Wolverine First Appearance: Incredible Hulk #181 Value

Wolverine first appeared in The Incredible Hulk #181 (cover date November 1974), published by Marvel, by Len Wein, Herb Trimpe, Roy Thomas, John Romita Sr.. The source puts it this way: "The first full appearance of Wolverine following a cameo in the previous issue. Created by Len Wein, Roy Thomas and John Romita Sr.".

PriceCharting values for The Incredible Hulk #181 (1974) by CGC grade, based on recorded sales and updated September 25, 2026:

• CGC 2.0: $1,399
• CGC 3.0: $1,890
• CGC 4.0: $2,260
• CGC 5.0: $2,600
• CGC 6.0: $3,238
• CGC 7.0: $3,500
• CGC 8.0: $5,267
• CGC 9.0: $6,861
• CGC 9.2: $8,269
• CGC 9.4: $10,000

The spread from CGC 2.0 ($1,399) to CGC 9.4 ($10,000) shows how much condition matters on a key issue. Restored, trimmed or incomplete copies sell far below these figures, and reprints and facsimiles (see below) are worth a small fraction. Grade and restoration are confirmed by a grading service such as CGC or CBCS; prices move with the market and the character's popularity.

• Cameo vs. full appearance (interior story detail): both the cameo issue and this full-appearance issue were created by the same team — Len Wein (writer), Herb Trimpe (artist), Jack Abel (inker), Glynis Wein (colorist), and Artie Simek (letterer).
• Cover date sequencing: he made his first major appearance in The Incredible Hulk #181 (November 1974), again by the Wein–Trimpe team.

• Indicia: the small print on the first page or inside cover gives the issue number, date and publisher; reprints usually say so there.
• Cover price and barcode: a price or barcode format that did not exist in the year printed means a later edition.
• Paper and staples: decades-old newsprint is tan at the edges; bright white pages on an old date are a warning sign.
• Restoration: color touch, trimmed edges and married covers are common on expensive keys; a grading service can detect them.

Shoot the front cover flat, straight on, in even light, then the indicia page and the back cover. Include the top edge and staples in one frame. The app reads the title, issue number and cover and matches it against the checks above; the indicia photo settles most reprint questions.

Wolverine's first appearance is a last-page cameo in The Incredible Hulk #180 (October 1974); his first full appearance is The Incredible Hulk #181 (November 1974) (Wikipedia). Both were written by Len Wein and drawn by Herb Trimpe from a John Romita Sr. design, and Comics Beat lists both originals as released in July 1974. The market treats #181 as the key. PriceCharting, September 25, 2026:

• Hulk #180: $273.50 ungraded, $961.22 in CGC 8.0, $1,856.72 in CGC 9.2, $14,400 in CGC 9.8
• Hulk #181: $1,789.36 ungraded, $5,266.83 in CGC 8.0, $8,269.17 in CGC 9.2, $55,227.79 in CGC 9.8

It is the first full appearance of a character who went on to join the X-Men in Giant-Size X-Men #1 (May 1975) and to lead films played by Hugh Jackman from X-Men (2000) to Deadpool & Wolverine (2024) (Wikipedia). Top copies set records:

• $146,000 for a CGC 9.8 at ComicLink on October 26, 2022, the first in that grade past $140,000 (CGC, November 2, 2022)
• $150,000 for a CGC 9.9 at ComicLink in 2011, the only higher sale at that time (CGC)
• 148 copies graded CGC 9.8 as of that article: 136 Universal and 12 Signature Series
• $657,250 for the original art of the page that introduced Wolverine, sold in May 2014 (Wikipedia)

PriceCharting's CGC 9.8 value of $55,227.79 on September 25, 2026 is far below the 2022 record, so check recent sales rather than headline prices before you buy or sell.

• Height: John Romita Sr. set him at 5 feet 3 inches (1.6 m), after the small size of real wolverines (Wikipedia).
• First X-Men appearance: Giant-Size X-Men #1 (May 1975), which is also Storm's first appearance.
• Sexuality: Wikipedia's article describes no LGBTQ storyline for the main-continuity Wolverine; it notes an alternate version in X-Treme X-Men where he and Hercules are lovers.