Wolverine is one of Marvel’s top characters, but according to Iconic GI Joe Writer Larry Hama, sales on his solo book were once so low that it was in danger of being canceled. The Joe Writer was then given the job to take over the title, turning sales around until it was one of Marvel’s best selling titles.
Larry Hama appeared on the “Wolverine: 50-Year Anniversary” panel at Dragon Con 2024, and explained how he got the job writing Wolverine. “I was having trouble getting writing work at Marvel at the timeHama said,I had the number one book GI Joe… But they said. ‘Gee Joe’s a flick.’“
Amazingly, Marvel’s mesh at the time may have been wrong about Hama Gi JoeBut they were right to give him the opportunity to write. Wolverine, Which not only reinforced the author’s reputation as a comics maestro, but it saved the X– The most iconic character of the franchise of a gnotic fate.
GI Joe writer Larry Hama on how he made Wolverine a massive success for Marvel
Hama was speaking at DragonCon 2024
Larry Hama increased the scope of Wolverine When he took over, immediately sent the character around the world and explored previously untouched areas of his mysterious past.
According to Hama, he got the book mainly because sales figures had fallen off for Logan’s solo title:
Wolverine was on the verge of being canceled – the numbers were so low – so I guess they figured, ‘Well, Hama can’t hurt it anymore (as it was already doing).
Hama admitted that he didn’t really know who Wolverine was at the time, saying:
“I wasn’t super-aware of the character until they offered me the book.“
Larry Hama then read all of Wolverine’s comic appearances up to that point, even going so far as taking several Marvel interns to lunch to ask them what they liked about the character.As a form of what was essentially “market research.” Then, Larry Hama’s first number, Wolverine #31 – which also brought the previous one X-Men Art team of Marc Silvestri and Dan Green – was the beginning of a turnaround for the character.
According to Hama:
THey let me write (wolverine)and they left me alone. And half a year later, it was, like, the number two selling book in the country.
At the time, the solo Wolverine Series went through several creative teams after the departure of original writer Chris Claremont, leaving the book with something of an identity crisis. Until Hama took over, Marvel’s Wolverine The book mainly focused on Logan’s adventures as Patch in Madripoor, leaving it largely separate from the events of the others. X– Titles. Larry Hama increased the scope of Wolverine When he took over, immediately sent the character around the world and explored previously untouched areas of his mysterious past.
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Larry Hama revitalized Wolverine for the 1990s – and Marvel never looked back
Wolverine #31 – Hama’s first edition
Larry Hama would continue to write Wolverine from 1990 to 1997, in what was one of the longest continuous runs any writer has ever had with the character. Some of​​​​​​Hama´s more notable contributions include Wolverine´s android double Albert and companion Elsie Dee, created by X-Men Villain Donald Pierce to kill Wolverine once and for all. Hamma also expanded Barry Windsor-Smith’s earlier “Weapon X” storyline, delving deeper into Logan’s past and which memories are real and which are implanted. Hama got a lot of story mileage out of the idea that Weapon X had implanted false memories in Logan’s mind in their brutal attempts to turn him into the ultimate killing machine.
Bolstered by the mega-success of the X-Men titles in the early nineties and with a superstar artist in Marc Silvestri, Wolverine Quickly shot back to the top of the sales charts. Hamma attributes much of this success to the idea that he was left alone to do what he wanted with the book early on, which gave the creative team a freedom that would otherwise be lacking on a more successful title. So Hamma built GI Joe In the franchise that it is today: No one else at Marvel wanted to write a toy tie, so Hama took the opportunity to tell the stories he most wanted to tell.
Larry Hama’s influence on contemporary comics cannot be understated
A legend of the middle
The long time GI Joe The writer left his mark on the character, as Larry Hama did Wolverine From the brink of cancellation to one of Marvel’s best-selling titles.
Having worked on GI Joe For almost eight years at the time he took over WolverineHama certainly had the experience of juggling several different ideas to make them work as one story. As a property licensed from Hasbro, GI Joe was a special case, because new toys and characters would be introduced periodically and Hama would have to find a way to incorporate them into the story. It was good training for his job WolverineAs Hama would also have to work in the X-Offers and incorporates the stories and ideas of other creators into his own work.
It is certainly amazing to think that sales were so low Wolverine That Marvel is almost ready to cancel the title, But luckily Larry Hama and Marc Silvestri turned the ship around for the most prominent X-Man. It’s a stark reminder that the characters are only as good as the creators tell their stories, because all that matters is finding the right story or taking on a given character. The long time GI Joe The writer left his mark on the character, as Larry Hama did Wolverine From the brink of cancellation to one of Marvel’s best-selling titles.
Source: Larry Hama, “Wolverine: 50-Year Anniversary,” Dragon Con 2024