The X-Men have had some very important issues that were released throughout history, and The Uncanny X-Men #116 by Chris Claremont and John Byrne delivered several big moments that changed what fans knew about Wolverine. In 1975, the X-Men returned with new comics for the first time in five years, with the last issue containing a new story being #67 in 1970. X-Men #94 also started Chris Claremont’s iconic run on the title, with John Byrne joining him as the penciler starting with X-Men #108. By issue #114, the title changed to The Uncanny X-Men, and one issue later, the X-Men were in the Savage Land helping their old friend Ka-Zar.
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The Uncanny X-Men #116 concluded that two-part story as the X-Men attempted to help Ka-Zar battle Sauron in the first issue, and then Garokk, the Petrified Man, in this specific issue. Garokk had been part of the Savage Land for many years, after the Beyonders ordered it to remain a primeval sanctuary. However, in modern times, and specifically in the months leading up to the events of this issue, the cult that worshipped Garokk had constructed a giant citadel that had started to destroy the Savage Land, creating savage weather conditions, and it was up to the X-Men and Ka-Zar to end the threat.
X-Men #116 Gave Wolverine One of His Most Important Powers
There were several things in The Uncanny X-Men #116 that remain notable for Wolverine fans. First of all, this was the first time that Wolverine ever revealed he had a healing factor. After a dinosaur bit his arm, he withstood the pain for a time before extending his claws into the creature’s throat. Storm rushed to Wolverine, worried, but he let her know, “I heal real fast.” Wolverine had been through some big battles leading up to this issue, but he had never mentioned his healing factor before, and this was the first time his teammates learned about it.
In the same panel, he also mentioned a little about the strength of his skeleton. This was also the first time that Wolverine revealed his bones were unbreakable. He said after the comment about healing fast, “The beast ain’t been born that can break my bones.” As the comics showed over the years, Wolverine’s healing factor naturally regenerates most, if not all, damaged and destroyed tissues at a rate exceeding that of normal humans. Adamantium was mentioned for the first time in Avengers #66 (1969) by Roy Thomas and Barry Windsor-Smith. This issue said his skeleton was hard to break, but it wasn’t until The Uncanny X-Men #126 (1979) that it was revealed that Wolverine’s skeleton was made from adamantium. This issue just offered a hint.
The book also had two other nice additions to Wolverine’s story. The first saw Wolverine, Nightcrawler, and Storm recovering after an attack that saw Cyclops, Banshee, Colossus, and Ka-Zar all captured. Zabu was also there and was aggravated. Wolverine then began communicating with the saber-tooth tiger, Zabu, which shocked Nightcrawler that he was able to speak to animals. This was even hammered home later in the issue when Nightcrawler mentioned it again as Wolverine told Zabu goodbye. The last thing that this issue showed was Wolverine killing someone off panel, but showing it from the point of view of the horrified Storm and Nightcrawler.
X-Men #116 Is a Great Pickup for Any Marvel Collection
The Uncanny X-Men #116 had a lot of fun action in it. The story was in the Savage Land, which makes sense because Ka-Zar debuted in the X-Men comics in the 1960s. There was also a retcon that was shown years later in the reprint of the story in Classic X-Men #22. This reprint showed this battle, but it added a moment before they left the Savage Land, where Storm fell through an interdimensional rift and ended up living in another world and taking on many battles before returning at the exact moment she disappeared. Between that interesting retcon and the hints at the extent of Wolverine’s powers and his skeleton, this is an issue that collectors should want in their collection.
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