10 Best Wolverine Comics In The Past 5 Years

Wolverine died in 2014 and spent five years encased in adamantium while his daughter Laura and Old Man Logan took his place. He’d return in the rather middling Return Of Wolverine event but wouldn’t get his own ongoing series until 2020, in the second wave of Krakoa-era books.

Wolverine (Vol. 7)had some great stories and it was just the tip of the iceberg for great comics starring the best there is at what he does. The past five years have had some high points for Wolverine. Most of these stories came from his solo book, but he’s also had some killer miniseries during the last half-decade. Wolverine is at the top of Marvel’s A-list, and the caliber of stories he’s in are a cut above the rest.

Wolverine (Vol. 7) #37-40

Fall Of X hit the X-Men books like a ton of bricks, and that included Wolverine (Vol. 7). Wolverine had decided to leave Krakoa after the affair with Beast – although he said he would still work with X-Force and protect mutants – so he wasn’t a part of the massacre at the Hellfire Gala. Wolverine was free and out in the world, and revenge was on his mind, so Wolverine (Vol. 7) #37-40 had him typing up loose ends and then doing his best to hurt Orchis.

Wolverine teamed up with Hulk to destroy the final clones of himself that Beast had created, worked with Captain America to retrieve Krakoan property from Legacy House, went to Wakanda and had a tense team-up with Black Panther to stop Orchis from getting vibranium, and finally grabbing Spider-Man for a very unsuccessful run at the Petal, Orchis’s space station. Wolverine has some great team-up comics, and these four issues contrast Wolverine’s various relationships – the friendly ones with heroes like Captain America and Spider-Man to the not-so-friendly ones with Hulk and Black Panther. Wolverine hasn’t had a lot of team-ups since his return, and this crossover arc definitely hit the spot.

9 Chris Claremont Revisited A Classic X-Men Story With Marvel’s Spies

Wolverine: Madripoor Knights

Uncanny X-Men (Vol. 1) #268is a classic Wolverine story, showcasing a piece of his past with Captain America and Black Widow. Writer Chris Claremont writes a fine Wolverine story, so fans were quite happy when he came back for a miniseries that continued the story begun in that issue, which was never continued in Uncanny X-Men (Vol. 1). They’ve gotten a piece of old school Claremont cool, full of purposeful prose, deft characterization, and great action set pieces in every issue.

Claremont has been writing these retro stories a lot lately, and he’s perfect for them. Although his style has evolved over the years, it still has that sumptuous feel, as his captions and thought bubbles really bring the reader into the story. Salazar and Carlos Lopez’s art is frequently gorgeous, taking the trademark Claremont action and knocking it out of the park. Wolverine in Madripoor is always a lot of fun, especially with Claremont onboard, and this one has everything anyone could want.

Wolverine: Patch #1-5

Wolverine and the X-Men were thought dead in the ’80s, so when he went abroad, he wore a disguise and became Patch. He didn’t change anything; he just wore an eyepatch. However, his adventures during this time are a lot of fun, and that’s where Wolverine: Patch comes in. The book returns to an earlier period in Wolverine’s life, where SHIELD asks Patch for help in Madripoor. Eventually, he gets embroiled with Russian mutants, Madripoor’s Prince Baran and General Coy, and the Russian military.

Wolverine: Patch was written by classic Wolverine writer Larry Hama. Hama is up there with Chris Claremont for making Wolverine what he is today, having written the mutant’s solo book for seven years. Hama gave readers some great Madripoor adventures, and having him go back was a lot of fun. Andrea Di Vito is one of the more underrated artists of the last few decades, and his art with colorist Le Beau Underwood is worth the price of admission alone. Wolverine: Patch is a nostalgia trip for older fans and a window into an amazingly entertaining time for new fans.

7 Phoenix Gathered A Group Of Wolverine Variants For A Dangerous Mission

Weapon X-Men

The X-Men are known for their time travel and multiversal adventures; all the most popular members have multiple variants. Wolverine probably has the most, and some are more popular than most of the Marvel Universe. Weapon X-Men teams a group of Wolverine variants, brought together by Phoenix of Earth-80977, to battle Onslaught of Earth-696. However, this Onslaught combined Jean Grey and Magneto, instead of Xavier and Magneto, and traveled the Multiverse ravaging worlds. The team is quite eclectic – Age Of Apocalypse’s Weapon X, Earth-X‘sWolverine, Zombie Wolverine from Marvel Zombies, Old Man Logan, and Jane Howlett from an Earth where Wolverine was born a girl – and the book has been a treat with every issue.

Christos Gage is a writer who has done a lot of great work all over Marvel but rarely gets the credit he deserves. Gage has long worked as a co-writer with Dan Slott, but his solo work has proven that he has the goods on his own. Weapon X-Men is a perfect example of that. Each issue does a lot of heavy lifting – fleshing out the characters, the threat, the worlds they end up on, and dropping great action set pieces into the story – but it never feels cluttered or badly paced. Çinar is an artist constantly turning in amazing work, and this book is no different, with Woodard’s colors bringing the pencils to life. This fun multiversal jaunt will keep Wolverine fans on the edge of their seats.

Wolverine (Vol. 7) #6-7

X Of Swords was the first major crossover of the Krakoa era and was remarkably uneven. The story was too long – twenty-two issues – and their first half felt paced at a snail’s pace. Fortunately, Wolverine (Vol. 7) #6-7 went hard, taking Wolverine to Hell and introducing a new villain before throwing him into the contest between Krakoa and Arakko’s Champions. Wolverine was forced to work with new foe Solem to retrieve a second Muramasa Blade for the Arakkii mutant. The next issue took place on Otherworld, the contest in full swing, with Wolverine and Storm getting close before an epic battle between the ol’Canucklehead, Solem, and Summoner that doesn’t go according to plan.

Benjamin Percy, regular writer for Wolverine (Vol. 7), was joined by Marauders/future X-Men writer Gerry Duggan for these two issues. There’s a lot to love about these issues. Wolverine has a short reunion with the resurrected Mariko Yashida and battles the Hand’s leader, the Beast. The issues featured a lot of great action, some cool drunken moments between Wolverine and Storm, and last but not least, Solem, a great new Wolverine villain. X Of Swords isn’t a great story, but there are some great issues when Wolverine is involved.

5 X Of Swrds’ Solem Later Came Back Into Wolverine’s Life

Wolverine (Vol. 7) #14-16

Wolverine (Vol. 7) #14-16brought Solem back into Wolverine’s life when the adamantium-skinned mutant asked Wolverine for help against the Arakkii pirate Sevyr Blackmore. Blackmore went to Earth to ply his piratical trade instead of going to Arakko, so Wolverine and Solem team up. However, the whole situation is a trick, as Solem plays his former captain against the best there is at what he does. Solem is an amazing villain, and this three-issue story does a great job of fleshing out the character.

Percy’s run on Wolverine (Vol. 7) is full of gems, but something about the Solem stories is special. Solem’s playful relationship with Wolverine – and the effect he has on Logan – are a lot of fun. Solem works so well because he isn’t the kind of Wolverine villain that everyone has seen for decades. Percy brings him to life wonderfully, but it would all be for naught without Wolverine legend Adam Kubert and colorist Frank Martin. Kubert gives the story the perfect visuals; every page is a joy to read.

4 The Krakoa Era Kicked Off A New Chapter For The Character

Wolverine (Vol. 7) #1-3

Wolverine has always been a lone wolf, but it took almost a year after his resurrection before he finally returned to his own solo book. The first issue of the seventh volume of Wolverine had two stories – the second would introduce Wolverine’s battle against vampires, which would pick up down the road. However, the first half and the next two issues would supply an amazing Wolverine story. This story opens with Wolverine killing X-Force and then working backward from there, revealing how and why everyone got to that situation. The three issues see Wolverine working to deal with the Flower Cartel, a group stealing Krakoan flowers used to make the island’s pharmaceuticals, and their pet mind controller, the Pale Girl, with the help of CIA agent Jeff Bannister.

Percy built his stories intricately on Wolverine (Vol. 7) and X-Force (Vol. 6), setting up plots for both books that would run for multiple story arcs. These three issues do that, setting up the Flower Cartel and who’s behind it while also taking readers on a wild ride with a great ending, as Wolverine deals with a foe that can make him kill his loved ones. Adam Kubert and Frank Martin’s art is gorgeous throughout, taking Percy’s nailbiting trip and rendering it in beautiful detail.

3 Logan Hunted Mikhail Rasputin And Omega Red Through History

X Lives Of Wolverine

X Lives Of Wolverine had an unenviable position. It was the follow-up to Jonathan Hickman’s Krakoa swan song, Inferno, a story that, while brilliant, was still something no X-Men fan wanted. It was a Wolverine-centric event in an era where most fans wanted to see lesser-known characters in top positions, so there were two strikes against it. However, X Lives Of Wolverine delivered for fans who just wanted a good story. Mikhail Rasputin used the stolen Cerebro Sword to send Omega Red back through crucial periods in Charles Xavier and Wolverine’s life to kill Xavier. Jean Grey and Xavier send Wolverine back in time through his memories to stop him.

This story has some gripping twists and turns and ends with a best-of-all-time fight between Wolverine and Omega Red. Percy and Cassara had been working together on X-Force (Vol. 6), so they made a great team for this book, with Vicentini coming in for a few pages in the fourth issue. X Lives Of Wolverine was published biweekly, with X Deaths Of Wolverine coming out in the alternate weeks. X Lives is the less controversial of the two books, mostly using Percy’s own plots from Wolverine (Vol. 7)and X-Force (Vol. 6), and it’s a great ride. It’s a highly underrated story that doesn’t deserve its reputation.

Wolverine (Vol. 7) #26-35

Technically, Wolverine (Vol. 7) #26-35 consists of two stories – “The Beast Agenda” and “Weapons Of X” – and had been building over in X-Force (Vol. 6)for a while. Beast embraced his inner monster and decided that he could make Wolverine more useful. When Wolverine is captured on a mission to Legacy House, Beast pays to have him killed so he can resurrect him on Krakoa in a more mindless state. Wolverine became Beast’s pet assassin, but his limited intelligence caused him to botch a mission, making Krakoa look bad and causing Beast to throw him in the Pit.

Wolverine broke free, his mind repaired by his healing factor, and went after the Beast and his army of clones. Wolverine called in allies like Maverick and X-Force for the final battle. These two books combine drama and action brilliantly. Artist Juan Jose Ryp joined the book as a regular artist, and his art gave this dark, violent story just the right amount of grit. Percy had been building this plot for a while and did a tremendous job with the story, putting a bow on Beast’s time on Krakoa and giving readers a bloody good epic.

1 Logan And Creed’s Relationship Is Reimagined With The Brilliant Sabretooth War

Wolverine (Vol. 7) #41-50

With the Krakoa era ending, Wolverine (Vol. 7)is winding down. However, its final story is a classic for the ages. Sabretooth has returned, bringing an army of multiversal Sabretooths after the events of Sabretooth And The Externals. They attacked Wolverine and X-Force on Wolverine’s birthday, tearing through Logan and his allies. With the heroes dead, dying, captured, or scattered, Wolverine sprung into action, playing right into Sabretooth’s hands as Laura tries to fight off his deadly army.

“Sabretooth War” takes a different look at Wolverine and Sabretooth’s relationship. Victor LaValle did an amazing job with the two Sabretooth miniseries in the Krakoa Era, so teaming him and Percy for this final arc of Wolverine (Vol. 7)was an inspired choice. This story is deftly written, frequently shocking, and extremely violent. It’s the perfect battle between Wolverine and Sabretooth and the best way to end the Krakoa Era for Wolverine. On top of that, the art from Geoff Shaw and Cory Smith is pitch-perfect for this story, capturing the violence of this war between two hated enemies that will go down in history.