Knowledge Waits: The Two Most Swipe-Filled Issues of Wolverine Ever

CBR

By Brian Cronin

Published Aug 22, 2015

In their latest spotlight on various bits of comic book history, CSBG looks at perhaps the two most swipe-filled issues of Wolverine ever, as one artist swipes more Jim Lee panels than you would think humanely possible.

This is the latest in a feature where I just share some bit of comic book history that interests me. Here is a collection of all of the installments in the feature so far.

While I was researching the history of Deadpool's word balloons the other day, I came across Wolverine #88 (Deadpool's first meeting with Wolverine) and I remembered how much of a kick I got out of Wolverine #88-89 back when they first came out, over twenty years ago, watching penciler Fabio Laguna blatantly swipe SO much Jim Lee artwork. So prepare yourself for the two most swipe-filled issues of Wolverine ever!

When it comes to discussing swipes as egregious as the ones Laguna does in these two issues, let me note few things. One, Laguna was very young at the time. I believe he wasn't even 20 years old. Two, he was working with a bunch of young artists like Roger Cruz who were doing pretty much the same thing (just not QUITE as obvious). Heck, I even did a story a while back about Joe Madureira responding to Cruz swiping him repeatedly early on. Finally, these swipes are so obvious that if anyone had a problem with them, I presume Laguna would not have drawn the following issue, as well. So through their silence, I think Marvel was tacitly endorsing the practice.

First up is Wolverine #88, where Laguna is inked by Tim Townsend (the issue is written by Larry Hama - Adam Kubert penciled the first few pages and then Laguna takes over. To be clear, none of these pages are by Kubert.). Right off the bat, Laguna delivers perhaps my favorite swipe, because it makes no sense to draw her in Zealot's pose but not have her have, you know, swords...

(Zealot double-page spread from WildC.A.Ts #1 by Jim Lee and Scott Williams).

These next two are less obvious, but only become more evident when you take into consideration what Laguna is clearly doing (which is going through old Lee issues from 1991-1993 and choosing panels to swipe).

From WildC.A.T.s #5 by Lee and Williams...

From X-Men #2 by Lee and Williams....

These next two Wolverine ones are more obvious.

From X-Men #7 by Lee and Williams...

From Uncanny X-Men #275's cover by Lee and Williams...

That's it for Wolverine #88 (that's not IT it, as I'm sure there are others, but five is a lot already, no? Feel free to write in suggestions for more swipes that you see! There's one that I am pretty sure is a swipe from X-Men #1 that was enough of a stretch that I decided to skip it).

Go to the next page for Wolverine #89, where Laguna somehow gets even WORSE with the swipes!

I'm torn whether this is my favorite or the Zealot one from the previous issue, because this one (Laguna is now inked by Joe Rubinstein)...

just the ballsiness of swiping the COVER of one of the most popular comic books of 1991, and thus instantly recognizable? That's almost sort of gutsy.

From X-Men #1 by Jim Lee and Scott Williams...