Summary
- Wolverine’s solo adventures have influenced antiheroes for generations, with fans drawn to his take-no-prisoners attitude and brutal nature.
- Iconic Wolverine stories like “Not Dead Yet” and “Enemy of the State” showcase his complex character and ability to adapt to various genres.
- From his mysterious past in “Weapon X” to his power struggle in Japan, Wolverine’s stories delve into his humanity and animalistic nature.
He may be known as an X-Man, but Wolverine also has his own career of solo adventures. With the character turning fifty this year, the mutant man of mystery has appeared in countless comics through the decades, influencing an entire generation of antiheroes for an audience that was growing older and looking beyond the black-and-white morality of traditional superheroes. Although small in stature, Wolverine has cast a large shadow across comics history, at various points being the most popular superhero in the world.
His first appearance in Incredible Hulk #181 brought Wolverine into being, but it was his inclusion in Giant-Size X-Men #1 that cemented his place in the Marvel universe. With a healing factor and unbreakable Adamantium claws, Wolverine may not have had the flashiest powers on the team, but it’s the character’s take-no-prisoners attitude that caught fire with fans the world over. Ranking his best stories of all time is no small task, but these ten Wolverine comics explain why he’s truly the best he is at what he does.
10 Wolverine: The Long Night
Wolverine: The Long Night #1-5 by Ben Percy & Marcio Takara
Adapting the acclaimed audio podcast drama, The Long Night is a small, rather quiet affair that nonetheless packs a punch. Taking inspiration from the likes of True Detective, the story follows a pair of FBI agents investigating a series of murders in the wilds of Alaska. Each of the victims have claw marks in a rather distinctive fashion, as the investigators soon find themselves on the trail of a mysterious man who seemingly can’t be killed…
What makes The Long Night special is the absence of the title character. Being a murder mystery, most of the action has already happened before the audience enters the picture, with the FBI leads piecing together the mystery in the aftermath. While his appearances are limited, Logan hangs over the proceedings like a grim spectre, cutting to the heart of what the character is all about in this brutal rural noir from Ben Percy and Marcio Takara.
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9 “Not Dead Yet”
Wolverine (Vol. 2) #119-122 by Warren Ellis & Leinil Francis Yu
This four-part story from the late nineties came right after Larry Hama ended his legendary run, featuring Wolverine on the run from the White Ghost, a Scottish assassin from Logan’s past. At first glance, the basic revenge plot may appear to be nothing special, but the somber tone the story strikes makes it stand out, as Logan must reckon with another “ghost” from his shady past.
Ellis balances the character dynamics and blistering action quite nicely, and Yu’s work shows why he would soon become one of the industry’s top artists following his work on the title. Logan’s memory loss and near-immortality means he has a past that is ripe material for stories set in his present, and the creative team gets to the heart of such a world-weary character. Coupling that with action scenes straight out of a Hong Kong action movie, and “Not Dead Yet” winds up being a must-read Wolverine story.
8 “Coyote Crossing”
Wolverine (Vol. 3) #7-11 by Greg Rucka & Leandro Fernandez
Greg Rucka’s run on Wolverine was marked by a deep exploration of Logan’s character. Rucka’s grounded approach gives the story a crime/noir feel, as Wolverine is on the hunt for a drug lord who is forcing migrants to smuggle drugs across the border. With beautiful artwork courtesy of Leandro Fernandez, the story-arc is complemented by savage action scenes and some truly brutal twists.
Rucka’s approach to the character is refreshingly grounded, largely telling standalone tales divorced from the continuity-heavy X-Men line. Playing into Wolverine’s loner tendencies by having him hit the road as a drifter allows for these types of stories, where the character finds himself drawn into a variety of adventures merely by proximity. It’s a dark tale that plumbs the depths of Logan’s soul, exploring the fine line between his berserker rage and his humanity.
7 “Insane in the Brain”
Wolverine: Weapon X #6-9 by Jason Aaron & Yanick Paquette
It’s hard to pick just one story from Jason Aaron’s extended run on the character, but this arc of Wolverine trapped in the Dunwich Sanitarium of horrors might be the best of all. Logan finds himself subjected to Dr. Algernon Rottwell, aka “Dr. Rot,” the resident psychiatrist who conducts grisly experiments on his patients. Yanick Paquette’s artwork captures the psychodrama inherent in the story, bringing the nightmarish visuals to life in stark, brutal fashion.
Attempting to bring the beast of an amnesiac Wolverine never works out very well, as Dr. Rot learns by story’s end. What makes this one of the best in the character’s history is the dark exploration of psychology that Aaron and Paquette bring to the story. Playing like a David Lynch-directed slasher film, “Insane in the Brain” is a disturbing, violent look into the mind of Wolverine.
6 “Blood Debt”
Wolverine (Vol. 2) #150-153 by Steve Skroce
“Blood Debt” was Steve Skroce’s first comics project after leaving the industry for a time to storyboard the first Matrix film, and the story is a fast and hard-hitting action tale one would expect from the artist who first put the concept of “Bullet Time” to paper. The story sees Wolverine returning to Japan once more, as he is drawn into a war between the Yakuza and an invading Mongolian crime syndicate.
Skroce’s artwork is the main selling point here, as the artist gets the chance to truly cut loose. Skroce’s work here feels like a long-held breath finally getting the chance to exhale, as the artist takes full advantage of the storytelling opportunities presented by the comic book page. Skroce also gets to show off his abilities as a writer, telling a character-driven action story that is fast, fun and memorable.
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5 “Dear Logan”
Strange Tales II #1 by Rafael Grampá
Rafael Grampá’s story is only eight pages, but it still winds up being one of the absolute best Wolverine stories of all time. Envisioning Logan as a bruiser taking part in violent super-powered brawls for money, ”Dear Logan” compresses years of characterization into what is ultimately a small story. Framed as a letter written to Logan by a former lover, the story reveals some rather dark things lurking in the pit of the Wolverine’s soul.
Grampá is one of the finest cartoonists working in comics today, and his expressive style brims with power and emotion in every line. Grampá includes all the hacking and slashing Wolverine fans could want into his eight pages, but “Dear Logan’s” overall impact is greater as a somber character study. The bleak ending may lead to a sour taste for some due to the revelations it makes about the title character, but “Dear Logan” is an unforgettable reading experience, nonetheless.
4 “Enemy of the State”
Wolverine (Vol. 3) #20-31 by Mark Millar & John Romita, Jr.
Mark Millar and John Romita, Jr.’s run on Wolverine is an epic ride through the Marvel Universe. The story portrays the ultimate worst-case scenario, showing what happens when Wolverine is on the opposite side. Logan is kidnapped by a consortium of villainous groups including the Hand and HYDRA, brainwashed into becoming an assassin assigned to take out all the major heroes.
Millar treats the Marvel Universe as a playground, exploring each corner as the brainwashed Wolverine tears his way through the likes of S.H.I.E.L.D., the Avengers and the Fantastic Four. It also proves to be some of the best work of JRJR’s storied career in comics, as the artist gets to show what he’s capable of across twelve issues of sustained madness. “Enemy of the State” also introduced super-villain the Gorgon, one of the biggest challenges that Wolverine has ever faced throughout his fifty-year history.
3 “Wolverine: Alone!”
Uncanny X-Men (Vol 1) #133 by Chris Claremont & John Byrne
It’s hard to conceive of now, but Wolverine wasn’t always the most popular member of the X-Men. Logan was such an afterthought in the team that Chris Claremont and original artist Dave Cockrum considered dropping him from the team entirely, but incoming artist John Byrne saw more potential in the character. Wolverine quickly became a fan-favorite, and Uncanny X-Men #133 is a big reason why.
Occurring right in the middle of the larger Dark Phoenix Saga, this is the famous issue where Logan is the only team member left standing after the Hellfire Club corrupts Jean Grey and takes the entire X-team prisoner. The opening pages depict Wolverine tearing through the Hellfire Club guards, establishing the character’s lethal, take-no-prisoners attitude in a shocking scene that was unlike anything else in superhero comics at the time. Watching Wolverine stalk the sewers here is much like witnessing the birth of an icon, his legacy carved into stone by adamantium claws.
2 Wolverine #1-4
by Chris Claremont & Frank Miller
Wolverine’s first solo story digs into what makes the character tick in way that had only barely been touched upon in Uncanny X-Men. Frank Miller apparently objected to drawing the series in the first place, uninterested in drawing what he perceived to be a one-note violent character, so the artist worked closely with Chris Claremont to further flesh out Logan’s characterization beyond his berserker rage.
This miniseries establishes Wolverine’s connection to Japan, as Logan travels east and becomes involved in a power struggle between warring crime families. As the star of his own story, the creators get to really dig in and see what makes Logan tick, revealing the tragic soul of the hero like never before. Like a song that reminds the listener of an old lover, Wolverine is awash in film noir heartbreak and whiskey-soaked regret, all beautifully conveyed through Claremont’s soul-baring script and Miller’s striking artwork.
1 “Weapon X”
Marvel Comics Presents #72-84 by Barry Windsor-Smith
Wolverine’s mysterious past had long been an integral part of the character, and “Weapon X” was one of the first glimpses readers got of his origin. The story chronicles Logan’s time in the Weapon X program, as the central character has his memories wiped and begins the painful process of having adamantium bonded to his skeleton. The story that follows is as brutal as they come, as a man is stripped of his humanity and turned into a killing machine.
Barry Windsor-Smith is one of the finest artists to ever work in comics, and “Weapon X” just might be his masterpiece. Windsor-Smith’s elliptical approach to the story keeps readers guessing throughout, unsure of what is actually going on as several experiments are conducted on Logan. In addition, his artwork is simply some of the most sublime work to ever appear in a comic book, as Windsor-Smith’s style draws the reader in with its immersive detail. Like all the great Wolverine stories, “Weapon X” is all about the struggle between Logan’s humanity and his animalistic nature.
Wolverine
The human mutant Wolverine (a.k.a. Logan) was born James Howlett, blessed with a superhuman healing factor, senses, and physiology. Subjecting himself to experimentation to augment his skeleton and claws with adamantium, Logan is as deadly as he is reckless, impulsive, and short-tempered. Making him the X-Men’s wildest and deadliest member, and one of Marvel Comics’ biggest stars.
- Alias
- James “Logan” Howlett
- Created By
- Roy Thomas , Len Wein , John Romita Sr.
- First Appearance
- The Incredible Hulk
