Is Foom 2 a Prototype for Wolverine?

[shadroch]

The character has the name, Wolverine, possible healing factor, maybe a skeleton under skin.

 

Did you just pop on here without reading any of the previous comments?

 

I'll distill it down for you:

 

When Wolverine was first introduced, he did *not* have a healing factor, he did not have an Adamantium skeleton and was intended to be an evolved (from the High Evolutionary's New Animal Men?) wolverine (the animal) wearing gloves with Adamantium claws attached to them.

 

That is what you need to compare to the drawing (obviously of a cyborg), and you are incorrectly projecting future Wolverine evolutions onto an early-70's drawing, that had zero to do with the character as conceived for Hulk 181 and through the early issues of the New X-Men.

 

Where is this referenced? I've never read that before, although what I don't know about Wolverines origins would fill a book..

I do recall being shocked when Wolvies claws popped out of his skin in X-Men 98, or was it 99.

 

 

 

 

[Lonzilla]

The Wolverine picture in FOOM looks more like a prototype for Machine Man

[joe_collector]

Where is this referenced?

 

Claremont quotes in a lot of magazines and interviews, and I remember it being covered in that Hulk 181 reprint Marvel did in the late-80's or early-90's.

[MrWeen]

The fact is, there are some similarities between the Wolverine from Foom 2 and many of the early versions of the character. Plus some of the other characters that appear in the same contest became Marvel characters! That just might just warrant further investigation. Do I think we need to rewrite Marvel history? Not just yet. But I think some of these contest creators at least deserve some answers and then if those answers aren't convincing they might just deserve an apology if not monetary compensation. If I entered a contest like this today and lost but a year later Image printed my idea for The Adventures of the Green Gecko© under other creators names people like us would be ripping Image apart. It's too bad for these contest creators that they didn't have the benefit of the internet.

[joe_collector]

The fact is, there are some similarities between the Wolverine from Foom 2 and many of the early versions of the character.

 

Like what?

[*Bronze age fan*]

The fact is, there are some similarities between the Wolverine from Foom 2 and many of the early versions of the character.

 

Like what?

 

I thought the punisher looking guy that also kinda looked like the cover to Amazing 129 was one. I found that interesting....but everyone is still going on about Wolverine just because of the name.

[joe_collector]

Starhawk, that Stefan Wolff Punisher guy, the Midnight Stranger (Midnight from MOKF), Quasar and Darkstar all look much more like rips than Wolverine ever will.

[*Bronze age fan*]

Starhawk, that Stefan Wolff Punisher guy, the Midnight Stranger (Midnight from MOKF), Quasar and Darkstar all look much more like rips than Wolverine ever will.

 

 

I agree with you....but all we are hearing about is Wolverine, imagine the dumb hype it would cause if people started noting all these other characters? Punisher alone would be considered a big deal.

 

But all these other similar characters....kinda makes you think that maybe some creators did flip thru a Foom 2 for some ideas. Be it a style, an image or even a NAME.

[kidcolt]

Regardless I assume it would only be a cameo so more of a 180. I guess the true supporters are hard core fans and those that already own a copy of Foom #2

[ion comics]

Check out the cover of Marvel Comics Presents #72. That background skeleton head looks an awful like the skeleton looking image in Foom 2. Has to be coincidence, right?

 

 

Meck

[joe_collector]

But all these other similar characters....kinda makes you think that maybe some creators did flip thru a Foom 2 for some ideas. Be it a style, an image or even a NAME.

 

I'm sure they did, but a name means nothing, especially one for a known animal. It's the implementation and future evolution that matters.

 

Personally, I think StarHawk is the most obvious rip, along with Midnight Stranger. And yes, I think that the Stefn Wolff bullseye was ripped for the cover of ASM 129. I was looking through old pre-74 Bolan covers and I couldn't find any that had a similar layout.

[joe_collector]

Check out the cover of Marvel Comics Presents #72. That background skeleton head looks an awful like the skeleton looking image in Foom 2. Has to be coincidence, right?

 

And they waited almost 20 years before finally ripping off a kid's FOOM contest submission. Deviously clever.

 

 

[joe_collector]

Where is this referenced? I've never read that before, although what I don't know about Wolverines origins would fill a book.

 

I found a bunch of quotes online, including one (on the X-Men Wiki) that explains why it was changed:

 

Wolverine was originally intended to be a real wolverine, artificially evolved by the High Evolutionary. However, in 1976, Marvel rushed the character Spider-Woman into publication, and unable to come up with an origin in such a short time, used the origin they'd put aside for Wolverine (with the animal changed to a spider, obviously). This left Wolverine without an origin story for a number of years.

 

This was hinted at a few times (you can see the retracted claws in his gloves, acts like an animal, heightened senses,etc.) but here Marvel clearly shows what direction they *intended* to take:

[ion comics]

First of all, I think the term "ripping off" is a kind of harsh term to use in this situation; even when referring to Marvel. Second of all, I am not saying definitively that they "referred back" to the Foom 2 issue. But why is it impossible to believe that someone at Marvel could have perused that issue just for fun, and was influenced by the drawing? I mean these creators are not just waking up at 2:00am with new ideas. I would think the past occasionally would influence the present. Of course this is just my opinion.

 

Meck

[whetteon]

First of all, I think the term "ripping off" is a kind of harsh term to use in this situation; even when referring to Marvel. Second of all, I am not saying definitively that they "referred back" to the Foom 2 issue. But why is it impossible to believe that someone at Marvel could have perused that issue just for fun, and was influenced by the drawing? I mean these creators are not just waking up at 2:00am with new ideas. I would think the past occasionally would influence the present. Of course this is just my opinion.

 

Meck

 

How many copies do you have on eBay right now?

[joe_collector]

First of all, I think the term "ripping off" is a kind of harsh term to use in this situation; even when referring to Marvel. Second of all, I am not saying definitively that they "referred back" to the Foom 2 issue.

 

Because even Claremont admits that he stole much of Wolverine's "new" origin from Warhawk, another of his creations, with the steel-reinforced skeleton, secret gov't experiments, hazy memory, and ex-soldier background.

[ComicbookScout]

Joe & Lonzilla both have good points. If hype doesn't die then the market says it is the Wolverine Prototype and if Foom 2 demand dies then the market (ie collectors) say it isn't the prototype. Logic doesn't seem to usually decide most things despite claims/beliefs to the contrary. Time will tell.

[bronze johnny]

Are we obligated to call someone out if they try to sell this book on the boards here by claiming it is Wolverine's prototype?

[joe_collector]

If hype doesn't die then the market says it is the Wolverine Prototype and if Foom 2 demand dies then the market (ie collectors) say it isn't the prototype.

 

Come on, there is no possible way this will ever be noted as a Wolverine Prototype, and it's a short-term scam by sellers to make some extra cash off the feebs. The fact that none of them show the actual "Wolverine" image is proof of that, as once people understand it's just a kid's cyborg character with a Wolverine name in it, demand will totally disappear.

[Red_Hood]

If hype doesn't die then the market says it is the Wolverine Prototype and if Foom 2 demand dies then the market (ie collectors) say it isn't the prototype.

 

Come on, there is no possible way this will ever be noted as a Wolverine Prototype, and it's a short-term scam by sellers to make some extra cash off the feebs. The fact that none of them show the actual "Wolverine" image is proof of that, as once people understand it's just a kid's cyborg character with a Wolverine name in it, demand will totally disappear.

 

The comic shop on eBay that sold their copy for $910.00 had a pretty large picture of the Wolverine prototype in the auction listing and that's the highest price realized for a copy that I've seen. So you can't state "none of them" show the picture.