Whether you’re looking to catch up before Deadpool & Wolverine or for a comfort read after X-Men ‘97, these Wolverine comics are the best they are at what they do.
Times are good if you’re a Wolverine fan. The upcoming Deadpool & Wolverine isn’t just bringing the Fox characters to the MCU, it’s also bringing a ton of comic flair. There’s also X-Men ‘97, and while Sabretooth War is nearing its end, a relaunched Wolverine series is just around the corner.
If you want to know more about the comic Wolverine and what makes him so great, these 10 comics make up the best Wolverine stories you can find.
10. Wolverine: Alone!
Maybe cheating to include this on a list of the best Wolverine comics, but Uncanny X-Men #133 is one of the first examples of Wolverine as a solo hero. It’s also easily the most memorable.
Set in the throes of the iconic Hellfire arc, ‘Wolverine: Alone!’ sees Logan battling his way from the sewers up through the Hellfire Club to save his team. This book is one of the most iconic X-Men stories, let alone Wolverine ones, and has been referenced and quoted endlessly over the years.
9. Origin
After decades of mystery surrounding Wolverine’s origin, fans finally got a glimpse of his true backstory in Origin (later retitled Wolverine: The Origin). Suffice it to say that Wolverine’s true origin surprised everyone.
Origin is a much more emotional tale than anyone expected. It is a tale of loss and love, giving the character a gut-punch origin that kept fans on their toes for its six-issue run.
8. Bloodlust
Wolverine is in the bitter Alaska wilderness when his senses go haywire. He can’t pick up anything around him, and now he’s having visions of murder. Worst of all, he’s enjoying it. With a friend in danger, Wolverine must battle the harsh elements and a race of mysterious beings while he can’t even trust himself.
Bloodlust was the second Wolverine annual, but it’s a timeless, masterful tale. Alone, confused, and determined to make things right, the story is a surprising examination of Wolverine’s nature as a fighter and what drives him to keep raising his fists.
7. Enemy of the State
You don’t have to worry about making your Wolverine versus other heroes dream matchups because Marvel already did it. Enemy of the State sees Wolverine killed by the Hand and resurrected as a deadly assassin.
For six issues, Wolverine carved a bloody tear through the Marvel universe, with only his fleeting resistance to Hand programming saving his soul. Elektra, the Fantastic Four, and Daredevil get absolutely demolished, but it’s the final showdown with the X-Men that will definitely stick with readers.
6. Old Man Logan
Look, by now, I shouldn’t have to explain Old Man Logan to you. Over the years, this has become one of the most beloved Wolverine stories ever told.
If you’ve been living in the Wastes for the past decades: an older, retired Wolverine is in debt to the Hulks, the inbred descendants of Bruce Banner, and takes off on a cross-country road trip with a blind Hawkeye to get the money he needs to save his family and his farm. It’s one of the darker and more interesting alternate worlds in Marvel’s history, but it’s also one hell of a story that will keep fans on their toes.
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5. Wounded Wolf
‘Wounded Wolf’ is one of the more underrated stories where Wolverine is out of his element. Here, he’s disoriented and injured while on the run from Lady Deathstrike, with his only hope for salvation being five-year-old Katie Power.
Fortunately for Wolverine, Katie’s Energizer of the Power Pack, but it doesn’t make things any easier. Writer Chris Claremont made the deliberate choice to make the brutal Wolverine also one of the X-Men’s kindest figures, especially when it comes to kids. His interactions with Katie are genuinely heartwarming, and it’s a shame we’ve never really seen these two interact more.
4. All-New Wolverine
Following Logan’s death, his clone, Laura Kinney, stepped up to take on his legacy. As the All-New Wolverine, the former X-23 confronted her past and proved herself more than worthy of the mantle of Wolverine. These stories do a lot to flesh out X-23 as her own person and more than cement Laura as a worthy character in her own right.
There are two pretty great volumes of Laura as Wolverine that even include her own remix of Enemy of the State. She briefly returned to X-23 a few years later, but these days, she’s back to sharing the Wolverine identity. All-New Wolverine remains a really fun read and is a great primer for her upcoming appearance in NYX.
3. Weapon X
Long before Origin, long before even Wolverine was really aware of the depths of his past, fans got an early glimpse with the incredible ‘Weapon X,’ a story that ran through Marvel Comics Presents #72-84.
Barry Windsor-Smith crafts a devastating story that is brutal and violent, exploring the hell Wolverine endured as a subject of the Weapon X program. Brutal and heartbreaking, this story stands the test of time as one of the best Wolverine stories.
2. Kitty Pryde & Wolverine
Wolverine is a cold-blooded, ends-to-a-means killer, but writers found gold in juxtaposing his stone-cold demeanor by making him a mentor to younger X-Men. That started with his close relationship with Kitty Pryde, and this early story is an incredible example of how well the dynamic works.
Kitty steals away to Japan when her father is being targeted by Ogun, and Wolverine follows when he thinks she’s in danger. Not only does the story build on Wolverine and Kitty’s relationship, but it also sets up Kitty to learn ninja skills of her own, something that comes into play with her current identity.
1. Wolverine
If you want classic Wolverine, you just can’t go wrong with Chris Claremont and Frank Miller’s original, iconic limited series.
This four-part arc sees Wolverine in Japan, hunted by the worst of the criminal underworld, while the life of his then-lover, Mariko Yashida, hangs in the balance. This first story reveals a lot about Wolverine’s samurai upbringing and his complicated code of honor, defining much of the character and his adventures for decades to come.
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