10 Best Wolverine Miniseries, Ranked

Wolverine is one of the most published characters in the last 52 years of Marvel history. He came to prominence alongside the X-Men, but his popularity was such that he eventually started having more and more solo adventures. Since 1982, the character has starred in ongoings, one-shots, team books, and miniseries. In fact, his first ever solo outing was a miniseries and he’s had some of the coolest minis out there. Plenty of people (mostly fans who don’t like him) complain about all of the minis he gets while also having so many ongoings, but the character has proven perfect for these kinds of bite-size stories.

Miniseries have proven to be an important part of the ol’Canucklehead’s existence. An argument can be made that the hero wouldn’t be nearly as popular if it wasn’t for the many amazing miniseries he’s starred in. Here are the ten best Wolverine miniseries, stories that shows readers why he’s the best there is at what he does (in this case, that’s starring in miniseries).

10) Old Man Logan (Vol. 1)

“Old Man Logan” is a legendary story and this being Marvel, this version of the character was always going to come back. However, it wouldn’t be until 2015 in Old Man Logan (Vol. 1), by Brian Michael Bendis and Andrea Sorrentino, a tie-in to Secret Wars. It follows Logan as he makes his way through Battleworld, trying to discover the truth of the universe under God Emperor Doom. It’s an awesome little series, with the artwork by Sorrentino really giving it the oomph it needs to be among the greats (Sorrentino is an underrated Wolverine artist and I’ll go to my grave screaming that). It used the idea of Battleworld better than most other Secret Wars tie-ins and led into Old Man Logan (Vol. 2), one of the best Wolverine series ever.

9) Logan

Logan, by Brian K. Vaughan and Eduardo Risso, is a forgotten gem. The four-issue miniseries tells a story of Wolverine’s past in Japan during World War II, where he meets and falls in love with a woman while on the run from Imperial Japanese forces, leading to a confrontation in the present day with an enemy he thought long dead. This story is one of the many cool little yarns from the hero’s past and does an amazing job of building its plots before the final issue gave readers an awesome battle. Vaughan and Risso gave readers something special with this series, and it’s a shame that people don’t talk about it more.

8) Wolverine: Madripoor Knights

Chris Claremont made the X-Men and Wolverine superstars, so every time he comes back to the character, it’s something to check out. Wolverine: Madripoor Knights, by Claremont and Edgar Salazar, is the sequel to the classic Uncanny X-Men #268, following Wolverine, Captain America, and Black Widow as they deal with the Hand and the crime bosses of Madripoor after the events of that issue. This is classic Claremont Wolverine goodness. He nails the character, as well as Cap and Widow, and takes readers on wild, action-packed ride (Claremont and Salazar also did Wolverine: Deep Cut, which is also worth checking out).

7) Kitty Pryde and Wolverine

Kitty Pryde is one of Wolverine’s coolest partners, the two of them becoming one of the X-Men’s greatest duos. That relationship was made closer than ever in Kitty Pryde and Wolverine, by Chris Claremont and Al Milgrom. This story saw the two of them going to Japan and dealing with Ogun, the ninja master who taught Logan martial arts. This is the story where Kitty became a ninja, trained by Logan and his master, and it’s another slice of Claremont goodness. Old school minis like this one don’t always get a lot of love nowadays, but this one is sensational.

6) Wolverine: Patch

Wolverine’s time as Patch in Madripoor is one of the most beloved eras of the character and readers were reminded why they love it so much in Wolverine: Patch, by Larry Hama and Andrea Di Vito. The story sees Wolverine get involved with a bunch of Russian mutants trying to escape the clutches of their controllers, with the hero battling everyone to help them find their child. Hama is one of the greatest writers in the history of comics (dude created G.I. Joe!), and has always been the best Wolverine scribe, so him returning to Madripoor with the character was awesome. Di Vito’s art is perfect; he’s an unsung great, and this mini will show you why.

5) Havok and Wolverine: Meltdown

Havok and Wolverine isn’t a team-up that a lot of people think would be awesome, but oh are they wrong. Havok and Wolverine: Meltdown, by Walt Simonson, Louise Simonson, Kent Williams, and Jon J. Muth, was a four-issue Epic miniseries (Epic was Marvel’s prestige format/mature readers/creator-owned line of the mid to late ’80s) that teamed the two mutant together. While on a vacation, the two of them are pulled into a scheme by Soviet mutants out to regain the power that they had lost. This is Cold War superhero perfection, with its unique painted art being a huge selling point.

4) Wolverine: Revenge

Wolverine: Revenge, by Jonathan Hickman and Greg Capullo, is everything you could want from a Wolverine story. On an alternate Earth, the death of Magneto causes an EMP that wrecks the Western Hemisphere, and Logan is recruited to try and steal the experimental reactor held by the Brotherhood of Mutants in Russia. The mission definitely goes wrong, and the ol’Canucklehead begins a quest for revenge. This is just good old fashioned Wolverine action, with Hickman building an awesome story about the price of vengeance, all brought to life by Capullo’s adroit pencils.

3) Astonishing Spider-Man and Wolverine

Astonishing Spider-Man and Wolverine, by Jason Aaron and Adam Kubert, teamed the two Avengers up for a story that would change their relationship forever. They’re pulled out of the present, traveling to the ancient past and the far future, trying to figure out how to get home before they kill each other. This story is exciting, full of twists and turns that you’ll never guess, and it does a fantastic job of showing the two characters’ rivalry turn into friendship. Kubert’s art is amazing; he’s one of the best artists of the modern era, and this book has some of his best Marvel art ever.

2) Weapon X

“Age of Apocalypse” is a favorite of X-fans, and it gave Wolverine lovers one of his best minis ever. Weapon X, by Larry Hama and Adam Kubert, followed Logan and Jean Grey as they battled the forces of Apocalypse at the behest of the Human High Council. As the war enters its final phases, the two of them have to a choice to make that will change their relationship, and the war, forever. Hama and Kubert are one of the greatest Wolverine duos ever, and this book is a perfect example of why. It’s full of action, intrigue, and, most importantly, character. It’s infinitely re-readable, and one of the best parts of a classic story.

1) Wolverine (Vol. 1)

Wolverine has starred in many amazing stories, but one of the best of them has always been his first miniseries. Wolverine (Vol. 1), by Chris Claremont and Frank Miller, combined two of the greatest creators in the history of comics for a story that never gets old. Logan learns that his fiancee Mariko had been married off to one of her Yakuza boss father Shingen Yashida’s lackeys, and sets out to free her. After a savage beating, the ol’Canucklehead has to figure out a way to defeat Shingen, with the help of wild ninja Yukio. Look, this is a story by Claremont and Miller, so that should be enough to sell you. It is amazing, and if you can ever get your hands on the original copies, do it (it took me years, but I finally did it). They’re worth every penny.

What are your favorite Wolverine minis? Leave a comment in the comment section below and join the conversation on the ComicBook Forums!

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