Wolverine rode the X-Men to superstardom and has become one of the most popular superheroes of them all. He’s an icon and over the years, certain stories starring the ol’Canucklehead have become the ones that everyone talks about. Now, there’s good reason for that; stories like “Weapon X”, “Old Man Logan”, Wolverine (Vol. 1) #1-4, and others of the like are all great and should be recommended to readers. All of these stories are amazing, but Logan has been around for 51 years now. There are so many amazing stories from his history, and it’s honestly unfair that we only talk about the same ones over and over again.
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The diminutive mutant has starred in ongoing series, miniseries, and one-shots, and many of the greatest creators of all time have worked on his stories. Some of the best stories of his history have slipped through the cracks, and that’s unfair. These ten Wolverine stories don’t get enough credit, and we should talk about them more often.
10) Weapon X #1-4
“Age of Apocalypse” is a legendary story, but we don’t talk about every part of it equally. Weapon X #1-4, by Larry Hama and Adam Kubert, was the Wolverine story of the tale, and it’s awesome. Weapon X and Jean Grey battle against Apocalypse at the behest of the Eurasian High Human Council, but their bond is broken by the direction the humans want to take the war. Full of guest stars galore, amazing twists and turns, and Kubert’s brilliant art, this is a Wolverine story that is endlessly re-readable, and one of the coolest alternate Wolverine stories ever.
9) Wolverine: Inner Fury
Wolverine had some amazing moments in the ’90s, including losing his adamantium. However, most fans don’t know that Marvel teased the loss of the hero’s metal skeleton a year before 1993’s X-Men (Vol. 2) #25. Wolverine: Inner Fury, by D.G. Chichester and the legendary Bill Sienkiewicz, sees Wolverine pulled into a SHIELD situation after nanites enter his body and begin to detach the adamantium from his bones. This book is all about Sienkiewicz’s art, his unique style giving this story a visual identity that sets it apart from every other Wolverine story. It’s been forgotten, but it never deserved to be.
8) Wolverine: The Jungle Adventure
Wolverine has some very dangerous enemies, and has battled against the most powerful villains out there. He’d eventually go up against the most powerful X-Men villains of them all in Wolverine: The Jungle Adventure, by Walt Simonson and Mike Mignola. Logan finds himself in the Savage Land, helping a tribe against a mysterious enemy. A Wolverine versus Apocalypse story in the Savage Land is already a winning plot, but once you add in the fact that it was by legends like Simonson and Mignola, it bumps it to a must-read. This Marvel at its finest, and it’s a shame that more fans don’t know about it.
7) Logan: Path of the Warlord
Stories from Wolverine’s history are always fun for readers and one of the coolest that has seemingly dropped off the face of the Earth is Logan: Path of the Warlord, by Howard Mackie and John Paul Leon. This story follows Logan in Japan, trying to deal with the beast inside of him, when he’s recruited by Landau, Luckman, and Lake, the interdimensional law firm he worked with in the days before Weapon X, to deal with an enemy that he thought was dead. This is Logan before the claws and the adamantium, and Mackie nails it. Leon’s art is the best part of the book, his unique pencils truly capturing the tone of the story and elevating the writing.
6) “The Case of the Black Sword”
Chris Claremont revolutionized the X-Men and made Wolverine a superstar, so when the character started to get solo stories, he was put in the driver seat. Wolverine (Vol. 2) #1-3 was the first three issues of Logan’s first ongoing series and it gave readers a great story that has proven to be very important to the character’s history. “Case of the Black Sword” saw Logan in Madripoor as he got pulled into a battle over the Murasama Blade, battling against not only the criminals of the island, but foes like Silver Samurai. The Murasama is crucial to Wolverine history and this story introduced it, but it never gets the love it deserves. Claremont is on fire here and the art from Marvel legend John Buscema is gorgeous, perfect for this action-packed masterpiece.
5) “The Shiva Scenario”
The ’90s were great for Wolverine fans, especially the year 1991. “Weapon X” was giving readers part of the origin of Wolverine and the X-Men were being rebooted, leading to Wolverine (Vol. 2) putting out the perfect story for new fans. “The Shiva Scenario”, by Larry Hama and Marc Silvestri, ran through issues #48-50, and followed Logan as he tried to un-knot the tangles in his memory, eventually finding the Weapon X facility that changed his life… and an enemy designed to end that life. These three issues are peak Wolverine from two masters of the character, and made loads of new fans for the character. This story was huge when it came out, but it’s fallen away as the years have gone on.
4) “The Crunch Conundrum”
“The Crunch Conundrum”, by Larry Hama, Marc Silvestri, and Andy Kubert, isn’t a normal Wolverine story. This one takes place right after “The Shiva Scenario”, as Logan tries to come to terms with the events of the last few weeks. However, things get insane quickly, as he’s pulled into a universe-ending situation by Spiral. The one-two punch of this story and “The Shiva Scenario” was amazing (this one ran through Wolverine (Vol. 2) #51-53), showing the breadth of Wolverine stories way back then. It’s still a great story on its own, gonzo superhero sci-fi that you’ll never forget.
3) The Return of Wolverine
The Return of Wolverine, by Charles Soule, Steve McNiven, and Declan Shalvey, is terrible. It was the worst way to bring back Wolverine. Usually, that would be the reason why no one talks about it, but the problem is that if we don’t talk about it, no one will know not to read it and more fans will waste their time and money on it. This story ruined the clues that Marvel had set out for the return of the hero, basically a created an all-new (super lame) secret evil organization to bedevil the ol’Canucklehead, and tried to give him a superfluous new power. Unless we’re counting the art (which was truly fantastic), it’s a complete failure. Wolverine fans need to warn new fans about this story, because it’ll turn anyone off to the hero.
2) Havok and Wolverine: Meltdown
Havok and Wolverine: Meltdown, by Walt Simonson, Louise Simonson, Jon J. Muth, and Kent Williams, is an ’80s Marvel gem that no one remembers. This story saw the two X-Men go on vacation together and find themselves pulled into a scheme by two former Soviets looking to regain the power they lost. This is awesome Cold War superheroics with some of the most unique painted art you’ve ever seen. The ’80s were a special time at Marvel, with the greatest creators doing amazing work, and this four-issue prestige format mini is a perfect example of why the House of Ideas was so great in the decade of excess.
1) Wolverine: Bloodlust
Wolverine: Bloodlust, by Alan Davis, is an amazing one-shot. This story kicks off with Wolverine drinking in a Canadian town, doing what he does best: getting women and angering the locals. Things go from bad to worse when mysterious monsters attack the town, and Logan is drawn into a stranger situation than he ever imagined, teaming up with the last ally he ever dreamed of. Davis is amazing, and this story is full of his trademark adroit writing and gorgeous art. This is a forgotten classic, and it’s far past time that more Wolverine fans talked about it.
What’s your favorite forgotten Wolverine story? Leave a comment in the comment section below and join the conversation on the ComicBook Forums!
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