Before Hugh Jackman’s long-awaited return to Logan in Deadpool & Wolverine, it’s a good time to revisit some classic tales of Canada’s most famous superhero, who turns 50 this year. Wolverine has maintained a solo comic title since 1988, with various mini-series and specials before that. But which runs are the best for the self-described “Best he is at what he does?” Our criteria for picking a top ten run is that the series has to feature Logan in a lead role, or have the name “Wolverine” in the title somewhere. Although a couple are technically team-up series, and one’s an X-Men book. However, the iconic mutant hero is front and center in each one.
10. Greg Rucka
with Darick Robertson, Leo Fernandez
Writer Greg Rucka is famous for writing definitive runs on Batman, Punisher, Wonder Woman, and many others. He also had a relatively brief run on Wolverine, which brought Logan into grittier territory than he’d been in for some time. In this run of issues, illustrated by Darick Robertson and Leo Fernandez, Logan takes on human traffickers, crime lords, and has a rematch with his mortal enemy, Sabretooth. Rucka also reinforces Logan’s friendship with his X-Men teammate Nightcrawler during his time on the title. This run doesn’t get as much attention as some others on this list. Yet it’s a solid run that deserves a revisit, and a spot on the greatest Wolverine runs ever.
Issues in Greg Rucka’s Wolverine Run
Wolverine (Vol.3) #1-19 (2003-2005)
9. Jason Aaron
with Chris Bachalo, Nick Bradshaw, Ramon Perez, and Pepe Larraz
Jason Aaron first gained fame for his years-long run on Thor. But he gave Logan a massive status quo change in his Wolverine and the X-Men series, where he turned the gruff loner into a headmaster for a school of mutant kids. After the death of his beloved Jean Grey, Cyclops and Wolverine have an ideological schism, splitting the team in two. As a result, Logan ends up taking charge of the newly named Jean Grey School as its headmaster.
All of this leads to many hilarious stories where Logan has to suddenly not just think about his own needs, but has to become a mentor to dozens of kids. While most Wolverine books rarely lean into comedy, Jason Aaron’s book is often hilarious. And it all blends with the mutant melodrama extremely well. As good as Aaron’s writing is, it’s complemented by some incredible art. Pencilers like Chris Bachalo, Nick Bradshaw, and others brought their A-game. Technically, this is an X-Men title, but since “Wolverine” is in the title and is front and center, we’re counting it.
Issues in Jason Aaron’s Wolverine and the X-Men Comic Run:
Wolverine & The X-Men (2011) 1-35, 38-42; Wolverine & The X-Men Annual (2011-2014)
8. Walter and Louise Simonson
with Jon J. Muth and Kent Williams
This one’s a bit of an oddball book, because it’s a title Wolverine shared with another X-Man, and many don’t remember it these days. Havok & Wolverine: Metldown is still an incredibly fun read, even today. Back in 1988, the X-Men were laying low in the Australian Outback meaning for a brief period, Logan was teammates with Cyclops’ brother, Havok. X-Factor and Thor writers (as well as spouses) Walt and Louise Simonson decided to put Wolverine and Havok together, caught up in an adventure when the two are on vacation in Mexico.
This story runs through a four-part Epic Comics mini-series, with gorgeous mixed media artwork from Jon J. Muth and Kent Williams. This story is very of its time, dealing with the partial meltdown of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in 1986, which we find out was actually an inside job that went out of control. (Yes, the “meltdown” in the title is literal). The whole thing was a plot that was actually concocted to trap the X-Men! Who knew? This story also has the wildest hair Logan has had in any comic series to date. That detail alone makes it an underrated gem.
Issues in Walt and Louise Simonson’s Havok & Wolverine: Meltdown Comic Run:
Havok & Wolverine: Meltdown #1-4 (1988)
7. Chris Claremont
with Al Milgrom
After the massive success of the 1982 4-part Wolverine limited series, it was inevitable there would be a follow-up. But writer Chris Claremont didn’t just want to do a Wolverine II. Instead he teamed up the grizzled Canadian mutant with the X-Men’s youngest member, Kitty Pryde, for a six-issue mini-series with artist Al Milgrom that takes the pair of X-Men on an adventure to Japan. This mini-series deepened the friendship of Logan and the teenage Kitty. Logan teaches his young protégé about the way of the samurai as they fight the ninja Ogun. Nowhere near as great as the first Wolverine mini-series, especially without Frank Miller’s art, however this storyline had a profound effect on the characters of both Logan and Kitty going forward.
Issues in Chris Claremont’s Kitty Pryde and Wolverine Comic Run:
Kitty Pryde and Wolverine #1-6 (1985)
6. Mark Millar
with John Romita Jr. and Klaus Janson
Fans have always wanted to see Wolverine fight his fellow heroes in the Marvel Universe. Well, in the first Mark Millar run on Wolverine, which lasted 12 issues under the Marvel Knights imprint, it finally happened. In this story, Logan gets brainwashed by Hydra and the Hand, becoming a living weapon for the notorious ninja clan. Throughout this storyline, Logan has to fight SHIELD agents, his fellow X-Men, and other Marvel heroes like the Fantastic Four. The storyline, which features premium summer-blockbuster action from writer Mark Millar and John Romita Jr., shows the heroes of Marvel racing to try to deprogram Logan before it’s too late. This run took place in Wolverine Vol.3 #20-32, and it collected as Wolverine: Enemy of the State.
Issues in Mark Millar and John Romita Jr.’s Wolverine Run:
Wolverine (Vol.3) #20-32 (2004-2005)
5. Paul Jenkins and Joe Quesada
with Andy Kubert and Richard Isanove
It was Uncanny X-Men writer Chris Claremont’s belief that Logan was far too popular a character to have his mysterious backstory ever fully explained. Claremont believed maintaining the mystery behind Wolverine’s backstory was key to his popularity. That edict lasted until the year 2000, when Marvel EIC Joe Quesada decided that if Marvel Comics didn’t tell Logan’s origin story, then Hollywood was going to. They beat the movies to the punch in a 2001 mini-series plainly titled Origin.
Quesada hired Paul Jenkins to be the mini-series writer and introduced and confirmed many bits of information. We learned that Logan’s real name is James Howlett, and he was the wealthy son of a Canadian plantation owner back in the 19th century. This finally confirmed just how old Wolverine really was. Jenkins cleverly reveals the genesis of Wolverine’s name Logan, his predilection for redheaded ladies, and so much more. What could have been a disaster ended up as a gorgeously told and tragic story, not done justice at all in X-Men Origins: Wolverine.
Issues in Paul Jenkins, Joe Quesada, and Andy Kuberts’ Origin Run:
Origin #1-6 (2001-2002)
4. Barry Windsor Smith
When Wolverine became a star in Uncanny X-Men, writer Chris Claremont didn’t even reveal that Logan’s claws were a part of his actual body, and not just his gloves. He eventually revealed that his claws were part of an adamantium exoskeleton grafted onto his entire body. Logan wouldn’t let anyone know just how he got them. The answers finally came in this 12-part story in the anthology Marvel Comics Presents back in 1991, a milestone year for the X-Men brand, in a saga written and illustrated by the legendary Barry Windsor Smith, titled Weapon X.
This storyline details how the government’s top-secret Weapon X program captured a feral Logan, treating him like a test subject animal in order to create a living weapon. The art by Barry Windsor-Smith is next-level detailed, and his writing isn’t too shabby either. The hearts of readers everywhere broke for Logan, as his body and mind shattered thanks to the torture. The story’s main antagonist, Dr. Cornelius, is instantly a memorable villain, even if this is his one standout storyline. Hollywood has adapted or referenced this run in projects like X-Men: The Animated Series, X2, X-Men: Origins: Wolverine, and X-Men: Apocalypse. But the original is still the best.
Issues in Barry Windsor-Smith’s Wolverine Run:
Marvel Comics Presents #72-84 (1991)
3. Chris Claremont
with Frank Miller
No one at Marvel anticipated that Wolverine was going to be the breakout hero of the new X-Men series. By the early ’80s however, it was clear he was the star of the show. So in 1982, Marvel Comics decided to finally give Wolverine his own mini-series, written by Uncanny X-Men writer Chris Claremont, with art by Daredevil artist Frank Miller. This was only Marvel’s second-ever limited series, and became an instant runaway hit. Having two creatives from Marvel’s two top-selling titles made this series a must-have for comic book readers at the time.
This all-star creative team gave us a story about Logan journeying to Japan, his subsequent battles with the Yakuza, as well as the ninja clan known as The Hand and his doomed romance with Mariko Yashida. The art by Miller is kinetic and exciting, and unlike anything readers at the time were accustomed to in mainstream comics. Clocking in at just four issues, this story is a tight “one and done,” even if it did have a huge impact on Logan as a character going forward. This story is the main inspiration for the 2013 The Wolverine film.
Issues in Chris Claremont and Frank Miller’s Wolverine Run
Wolverine (Vol.1) #1-4 (1982)
2. Mark Millar
with Steve McNiven
Similar to Batman with The Dark Knight Returns, one of the ultimate Wolverine stories takes place in a possible dystopian future, where our hero has to contend with the mistakes of his past and return for one last fight. Written by returning writer Mark Millar and drawn in requisite detail by Civil War’s Steve McNiven, the story takes place in issues #66-72 of Wolverine in 2009. Titled “Old Man Logan, ” this saga is set in a future where superheroes are outlawed, and Logan lives on a remote farm away from civilization. He’s haunted by his past where the machinations of Mysterio forced him to kill all his fellow X-Men, believing they were the enemy.
Trying (and failing) to kill himself, he never popped his claws again, letting the Wolverine identity effectively die. But as always, one last mission calls, a chance for redemption. If Mark Millar wrote an excellent Wolverine thriller with Enemy of the State, he wrote the definitive Wolverine saga in Old Man Logan. The story is filled with cameos from Marvel characters, with special emphasis on the Hulk and Hawkeye. The themes of this run of comics helped inform the movie masterpiece Logan, but this story is a comic book masterpiece in its own right.
Issues in Mark Millar’s and Steve McNiven’s Wolverine Run
Wolverine (Vol.3) #66-72, Wolverine: Giant Size Old Man Logan Conclusion
1. Larry Hama
with Marc Silvestri, Mark Texeira, and Adam Kubert
Chris Claremont may have defined Wolverine as a member of the X-Men, but former G.I. Joe writer Larry Hama is the writer who really made Logan shine as an ongoing solo hero. Hama wrote Wolverine’s first ongoing series from issues #31-118 starting in 1988, then the tie-in Age Of Apocalypse miniseries Weapon X #1-4. Hama’s artistic collaborators were some of the most iconic artists to ever draw Wolverine, including Marc Silvestri, Mark Texeira, Adam Kubert, and Leinil Yu.
Hama’s run was so great throughout because he touched on every aspect of Logan’s character. We get traditional superhero yarns, spy stories, mutant espionage, ninja tales, and a battle or two with Wolverine’s mortal foe, Sabretooth. Hama wrote Wolverine for over six years, even during his bone claw phase, longer than anyone outside of Chris Claremont. And he certainly left his stamp on the character. This is the Wolverine run that all the others try to live up to.
Issues in Larry Hamas’ Wolverine Run
Wolverine (Vol.2) #31-119 (1990-1997)