Origin (Comics) | Review

The late 1800s Canadian wilderness becomes our backdrop as Origin introduces sickly James Howlett, whose privileged mansion life masks deeper secrets that will soon tear his entire world apart completely and forever more.

Origin unfolds like a slow-burning gothic novel. James is haunted by grief, confusion and a gnawing sense of not belonging. He lives in a mansion with an emotionally detached and unloving mother, who ignores him and a distant father.

The only person who shows him any genuine kindness is this sweet red-haired girl named Rose, who becomes his emotional anchor in an otherwise cold and unforgiving household filled with neglect and complete emotional indifference.

The Victorian mansion itself feels like a prison of marble and mahogany, where servants whisper in dark corners and James's mother drifts through empty rooms like a ghost haunted by unspoken tragedies throughout always.

The pivotal moment arrives without warning, shattering James's sheltered existence through violence and betrayal. His mutant abilities erupt in pure terror as bone claws slice through innocent flesh, marking his transformation forever.

In that very moment, the legacy of Wolverine begins– with young James screaming in pain and confusion. The story gets really heavy as James and Rose flee into the wilderness. James starts calling himself "Logan" and slowly loses pieces of who he used to be.

He stops talking as much, his memories get fuzzy and he becomes more... feral. Each day in the wilderness strips away another layer of his former identity. The boy who once read poetry now grunts instead of speaking, preferring shadows to sunlight.

Here, the series leans heavily into tragedy. Logan becomes a shadow of himself– not yet the berserker we all know and love, but not the boy he was either. The more he learns to survive in the wild, the more he drifts away from humanity.

Logan's mutation transcends the physical, rewiring his very soul toward something primal and disconnected. Human emotions become foreign concepts as instinct replaces empathy in his daily survival struggles against the wilderness.

The conclusion delivers emotional devastation through absence rather than spectacle. No costumes appear, no teams assemble, no villains emerge because the real tragedy lies in Logan's complete and utter isolation forever.

From a broader perspective, Origin took a huge risk in 2001. Wolverine's mysterious past was part of what made him cool. Instead of ruining the mystery, Origin actually makes him more compelling to fans. It showed that trauma– not heroism– is what shapes most Marvel heroes.

Origin establishes the crucial psychological foundation for Logan's future relationships with Professor Xavier, Jean Grey, and the entire X-Men team. His deep childhood abandonment issues directly explain his fierce loyalty patterns later.

Marvel executives worried that revealing Wolverine's mysterious past would diminish his appeal among longtime readers. The character's enigmatic history had become essential to his popularity across multiple decades.

This isn't a superhero story in the traditional sense. It's more like a tragedy that happens to a guy who will eventually become a deadly weapon and join the X-Men. There's just a scared little boy, his claws and the unforgiving world that created him.

The artwork absolutely nails the mood of Wolverine's origin story. Kubert's drawing feels grounded and real, while Isanove's painting keeps everything muted and shadowy. Canadian wilderness looks beautiful but lonely– like it's mourning alongside Logan.

Kubert's character expressions capture subtle emotional shifts without relying on heavy dialogue. When James first sees blood on his claws, his face shows pure horror that words couldn't possibly convey effectively here.

Jenkins and Kubert achieved a delicate kind of horror in Origin. Not body horror but emotional horror– the dread of watching Logan go through all the tragic events of his life. This is a story of how he was born but also the tale of how younger self died.

Jenkins never tries to over-explain or glorify the characters. Instead, Origin leaves space for mystery and in doing so, it honors the fragmented nature of Logan's identity. It showed how trauma can completely reshape a person, stripping away everything they once were.

Origin is not just a peak into Wolverine's past– it focuses on pain and explores the fine line between victimhood and monstrosity. It's one of the rare books that strips away the typical superhero spectacle and reveal the raw nerve underneath.

For longtime Wolverine fans, it adds more depth to the beloved character. For newcomers, it's a gripping standalone tale of survival and loss. Either way, Origin earns its place as one of Marvel's most emotionally devastating stories.

Origin influenced how Marvel approached other character back-stories, proving that mystery characters could survive origin revelations when handled with proper emotional weight and artistic sophistication throughout the narrative.