Untamed: The Psychology of Marvel's Wolverine

by Suzana E Flores

Wolverine. Logan. Weapon X. By any name, Marvel Comic's savage, brooding antihero is, in his own words, the best at what he does--killing with gratuitous precision. Paradoxically violent yet humane, the beer-swilling, cigar-smoking mutant with retractable claws is universally misjudged in the Marvel Universe yet esteemed by fans worldwide.

The author explores Wolverine's development from bit character to modern legend over more than four decades, with a focus on his enduring appeal as an allegory for resilience through torment.

• ISBN10: 1476674426
• ISBN13: 9781476674421
• Publish Date: 3 July 2018
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: McFarland & Co Inc
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 205
• Language: English

Reviews

[Quirky Cat]

I received a copy of Untamed: The Psychology of Marvel’s Wolverine through NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I can honestly tell you that I never expected to see a novel that literally analysis the psychology of a comic book character…but man am I happy to be surprised by this one! While it may never have occurred to me to seek out a book like this, I am happy that it was written and that I stumbled across it.
Suzana E. Flores absolutely had the writing and psychology chops to nail this analysis. While some of her explanations may have been long winded, it doesn’t change the fact that she knew what she was talking about. I don’t know if I agree with every conclusion she came to about Wolverine, but likewise I really can’t argue with her logic for getting there.
Along with an in-depth analysis of Wolverine’s mental state, Untamed includes an in-depth view on the character himself (which makes sense – you have to know the character before you can study him) and major events in his past. Since these events made him the character he is today, that all makes complete sense.
Still, it was interesting to learn so much more about Wolverine. For example, I never knew the origin behind Wolverine’s creation, nor did I know about the author’s real life histories that gave Wolverine such a lifelike backbone.
Flores breaks up major events, themes, and theories into nicely organized chapters. She has an entire chapter dedicated to Wolverine’s childhood (which again, makes sense), the subject of torture (which again, unfortunately for Logan, makes sense), and Wolverine’s romantic interests and failures. There’s more, of course, but those were the parts that stood out in my mind the most.
Together all of these chapters, perspectives, and theories give us a fuller idea of Wolverine and the true suffering he’s experienced over time. It gives us a better idea of the character he’s become, and why he behaves the way he does.

For more reviews, check out Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks