Wolverine has risen further than anyone who read The Incredible Hulk #181 would have imagined. Wolverine is one of the most popular Marvel characters of all time, having ridden the rise of the X-Men to the top. The diminutive clawed mutant was so popular that he soon started getting his own solo stories. Since then, Wolverine has starred in some amazing stories, one that truly cut to the core of who he is. Wolverine’s solo adventures don’t often get the attention of some other heroes on his level of popularity, which is pretty unfair. Wolverine has starred in some stories are among the best superhero comics of all time, violent tales that show off just how deep a character that Wolverine truly is.
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Since 1982’s Wolverine #1-4, fans have been getting outstanding stories. Marvel has put out a lot of Wolverine comics over the years, trying to capitalize on his popularity, giving Wolverine fans an embarrassment of riches to choose from. These ten Wolverine stories are the best of all time, ranging from single issue masterpieces to multi-part epics, showing off why Wolverine has earned his motto of the best there is at what he does.
“Sabretooth War”
Writer Benjamin Percy’s run on Wolverine has a pretty checkered reception with Wolverine fans, but there are some great stories in it. The best of them is easily “Sabretooth War”, by Percy, Victor LaValle, Geoff Shaw, and Oren Junior. “Sabretooth War” is another violent chapter in the story of Wolverine and Sabretooth’s bloody rivalry. “Sabretooth War” sees Sabretooth, fresh from multiverse-spanning adventures in LaValle and Leonard Kirk’s Sabretooth and the Exiles, attack Wolverine and X-Force with an army of multiversal Sabretooths in order to get his final revenge against Wolverine. “Sabretooth War” is all about the violence. Percy’s run was known for putting Wolverine through the bloody wringer and this story takes that to the Nth degree. However, even beyond the amazing action sequences by Shaw and Junior, the story digs into the relationship between the two adversaries, showing new facets of their rivalry. “Sabretooth War” is way better than it gets credit for, and belongs among the best Wolverine stories ever.
Wolverine: Revenge
Wolverine: Revenge was a dream come true for Wolverine fans, teaming writer Jonathan Hickman with superstar artist Greg Capullo for a violent epic. Hickman is much better Wolverine writer than he gets credit for being, and he definitely cuts right to the quick of the character every time he writes him. The story begins with the death of Magneto causing a massive EMP that wrecks most of the world, with the East being the only place where everything technological wasn’t destroyed. Wolverine is pulled from a Savage Land vacation to lead a mission to Russia, where the new Brotherhood of Evil Mutants — Mastermind, Colossus, Omega Red, Sabretooth, and Deadpool — have the last source of viable energy technology in the world. The mission is a failure, dooming the rest of the world, and Wolverine goes on a years long mission of revenge against the Brotherhood. In a lot of ways, Wolverine: Revenge shares some things in common with “Old Man Logan”, but goes in a different direction where Wolverine stays a hero instead of running off with his tail in between his legs. Hickman’s Wolverine is nothing short of outstanding, but the real MVP here is Capullo. Greg Capullo has earned his reputation as one of the greats, and this book constantly shows why. His action scenes are visceral masterpieces, and he does an amazing job on every page, with great character acting and panel compositions. Wolverine: Revenge is a modern Wolverine classic, a brutal yet beautiful work.
Wolverine: Bloodlust
Writer/artist Alan Davis is one of the most underrated in the industry. Davis has worked on basically every major character at Marvel and DC, and has some very memorable Wolverine stories under his belt. His best Wolverine story comes from Wolverine: Bloodlust, a one-shot with inker Paul Neary. Bloodlust opens with Wolverine in a Canadian town after a night of drinking when a group of monsters attack, monsters whose bloodlust infects Wolverine. Wolverine is forced to figure out what is going on, taking him into the woods, leading him to a startling discovery. Wolverine: Bloodlust is a bit hard to find nowadays, but it’s definitely worth the hunt. Davis is an expert Wolverine creator, and every page drips with character and action. Wolverine: Bloodlust is largely forgotten, and it deserves way more praise than its gotten over the decades.
Havok & Wolverine: Meltdown
Havok & Wolverine: Meltdown, by Walter and Louise Simonson, Kent Williams, and Jon J. Muth, is a forgotten classic. It takes place back in the Outback era of the X-Men, when the team was hiding out in the Reavers’ base in the Outback. Wolverine and Havok decide to go on a vacation and are caught up in a world-endangering scheme, one engineered by former Soviets General Meltdown and Dr. Neutron, who need Havok’s powers to kickstart their plan for world domination. This is just good old fashioned superhero storytelling. There’s aspects of a spy caper in the story, and the Simonsons do an amazing job of capturing the friendship between Wolverine and Havok. The painted art, with Williams handling the Wolverine parts of the story and Muth the Havok sections, is unique and stylized. It’s not Alex Ross style painted realism, with each artist using their distinct styles to give readers visuals unlike anything they’ve seen. Havok & Wolverine: Meltdown comes from that short time in the late ’80s when Marvel was trying to match DC’s mature readers line, and it shows on every page.
“Old Man Logan”
“Old Man Logan” is Wolverine perfection, a story that immediately vaulted over the competition. Mark Millar and Steve McNiven’s Wolverine masterpiece is well-known by now — a pacifist Wolverine owes money to the Hulk Gang, and goes on a cross-country bodyguard job with Hawkeye, taking them through a villain-ruled dystopia — and it deserves every bit of praise it’s gotten. Millar has a well-deserved reputation for being an edgelord, but he’s an excellent Wolverine writer, and it shows on every page. McNiven’s art is the key to the whole book. The visual storytelling is off the charts with this one, and McNiven gives readers some sights they’ll never forget. It’s a masterpiece of violence and pathos, full of the kind of action and adventure that Wolverine fans crave.
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“The Last Ronin”
Millar and McNiven’s “Old Man Logan” created the most beloved alternate version of Wolverine in years, and after The Death of Wolverine decided to bring Logan to the 616 Marvel Universe. This led to Old Man Logan, a series kicked off by the brilliant creative team of Jeff Lemire and Andrea Sorrentino. Lemire and Sorrentino’s Old Man Logan is easily the best Wolverine run of the last fifteen years, and possibly of the 21st century as a whole. Their best story is “The Last Ronin”, which pits Wolverine against the younger version of an enemy he faced in his future. Lemire’s Old Man Logan was all about Logan learning from the mistakes of his past and “The Last Ronin” is perfect example of this at its best. Sorrentino’s art is mind-blowing, his unconventional page layouts and unique style creating unforgettable pages. This is peak perfect Wolverine storytelling, an underrated story that every Wolverine fan should check out.
“Weapon X”
Wolverine was one of the main stars of Marvel Comics Presents, a monthly anthology series that presented several tales every month. Wolverine’s tenure in Marvel Comics Presents has some great Wolverine stories, but the best of them is easily “Weapon X” from Marvel Comics Presents #72-84, by writer/artist Barry Windsor-Smith. “Weapon X” told the story of Wolverine’s time with the supersoldier project, as they begin their most torturous procedure on him — grafting adamantium to his skeleton. However, as the torment crescendos, Wolverine breaks free, his newly unbreakable bones joined by his trademark claws, and kills his way through the Weapon X facility. “Weapon X” is a visceral, horror-inflected masterpiece. It’s a story that has stood the test of time, and is Wolverine perfection.
Wolverine (Vol. 1) #1-4
One time, Chris Claremont and Frank Miller were in a car together, driving to a comic convention. In the car, the two of them plotted out Wolverine (Vol. 1) #1-4, Wolverine’s first classic solo series. Wolverine is called to Japan and finds the love of his life Mariko Yashida married off to a Yakuza thug by her crime boss father Shingen. Wolverine is beaten within an inch of his life by Shingen, and is saved by the wild ninja Yukio. Wolverine decides to get revenge, proving to Shingen and himself that he’s more than a wild animal, but a warrior to be honored and feared. This is Wolverine at his best, with Claremont and Miller using all of their considerable skills to tell a near-perfect Wolverine story. This was the story that proved that Wolverine didn’t need the X-Men to succeed, and it’s not just one of the best Wolverine stories, but also just one of the best Marvel comics of all time.
Wolverine (Vol. 2) #90
Writer Larry Hama wrote Wolverine (Vol. 2) from issue #31 to issue #118. He’s one of the most prolific Wolverine creators of all time, and his run on Wolverine (Vol. 2) was one of the bestselling Marvel solo books of the ’90s. Hama’s Wolverine was the perfect heartbroken ronin, a warrior poet moving through the world trying to keep the animal inside of him at bay. There are many amazing Hama Wolverine stories, but the best of them, and one of the best Wolverine comics of all time, comes Wolverine (Vol. 2) #90. This issue saw Wolverine return to the X-Mansion for the first time since losing his adamantium. His friends are gone, but the mansion isn’t empty — Sabretooth is there. What follows is a game of chess between the two of them, which leads to a Wolverine/Sabretooth brawl of epic proportions. Wolverine (Vol. 2) #90 is drawn by Adam Kubert, another best of all time Wolverine creator, and his pencils are impeccable. The issue has fold out pages to give the book a widescreen feel that comics don’t often have. This is an amazing comic, hands down, and one of the finest moments in Wolverine history.
Wolverine (Vol. 2) #10
There is no other writer in Marvel history that did more for Wolverine than Chris Claremont. Claremont made him popular in Uncanny X-Men and was the primary Wolverine scribe from 1974 to 1989. Claremont wrote the first Wolverine miniseries and would get the nod for his 1989 solo series. Claremont would write the first ten issues of the book, working with classic Marvel artist John Buscema. There are some amazing stories during this short run, but the best is Wolverine (Vol. 2) #10, titled “24 Hours”. It’s Wolverine’s birthday, and he’s doing his best to stay out of trouble, acting like someone is after him. This leads to flashbacks to another birthday, when Sabretooth killed his girlfriend Silver Fox, leading to the first time that Sabretooth and Wolverine fought. This is a brilliant issue from start to finish, an example of perfect single issue storytelling. Claremont is a master of writing Wolverine, and this issue proves that on every page. Buscema is inked by another Marvel legend for this issue — Bill Sienkiewicz — giving the art a jagged, surreal edge that takes Buscema’s already amazing pencils and kicks them to the next level. This is peak Wolverine in every way, the best Wolverine comic ever published.
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