10 Best Wolverine Creative Teams

Wolverine has become one of the most popular characters in the comic industry, and the main reason for that is the amazing creators who worked on his books. Logan got his first solo outing in 1982 and it would take six years before he got his first ongoing. Since then, there’s always been an ongoing series starring the ol’Canucklehead – even when he was dead, there was still a book where a Logan was the star. Wolvie’s series have often been some of the bestselling comics in the industry and Marvel has put the best creative teams imaginable on his books, giving him some timeless adventures.

It takes a special creative team to tell truly amazing Wolverine stories (something that we haven’t been getting from his book since its 2024 relaunch). There’s a certain balance that his fans want; Logan is more than just the berserker who whips legions of ninja every chance he gets, but a deep man, a wandering warrior fighting the beast inside of himself. His best teams have worked together seamlessly, giving readers unforgettable stories. These ten Wolverine creative teams are the best there is at what they do, and what they do is make Wolvie stories.

10) Mark Millar/John Romita Jr.

“Enemy of the State” is one of the best ’00s Wolverine stories and it came from the team of Mark Millar and John Romita Jr. Millar is nowhere near as beloved now as he was back then, but this story is an example of what he does best when he’s not trying to be edgy – great action set pieces and well-paced, interesting plots. It’s a story that goes from 0 to 200mph in seconds and doesn’t really let down from that pace. The Gorgon was an amazing villain right off the bat, with Millar able to create a compelling monster. Each issue had an awesome action set piece and was paced like a dream. Romita Jr. has drawn Wolverine numerous times over the years, but his work with Millar has his best art with the feral hero. Wolverine (Vol. 3) #20-31 is an action epic that you could only get from these two.

9) Benjamin Percy/Adam Kubert

Adam Kubert is one of the greatest Wolverine artists ever, and he’s drawn the character’s solo books several times over the years. You’re going to see him one more time on this list, but right now we’re talking about his run with Benjamin Percy on Wolverine (Vol. 7) #1-3, 8-10, 14-16, and #20-23, doing covers for the issues he didn’t draw interiors for. Percy is the best Wolverine writer of the last decade; he’s able to nail that sweet spot between the poetic ronin and a broken, dirty man who does what it takes but doesn’t particularly enjoy it. Kubert is at an interesting point in his career and his art on this book shows it. The action scenes are crisp and kinetic, character acting and figure work are fantastic, and his page layouts and storytelling is still off the charts. This is exactly how Logan and his adventures should look. The two just seemed to gel flawlessly, giving readers some fantastic stories that were reminiscent of the classics.

8) Warren Ellis/Leinil Yu

Wolverine had some brilliant stories in the ’90s, including the four-issue classic “Not Dead Yet” from Wolverine (Vol. 2) #119-122. This story saw Warren Ellis team up with then-regular Wolverine artist Leinil Yu. Yu is another artist you’ll see on this list again because he’s an amazing artist and his work with Ellis was awesome. Ellis was always a master of setting a tone and sticking with it. This is a spy story, as one professional does everything he can to survive the wrath of another. Each issue is well-paced and dynamic, selling the danger with some amazing action. Yu’s style was still in its infancy at this point, but he’s able to rise to the occasion. The action scenes in this story are tremendous, well-laid out, detailed, and kinetic. I love the way he drew Wolverine’s bone claws back then, even if they don’t make any sense. There’s just something about the way the two of them worked together; Ellis was able to play to Yu’s strengths and they gave readers a story that is among the best Marvel stories of its decade.

7) Jason Aaron/Ron Garney

Jason Aaron is one of the hottest writers in the industry currently and a huge reason for that is his run with Wolverine. He worked with some amazing artists during his time with the ol’Canucklehead and he worked with best with Ron Garney. The two first teamed up on Wolverine (Vol. 3) #62-62 for “Get Mystique!”, which led to them launching Wolverine: Weapon X, working together on issues #1-5 and #11-15. Their final issues together were Wolverine (Vol. 4) #17-19, and the legacy numbered #300 and 304. Garney is known for his action storytelling and this issue delivers some of the best Wolverine action scenes of all time. I always felt like Garney was channeling a Joe Kubert style for his art on the ol’Canucklehead and it just worked. Every issue is flawless. Aaron had a grasp on who Logan was right away and was able to give readers compelling, action-packed stories. Seriously, if you haven’t read their work together, remedy that ASAP.

6) Greg Rucka/Darick Robertson

Darick Robertson worked on Wolverine (Vol. 2) back in the early ’90s, something most fans don’t remember, his solid figure work and great action scenes making a big impact on my early Wolverine fandom (I read Wolverine (Vol. 2) #54 so many times back then; it’s an outstanding looking issue). As good as those issues were, they don’t have anything on his work on Logan in the early ’00s. He helped launch Wolverine (Vol. 3) with writer Greg Rucka, the two working on issues #1-6 and #12-19. The two went in a more gritty, realistic direction with the hero and it was amazing. Robertson’s art was perfect for Rucka’s writing and they gave readers some brilliant stories.

5) Larry Hama/Leinil Yu

Larry Hama is underrated legend and his run on Wolverine is the best of them all. Hama wrote Wolverine for about seven years and worked with numerous artists, but one of the best was Leinil Yu. The two of them worked on Wolverine (Vol. 2) #113-118, which isn’t all that long, but what a time it was. It was Yu’s first major work and he knocked it out of the park right away. Hama was able to bring the best out of the young artist; their first issue together was weird, especially because Yu’s style was so different from everything else, but the two were able to get a repartee down quickly. Hama’s work with Yu was great for the young artist, helping him develop into one of the most beloved artists of the last 30 years.

4) Larry Hama/Marc Silvestri

Larry Hama and Marc Silvestri came on Wolverine (Vol. 2) together, working on issues #31-43, 45-46, 48-50, 52-53, and #55-57. Silvestri had become a superstar thanks to Uncanny X-Men and had always been a brilliant Wolverine artist, so he was perfect to help launch a new run. In fact, an argument can be made that the first year of Silvestri’s run on this book was the best he had ever been as an artist. He and Hama were able to reach a level of sympatico that few creators could. They were the team on the book when it got the most attention and their stories are awesome. Hama was an artist himself, so he was able to give Silvestri scripts that played to his strengths, with readers getting some amazing tales from the two.

3) Chris Claremont/Frank Miller

Chris Claremont made Wolverine into a superstar on Uncanny X-Men and he would be teamed with one of the best creators of all time for the ol’Canucklehead’s first solo adventure: Frank Miller. The two of them created the perfect story for Logan, taking him to Japan for a story that would inspire so many others. This is basically a team of two of the greatest comic creators ever and they work together as if they were of one mind. This is a fantastic series (one I finally own) and it’s a shame that we never got more Wolvie stories from the two of them. If you haven’t read this, give it a try, and prepared to be amazed.

2) Chris Claremont/John Buscema

When Wolverine was given his first solo ongoing series in 1988, Marvel stayed with what worked and put Chris Claremont on the book. They teamed him with one of the greatest Marvel artists of all time in John Buscema. The two of them worked on Wolverine (Vol. 2) #1-8 and #10, taking readers to Madripoor to give readers Logan’s adventures as Patch. Claremont was an old pro by this point and you can tell he loved working with Buscema. He played to the artist’s strengths expertly and Buscema was able to give readers some of the best Wolverine fights ever. His art was able to bring the seedy danger of Madripoor to life, playing perfectly off Claremont’s scripts.

1) Larry Hama/Adam Kubert

For my money, Hama’s best artist was Adam Kubert. Kubert had been working with his father, the legendary Joe Kubert, since he was a teenager and was tapped for Wolverine (Vol. 2) after his success on Ghost Rider/Blaze: Spirits of Vengeance. They worked together on issues #75, 77-79, 81-81, 85, 87-88, 90, 92-93, 96-97, 100, 102, and Weapon X (Vol. 1) #1-4. Hama’s time on the book was the best Wolverine run of all time and Kubert injected some new energy into the book. Watching Kubert get better under Hama was a delight and made the artist into a superstar. Their work together is fantastic.

What’s your favorite Wolverine creative team? Leave a comment in the comment section below and join the conversation on the ComicBook Forums!

10 Wolverine Stories We Don’t Talk About Enough