Wolverine: Inside the World of the Living Weapon [Hardcover]

Matthew Manning (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 8 and up | Grade Level: 3 and up

One of Marvel Comics' favorite characters, Wolverine is a mutant who possesses animal-like instincts, super-enhanced strength, and the ability to heal from any wound. While he was part of the Weapon X program his skeletal structure was bonded with the near-destructible alloy adamantium, and now very little can stop him.
DK's publishing program celebrates Wolverine's classic comic book roots, with gorgeous imagery, classic story lines, and a nod to the franchise that Wolverine has become.



Super-fans can learn about Wolverine's comic book debut (a cameo in a Hulk comic in 1974), and the development of his character, his story, the X-Men, and more in our comprehensive and spectacularly illustrated Ultimate Guide.



MARVEL, Wolverine and the distinctive likenesses thereof are trademarks of Marvel Characters, Inc., and are used with permission. _
Copyright (c) 2008 Marvel Characters, Inc. All rights reserved. This book is produced under license from Marvel Characters, Inc.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Marvel's most dangerous Homo Superior gets a 200-page profile with a blood-red cover. Color illustrations culled from his avalanche of comic-book appearances adorn every page of this oversized (9.25 inches by 6.25 inches) resource, which also is full of information covering his 19th-century origins to his most current problems with the Skrull's Secret Invasion. --The Washington Times

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Hardcover: 200 pages
• Publisher: DK Publishing (March 30, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0756645476
• ISBN-13: 978-0756645472
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 9.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #553,640 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Matthew K. Manning is a comic book writer, historian, and fan. Over the course of his career, he's written many comics for Marvel and DC including Batman, The Batman Strikes!, Batman: 80-Page Giant 2010, Legion of Super-Heroes in the 31st Century, Justice League Adventures, Looney Tunes, Spider-Man Unlimited, Marvel Romance Redux, and an upcoming creator-owned DC Comics mini series.

When not writing comics themselves, Matthew often writes books about the comic book medium and its rich history. For DK Publishing, he has written Iron Man: The Ultimate Guide to the Armored Super Hero, Wolverine: Inside the World of the Living Weapon, the updated versions of Spider-Man: The Ultimate Guide and Hulk: The Incredible Guide, the children's reader Marvel Heroes: Greatest Battles, the 1990s and 2000s sections of the retrospective Marvel Chronicle, and the 1980s and 1990s sections of the recent DC Comics Year by Year: A Visual Chronicle. Some of his other book credits include The Batman Vault for Running Press, as well as a series of children's books starring Superman, Flash and Batman for Stone Arch Books.

Manning currently resides in Brooklyn with his wife Dorothy and their baby girl Lillian. Visit him on the web at www.matthewkmanning.com

(photo courtesy of Chris Montgomery)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Quite a remarkable book, March 29, 2009

By 

Tim Lasiuta "Comic Fan 42" (Red Deer, Alberta) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Wolverine: Inside the World of the Living Weapon (Hardcover)

One of the most incredible comic creations of the 1970's was the Wolverine.

Writer Len Wein, artists John Romita Sr and Herb Trimpe, along with X Men scribe Chris Claremont, wove a tapestry that transformed a dangerous, violent mutant into a moder day icon. His presence in Marvel titles is taken for granted, but the mythology behind his long life have not been known until now.

DK and Marvel, in anticipation of the new X Men film, Wolverine, give readers an indepth look into the stories, both front and 'current', for Logan. We learn about his friends, his foes, his weakness', and along the way get to see a lot of cool art from Romita, Trimpe, Kaluta, Smith, Byrne, Miller, and Andrews. The book is highly detailed, yet as good as it is, some pages are too busy, particularly when a specific story is detailed.

I can say that the pages are mostly good, and even the colorful layout washes out some of the text and illos. The book is red...and black. Page edges are black. Certainly eye catching at the least.

Modern day readers who wonder who this Canadian born (1890's) hero was and is, will love this. Almost 200 pages of Wolverine bliss!

[...]

Tim Lasiuta

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars OUTSTANDING CHARACTER HISTORY, November 19, 2009

By 

Tim Janson (Michigan) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Wolverine: Inside the World of the Living Weapon (Hardcover)

DK's comic related books have definitely matured over the past couple of years. While a lot of their older books tended to be filled with a lot of fluff and not a lot of real content, their recent books have been quite good. Wolverine: Inside the World of the Living Weapon is one of the best, actually. It's 200 pages filled with information and insight on Marvel's most popular mutant. Sure it's still filled with great art from the comics but this is a book you can sink your teeth into.

Manning explores Wolverine's entire career both in terms of his fictional mythos but also his history in terms of the comics. We start with a look at the character himself as created by Len Wein, John Romita Sr., and Herb Trimpe. Throughout the book Manning notes "Key Issues" in Wolverine's comic history, the first being The Incredible Hulk #181 which featured the first Wolverine story. Manning provides a background into how the story came about relating how then Marvel Editor-in-Chief had visited Canada and had wanted to develop a Canadian superhero and handed the reins to Wein. There is a full story synopsis of this and all the key issues. Manning delves into Wolverine's unique powers and gives fans a list of the 10 things that Wolverine has survived thanks to his remarkable healing factor including surviving numerous explosions and gunshot wounds. There are also sections devoted to Wolverine's love interests and his various friends, allies, and enemies, and all his assorted group affiliations. And all this is in chapter one alone!

Following chapters cover Wolverine's life, including his true origin and military history.
Chapter 3 covers his eventual membership with the X-Men including profiles of the other team members and X-Men foes. The Key issue here, of course, is the landmark Giant-Sized X-Men #1. Chapter 4 focuses on Wolverine's solo career and includes a look at each of his solo comic titles. Chapter 5 looks at his further adventures and his involvement in many of Marvel's key storylines in the past 20 years such as "House of M" and "Civil War. The book concludes with Wolverine in the future as in the "Days of Future Past" tale.

This is a remarkable book and the easily the best reference one could ask for, for such an important character. The art is fantastic, and the layout is perfect.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing Artwrok, February 9, 2011

By 

Erasmo - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Wolverine: Inside the World of the Living Weapon (Hardcover)

Amazing artwork! This book offers James Howlett's exclusive biography in details. You will not regret having this astonishing piece of work in your collection.