After three issues of wandering in the snow, Wolverine finally stumbles into something that feels alive. Wolverine Vol. 8 #4–6 drops the survival shuffle and throws Logan straight into a gauntlet of familiar enemies. From Constrictor and Lady Deathstrike to Cyber and even Romulus, the rogues’ gallery is suddenly stacked, and Adamantine’s influence stops being a whisper and starts pulling strings.
If you’re catching up, this run started with Logan trudging through frozen silence in Wolverine Vol. 8 #1 and the Wendigo-heavy survival arc in Wolverine Vol. 8 #2–3. Those set the atmosphere. These three issues? They swing the claws.
Wolverine #4 – Lost and Found
The title fits: Wolverine is literally dragged back into old grudges. A transport hits, Constrictor is freed, and Lady Deathstrike is back in the mix. Both are effectively pawns, running on Adamantine’s pull, but it gives the issue a sharp edge the series badly needed.
Cóccolo’s art thrives on tight choreography here. The earlier long shots of empty snow are gone. now the fights feel close, bloody, and personal. Valenza keeps the palette cold but cracks the pages with slashes of red every time Logan connects.
It is not a key issue on its own, but for collectors it marks the shift: no more wandering, this is Wolverine being hunted by old enemies under new orders.
Wolverine #5 – The Call of Adamantine
The title isn’t subtle. This is where the gold metal stops whispering and starts commanding. But before the pull takes over, Logan gets one of the strangest alliances in his history: the Wendigo actually helps him.
Normally, Wolverine and Wendigo are locked in an endless cycle of blood and snow. Their fights go back decades; Logan’s first Canadian arcs almost always came with a Wendigo brawl. The curse usually leaves the creature mindless and savage. But here, Saladin Ahmed twists it. The Wendigo recognizes Logan as something other than prey, and the two fight side-by-side against Constrictor and Deathstrike. It’s a sharp callback to their shared history, but one that flips the script: from eternal rivals to uneasy allies.
Nightcrawler joins the story here, pulling Wolverine out of isolation and giving him his first true teammate of the run. Together, they rush to save civilians, but the mission brings a bigger problem: Cyber returns. His bulk and cruelty make him a wall of muscle. Still, the real threat is happening off-panel, the “call of Adamantine” reverberating, pulling enemies together like a conductor leading an orchestra of blood.
Cóccolo handles the escalation with layered panels, fights on one page, and silent narration boxes on the next. Valenza leans harder into deep reds here, and the result feels less like random survival and more like strings being pulled for a larger stage.
For collectors, Wolverine Vol. 8 #5 stands out as the first explicit “call of Adamantine” issue. It’s a thematic marker that might age into a sleeper prelude key, depending how Marvel cements Adamantine’s legacy.
Wolverine #6 – Lineage
This one lives up to its title. Lineage pulls threads from Wolverine’s past and sets them all against him in one crowded, bloody brawl.
Laura shows up first. She misreads the Wendigo, thinking it’s another mindless killer, and nearly takes him out before Logan and Nightcrawler stop her. It’s a great character beat, Laura’s instincts are sharp, but her patience isn’t, and it adds tension to the already fragile alliance.
Then Donald Pierce arrives with the Reavers, because of course he does. If Adamantine is pulling strings, Pierce is the kind of opportunist who will happily march to someone else’s drum if it means putting Wolverine in the dirt.
From there, the fight escalates into a rogues’ gallery reunion: Cyber, Constrictor, Lady Deathstrike, and even Romulus come crashing in. For longtime fans, Romulus is a name that triggers groans and curiosity in equal measure. Love him or hate him, his appearance here adds weight to the “lineage” theme; Wolverine’s violent family tree keeps growing whether he wants it or not.
Cóccolo handles the chaos better than most. Multi-villain fights usually look messy, but the panel work here keeps each blow sharp, each character distinct. Valenza pushes his palette into darker reds, so every hit looks like it could end the fight. By the end, Wolverine feels less like a hunter and more like prey surrounded on all sides.
Wolverine Vol. 8 #4–6 Art & Atmosphere
By this point, Martín Cóccolo and Bryan Valenza are in full control of the book’s tone. The endless wide shots of snowy silence from #1–3 are gone. Now the panels close in on Wolverine’s claws, the Wendigo’s hulking form, and the chaos of multi-villain brawls.
Cóccolo juggles action-heavy pages without losing clarity. Cyber’s bulk feels oppressive, Lady Deathstrike’s precision cuts through panels, and Romulus looms with that mix of menace and theatricality. Meanwhile, Valenza’s palette evolves issue by issue: cold blues in Lost and Found, heavy crimsons in The Call of Adamantine, and full scarlet floods by Lineage. The escalation is not just in the story, it’s in the color bleed across the arc.
Collector’s Corner
For collectors, this trilogy is about setup value with one big caveat:
- Wolverine Vol. 8 #4 – Lost and Found: Constrictor’s breakout and Lady Deathstrike’s return. Solid action, but not one to slab.
- Wolverine Vol. 8 #5 – The Call of Adamantine: The title matters. First time the “call” is explicit, plus Wendigo helps Wolverine and Nightcrawler enters the run. Cyber’s return adds weight. Could age into a sleeper prelude key.
- Wolverine Vol. 8 #6 – Lineage: Laura arrives, Donald Pierce and the Reavers surface, Romulus reappears, and all of it leads directly into Adamantine’s story. Key note: This issue is now recognized as the first cameo appearance of Adamantine. It’s a brief glimpse, but enough for collectors to file it as a minor key prelude to #7 and #8.
Variants follow the From the Ashes house style. Nothing rare yet, no gimmick chase covers. If you’re a completist, grab them. If you’re an investor, #5 is a sleeper, and #6 jumps in importance because of the cameo.
If you missed the earlier survival arc, check our Wolverine Vol. 8 #2–3 review.
Closing Thoughts
Wolverine Vol. 8 #4–6 is the bridge between survival and conspiracy. The snowbound crawl finally explodes into stacked fights, old enemies march in under new orders, and Adamantine’s pull becomes undeniable.
The big twist is that #6 now counts as Adamantine’s first cameo appearance, a small moment, but enough to nudge this stretch into minor key territory. Add in Romulus resurfacing, Laura stepping into the fray, and the Reavers piling on, and you’ve got an arc that finally feels like momentum.
The irony is clear: all of this blood is still stage-setting. Wolverine #7 sharpens the past with Romulus, and Wolverine #8 is where Adamantine makes his full debut.
Is Wolverine Vol. 8 #4–6 Worth Your Pull List?
YES: If you want the full lead-up to Adamantine, including his first cameo in issue #6, plus the return of Romulus, Deathstrike, and the Reavers.
MAYBE: If the early pacing already froze you out, three issues of setup might still feel like work.
Juan’s Score: 7.5/10
A needed jolt of action with some deep-cut villains. With #6 now tagged as Adamantine’s cameo, this stretch carries more collector weight than we first thought, but it’s still all about getting to the full debut.
