And guess what famous super-hero turns out to be connected to all this?

Hulk Vs. Wolverine DVD

Okay, technically this is not something you read. But dammit, this short feature is entertaining. Not only do you get a full-out fight between the Hulk and Wolverine that involves actual bloodshed, you get a crash course on the Weapon X facility and get to enjoy some surprising guest-stars (such as a certain wisecracking psychopath called Deadpool).

So what are you waiting for? Check this stuff out already!

Alan "Sizzler" Kistler would love to play Deadpool in a stage musical. He has been recognized by Warner Bros. Pictures and mainstream media outlets as a comic book historian, and can be seen in the "Special Features" sections of the Adventures of Aquaman and Justice League: New Frontier DVDs. His personal website can be found at: http://KistlerUniverse.com. One of these days he'd love to write for DC, Marvel or Doctor Who.

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