Inspired by the Most Overrated/Most Overpriced Comic thread, I'd like to settle this one once and for all -- what is the true first appearance of Wolverine? In the process of discussing this, I suspect the larger issue we'll get into is what a first appearance actually is and why we value them. Should be fun.


So here we go. I'm going to make my case right here as to why Incredible Hulk #180 is the true first appearance of Wolverine, as well as why it should be the more desired/collectible of the two books.



Point #1: It's the first time we see Wolverine

Obvious, but not to be understated. If you truly want to see the first time the character was put into print, this is where it happened:



Not an advertisement; not a solicit for the next issue. Wolverine is in the end of this issue.


Point #2: He's different in the next issue

If the reason you collect first appearances is to be able to look back on what the character was like when he first appeared, Herb Trimpe has already adjusted Wolverine's look by the time of #181:



This is not how Wolverine looked in his first iteration. The eyes and "ears" have already been altered, and those claws look more like razors and less like metal bones now.


Point #3: What does #181 give you that #180 doesn't?

#180 gave us a clear look at Wolverine and provided him with a name. #181 gives us more time with the character, but everything we're shown and told in the span of that issue is incorrect; none of it represents the character Wolverine ultimately becomes, from his wise-cracking, Spider-Man like persona and assurance that "moving is the thing I do best!":




(in fact, we're repeatedly reminded in this issue that speed is his most notable ability...)




to the complete breakdown we get of his abilities:



Speed and strength are not abilities we think of when we conjure images of Wolverine today.

Please also note: he is knocked out with poison gas in this story, and no mention is ever made of a healing factor (which, in later issues, made him immune to poison gas). Len Wein and Chris Claremont also made it clear in later interviews that Wolverine's claws were originally supposed to be attached to the gloves, not his hands; it is never suggested in this story that his claws are actually an ability of his. So, essentially, everything we're told about his abilities and persona in this issue ends up being wrong (beyond someone making reference to his having a few "psychological kinks" that we're never shown). In no way does #181 expand our understanding of the character or show us anything important that #180 didn't. All we get is more pages of him.


Point #4: Don't give me that cameo nonsense

The biggest reason I've been given over the years as to why #180 is not Wolverine's true first appearance is that it's a cameo. I've already outlined why #181 doesn't show/tell us anything about Wolverine that the final panel of #180 didn't, but let's do a little comparison, then. Fantastic Four #48 is considered to be the first appearance of Galactus, all because of the final panel of that issue:



Hmmmm...single panel first appearance at the very end of the issue. No one ever tries to claim that FF #49 is the issue to grab if you really want Galactus' first appearance (at least no one I've ever talked to). If you want the first time that character was ever committed to ink and benday dots, folks pretty much agree this is it. Why does the same logic not pertain to Wolverine? Just because Galactus gets mentioned on the cover?


Here's what I consider to be a good example of a cameo first appearance: X-Men Annual #14:




This is the cameo first appearance of Gambit, and there are several reasons why I can accept that: 1) You can't fully see the character, and 2) This appearance is not only brief; it's also incidental to the plot. Gambit has no impact upon this story: he is merely named and sort of almost seen while lurking in shadows. A collector who wanted to truly see his first appearance in a comic book would be disappointed by these panels, as opposed to getting a full glimpse of the character as he interacts with the story in Uncanny X-Men #266.



So that's what I've got. We truly see him in #180, he already looks different in #181, nothing we learn about him in #181 enhances our understanding of the character, and how can his appearance in #180 be a cameo if Galactus' appearance in FF #48 isn't?



Counterpoints?