Catch up on Wolverine reading as ‘Logan’ opens

ugh Jackman returns in this weekend’s “Logan” in what he has said will be his final run as the Wolverine character from the X-Men comic books.

As Wolverine’s cinematic journey comes to an end, we look at the character’s past and some recommended reading around this weekend’s film.

Wolverine first appeared as a Canadian secret agent facing off against the Hulk in 1974’s “Incredible Hulk” No. 181. (The character has a small cameo at the end of issue No. 180.)

Tulsa-based comics writer R.A. Jones, who wrote the character in the 2004 miniseries “Wolverine & Captain America,” said in a 2014 interview with that Wolverine’s popularity partially can be attributed to being in the right place at the right time.

“Since the installation of the Comics Code ... heroes in comic books were pretty much squeaky clean,” Jones said.

“But by the time you get into the late 1960s and early 1970s, the antihero started to rise in popular culture . ... That harder edge appealed to a lot of fans at the time.”

The cynical, clawed Wolverine became popular with fans looking for heroes who also had a dark side.

“Wolverine very much appealed to that sensibility,” Jones said. “His tenacity, his ferocity in achieving his ends; he can be harshly brutal — but he can be fiercely loyal.”

After being introduced in the pages of “Incredible Hulk,” the Canadian hero became part of an international lineup in the pages of “Uncanny X-Men.”

WhenCanadian artist John Byrne took over as artist of the comic in 1980, he found an affinity for the Canadian character and Logan became a superstar.

Since then, Wolverineappeared in multiple “X-Men” and solo titles and in recent years has also joined the Avengers in the comic books.

X-23 (Laura Kinney) debuted in 2004 in the comic “NYX” after being created for the animated series “X-Men: Evolution.”

She was cloned from a Laura Kinney’s back story is revealed in a collection of X-23’s first headlining appearances; creative team includes Craig Kyle (the character’s creator), Chris Yost, Billy Tan and Mike Choi. Tom Taylor and David Lopez are the creative team as X-23 becomes the new Wolverine. damaged copy of Wolverine’s genome, and in many ways is seen as Wolverine’s daughter.

In 2015, she became Marvel Comics’ main Wolverine character following the events of the story “The Death of Wolverine.”

Dafne Keen portrays her character in “Logan.”