When the mantle was handed to X-23/Laura Kinney, there was concern this would be the end of The Wolverine. That has proven not to be the case. You can’t kill Wolverine. If anything, the spirit of the Wolverine lives on, and the comics are getting better and better each day. So, too, is the diversity of creators behind the character. In the early days, the majority of creative staff at Marvel was white-male dominated. I’ve used the phrase “pale, stale, and male” in the past, and it looks like I can use it again. With fresh new Wolverine stories, we are attracting a greater diversity of writers and artists. I’m looking forward to seeing more on this list in the future. With that said, diversity in comics should not rely on a change of guard for the main characters or creative teams. If white male writers and artists can claim they can do a great job portraying characters of various genders and ethnicity, I’m pretty sure we can find more BIPOC and non-male creators for stories about the Wolverine, whether it is Logan, Laura, or the next generation after this. Wolverine is one of the best comic book characters of all time, and every version deserves to have their story told with a variety of life experiences and talent. These are the best Wolverine comics to date, and I believe there are even better ones to come. For more best-of marvel character comics, check out our list of the best Thor comics. Despite Claremont’s initial disinterest in the character, he understood the duality of Wolverine’s personality: the balance between savage animal and organised civility. Miller was interested in exploring Japanese history without relying on a hack-and-slash storyline. That, and Miller likes to draw ninjas. There’s plenty of opportunity for it after Logan travels to Japan to find his lost love, Mariko. Logan simply wants to be a good person. To save Mariko, he needs to save himself with honour and inner peace. One of the great turning points is during Logan’s big fight scene (there are lots of them, but this is the big one) when Lord Shingen calls him an animal. It is everything Logan is fighting against and continues to fight against to his dying day. The combination of fantastic writing from Claremont and emotionally-charged art from Miller puts it at the top of the pile for best Wolverine comics. There are echoes of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, creating a monster but never fully understanding the ramifications of this. Weapon X is the origin story of Wolverine and the never-ending battle between who he was and who they made him to be. Special shoutout for the iconic image of Logan in the tank. The combination of the simple pencil work with the minimal colour palette and his utter isolation leaves a perpetual impression on any Wolverine comic you read after. Enraged by this attack, Magneto does the unthinkable: he uses his mastery of magnetism to pull the adamantium off Wolverine’s skeleton! The art is so amazing, you cringe with empathy, thinking of how indescribably horrible that would be! The torture provokes Professor X to retaliate by entering Magneto’s mind and shutting him down from the inside; something Charles had sworn he would never do. The actions of both Magneto and Professor X unknowingly lead to the next great calamity to challenge the X-Men: Onslaught. But before that horror is unleashed, Wolverine spends a lot of time in recovery. On a physical level, Wolverine fans were shocked to discover his bone claws and further revealed his unknown history. On an emotional level, this story arc forces Logan to come to terms with his own identity. Is he defined by his claws? Is he worth the downfall of a great man who reacted to Logan’s own pain and torture? A significant milestone in Wolverine’s story and one of the best Wolverine comics of all time.
