The ’10s were a strange time for Wolverine fans. Wolverine had spent a couple of years hanging around with the X-Men and the Avengers, taking his place at the top of the superhero community. Wolverine was at his most legitimate as a superhero. He led X-Force and eventually even got to head his own X-Men team and mutant school. However, the loss of this healing factor led to his death, and we got years of Laura as Wolverine and Old Man Logan taking Wolverine’s place in the X-Men. There are a lot of missteps from this period — Wolverine’s actual death was lackluster, a comic with great art but the most basic story, then Laura was never actually allowed to shine as Wolverine, being relegated to the B-teams, and Logan’s return to life was legitimately terrible (another example of great art and terrible writing) — but there are definitely some excellent Wolverine stories from this period.
The ’10s weren’t always the best time to be a fan of Marvel’s merry mutants, but there are some excellent stories from this period. Logan’s adventures throughout the decade, whether it be the 616 version of the Old Man Logan version, were compelling, and while there were definitely missteps — stay away from anything Wolverine written by Charles Soule — there are still some best of all time Wolverine stories. These 10 Wolverine stories are the best of a bad decade, and deserve their place among the best Wolverine stories of all time.
10) “Past Lives”
Old Man Logan returned as a series because of Secret Wars, as everyone’s favorite crotchety old Logan went on an adventure through Battleworld before making his way to the 616 universe. Old Man Logan was generally outstanding, and I recommend the entire 50 issue series. However, the first 24 issues are the best, with writer Jeff Lemire teaming with his longtime collaborator Andrea Sorrentino, as well as Filipe Andrade and Eric Nguyen, for an amazing series. The final story of Lemire’s run, “Past Lives,” sees Wolverine set adrift in time in an effort to return to the Wastelands after going to the villain Asmodeus, all while trying to get back to his body before the villain can sell it to the bad guys. This four issue story takes readers across Logan’s life, as Lemire and Nguyen work to show how much he’s developed and take him in a new direction. It’s a cool ending to a run that doesn’t get enough credit in the pantheon of Wolverine tales.
9) Dead Man Logan
Ed Brisson took over Old Man Logan after Lemire left. While Brisson’s book didn’t always have the emotional resonance of Lemire’s run, it’s still a fantastic Wolverine run, as Logan’s body starts to give out on him and he starts to want to see his friends from Wasteland again before he dies. Dead Man Logan, by Brisson and Mike Henderson, opens up after Logan killed the Maestro in Old Man Logan #50. Sin and Crossbones recruit Miss Sinister and Mysterio in an attempt to start a similar supervillain uprising that created the Wastelands, and Logan and has allies have to stop them. The story takes a turn in its final half, as all of Logan’s sins come home to roost. Dead Man Logan is 12 issues of Wolverine excellence, full of epic action scenes, and that Old Man Logan goodness that fans came to expect from the character after his 2015 return (seriously, if you’re a Wolverine fan, the Old Man Logan books of the late ’10s are amazing and I recommend getting them all).
8) “The Final Execution”
Uncanny X-Force (Vol. 1) is one of the best X-Men series of the ’10s, and it’s definitely the best team book starring Wolverine in the ’10s. As a team book, Uncanny X-Force didn’t just focus on Wolverine, but the final story focused on the ol’Canucklehead. “The Final Execution” ran though Uncanny X-Force #25-35, by Rick Remender, Mike McKone, Phil Noto, Julian Totino Tedesco, and David Williams, and pit X-Force against a new Brotherhood, led by Wolverine’s son Daken and staffed by some of Wolverine’s greatest foes — Sabretooth and Omega Red — as well as enemies that X-Force had made over their time as a team. This 10 issue story is a saga, as the sins of Wolverine and X-Force come back to bite them. “The Final Execution” is peak team Wolverine, capping off a series that is one of the best of a decade.
7) “Wolverine Goes to Hell”
Jason Aaron wrote a lot of great Wolverine stories during his run writing the character, and I would recommend checking them out. One of Aaron’s best Wolverine stories is “Wolverine Goes to Hell,” from Wolverine (Vol. 4) #1-5. Aaron teams with artist Renato Guedes to spin readers a yarn, as Wolverine’s soul is sent to Hell and a demon takes his place on Earth. So, while Wolverine is trying to fight his way out of Hell, a monstrous demon is controlling his actions on the Earth, putting his friends in the X-Men in danger. Plus, “Wolverine Goes to Hell” is just the beginning of Wolverine’s epic battle against the Red Right Hand, and after reading it, you’ll definitely want to keep readers to see how it all shakes out.
6) “The Last Wolverine Story”
I’m just going to say it — the death of Wolverine was a huge mistake. It honestly felt like it more about taking the most popular X-Men out of circulation as part of Marvel’s agenda to hurt the X-books in the mid to late ’10s, as well as a cheap sales boost for the event itsellf. The Death of Wolverine is the most basic Wolverine comic imaginable, and its sequel Return of Wolverine is a terribly written comic. However, I’ll stand by Paul Cornell’s run on Wolverine (Vols. 5 and 6) as great Wolverine and one of the books’ best moments is its final story, “The Last Wolverine Story,” from Wolverine (Vol. 6) #10-12. Cornell, Eric Nguyen, and Pete Woods give readers the culmination of the book, as Sabretooth unleashes his final trap on Wolverine. With his healing factor gone, Wolverine has had to relearn how to fight, and now’s he up against the most dangerous version of Sabretooth in years. This is an action-packed yarn that shows just how great a hero Wolverine can be when he slows down and decides to think. “The Last Wolverine Story” is great, and it’s a shame that it was overshadowed by the mediocre Wolverine events that came after it.
5) “Berserker”
Old Man Logan kicked off with a brilliant little yarn called “Berserker”. This story picked up where the Secret Wars (2015) Old Man Logan tie-in series left off, as a naked Logan appears in the New York City of the present. Logan is obviously confused, but soon realizes where he is and how he got there. Now trapped in his past, Logan decides to go out of his way to stop the villain attack that created the Wasteland, making a list of foes to go after to change time itself. Jeff Lemire and Andrea Sorrentino are amazing team, and they put all of their skill into this story, which ran through Old Man Logan #1-4. This is pitch perfect Wolverine, and it set the stage for the rest of this amazing series.
4) “Killable”
“Killable,” by Paul Cornell and Alan Davis, ran through Wolverine (Vol. 5) #8-13. Wolverine’s healing factor has been gone since he foiled the Microverse invasion, and has to deal with being in danger for the first time in years, since his adamantium skeleton was pulled out. Wolverine throws himself at Black Panther and battles Batroc the Leaper, before being pulled into a scheme by Sabretooth and Mystique. Sabretooth heard that Wolverine lost his healing factor and decides to put that to test. What follows is a harrowing story of an outgunned Wolverine (along with Kitty Pryde) facing off against his most dangerous foe. This is peak Wolverine, and ends with the hero at his lowest ebb.
3) “Hunting Season”
By the ’10s, Wolverine had proven himself as a top-flight hero. He was a leader of the X-Men, a high-ranking member of the Avengers, and was friends with all of the top heroes. “Hunting Season” is proof of how far Wolverine had come. Wolverine (Vol. 5) #1-4, by Paul Cornell and Alan Davis, saw Wolverine pulled into a situation unlike anything he ever imagined, as he’s called to a hostage situation at a mall because of Avengers status that turns out to be much more. Invaders from the Microverse are trying to destroy humanity, and they have a fiendish plan to do, and only Wolverine is close enough to stop them. Wolverine is forced to team up with Nick Fury Jr. and the patrons of the Guernica Bar, but the invaders take away Wolverine’s greatest weapon — his healing factor. A suddenly mortal Wolverine has to figure out how to survive an enemy who can take over anyone’s body, in a situation that keeps getting more and more dangerous. Cornell’s run on Wolverine is often maligned by fans who didn’t like the idea of Wolverine losing his healing factor, but it’s way better than it gets credit for. “Hunting Season” is Wolverine at his finest.
2) Astonishing Spider-Man and Wolverine
Astonishing Spider-Man and Wolverine, by Jason Aaron and Adam Kubert, is so much better than it has any right to be. Wolverine and Spider-Man have been thrown through time, and are forced to work together to figure the situation out. However, both of them blame the other, and are at each other’s throats. Eventually, they figure things out, throwing them into a situation that will test them like no other. This is the story that finally makes Wolverine and Spider-Man friends, and it’s outstanding. Aaron shows off why he was one of the better Wolverine writers of the 21st century, giving readers a perfect crossover adventure. Kubert’s art is outstanding; it’s some of the best artwork of his long career. Aaron throws some wild stuff at Kubert, and the artist brings it all to life beautifully. Astonishing Spider-Man and Wolverine is basically a perfect comic, and it will enthrall any reader who gives it a try.
1) “The Last Ronin”
Old Man Logan #9-13, by Jeff Lemire and Andrea Sorrentino, is titled “The Last Ronin,” and it easily the best Wolverine story of the ’00s. Logan decides to go on a mission to rescue Lady Deathstrike after his defeat of her in the “Bordertown” arc (again — you seriously need to read the entire Lemire run on Old Man Logan, it really is that good). However, this leads him to an enemy that is very familiar — he faced him back in the Wasteland as an adult. “The Last Ronin” is perfect Wolverine. It has tremendous action and pathos, using flashbacks to flesh the story of Logan’s life in the Wasteland. Beyond the excellent writing, the biggest treat in the comic is Sorrentino’s art. Sorrentino gives readers some page layouts and panel structures that have to be seen to be believed. I really can’t impress upon you how great of a story this is; it stands with the best Wolverine stories by legends like Claremont and Hama. Give it a read and see for yourself.
What’s your favorite Wolverine story of the ’10s? Sound off in the comments below.
The post 10 Best Wolverine Stories of the ’10s appeared first on ComicBook.com.
