Marvel Comics is has a special offer for comic retailers. If they save unsold copies of "Wolverine" #1, they can trade those in for the "Mortal" Variant copy of "Wolverine" #12. So why build up an issue that's almost a year away?
Because Marvel has said this issue is a "double-sized landmark issue." They've believe it will gain "national attention for its game-changing story."
So what does this mean? The last time we heard "game-changing," Marvel killed off their (arguably) Number 1 character, Spider-Man. Could their (arguably)Number 2 be next? Considering the variant cover is titled "Mortal" chances aren't looking good for Logan.
Of course, all we can do for now is speculate.
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