Wolverine was introduced in the ’70s and became popular in the ’80s, but truly reached the height of his powers in the ’90s. Wolverine was part of the bestselling books in comics, from Uncanny X-Men and X-Men to Wolverine (Vol. 2,) and a million different crossovers with basically every Marvel character out there. Wolverine has had many amazing stories, and while the ’90s don’t have the best reputation with fans, this era of Wolverine is actually pretty great. Wolverine went through major changes as the ’90s progressed, at some points becoming a completely different character, and giving readers some action-packed years. The ’90s was where Wolverine came into his own as a solo star, and there are hundreds of great Wolverine stories from the decade of extreme.
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While the ’90s are mostly known as time of lackluster writing, that’s not the case with Wolverine at all. In fact, one of the best Wolverine writers ever worked on his solo series for almost seven years — Larry Hama — and readers got stories from heavyweights like Warren Ellis, Erik Larsen, and Barry Windsor-Smith. Wolverine in the ’90s has an embarrassment of riches compared to most Marvel characters, and readers have gotten some best of all time Wolverine tales from the ’90s.
10) Wolverine (Vol. 2) #145-147
Erik Larsen’s time as writer of Wolverine (Vol. 2) was the last great Wolverine of the ’90s. There are plenty of great stories in his run — a lot of people are partial to the opening story — but Wolverine (Vol. 2) #145-147 is probably the best Larsen Wolverine work. These three issues follow Wolverine while he’s Apocalypse’s Horseman of Death. Issue #145 sees Death go after the Hulk at Apocalypse’s order, while using flashbacks to tell the story of how Wolverine got his adamantium back and became Death. Issues #146-147 pit Death against the X-Men, with Archangel taking it upon himself help Wolverine break away from Apocalypse. Larsen understood how to write a great Wolverine story, and these three issues are Larsen at the top of his game. The art, by Leinil Yu in issue #145, Mike Miller in issue #146, and Roger Cruz for issue #147, is pretty great, and gives readers the big action feel of these stories. These are the last Wolverine stories of the ’90s, and the ol’Canucklehead goes out with a bang.
9) Wolverine ’95
Wolverine ’95 was the annual issue for the year of 1995, and it’s way better than it has any right to be. Wolverine ’95, by Larry Hama and JH Williams III, sees Nightcrawler coming to Westchester to check on Wolverine, who was in the midst of mutating into a more feral form and was wild as ever. However, the N’Garai cairn activates, dumping demons on the grounds of the Xavier Institute, forcing the two of them to intercede. This is an action packed story, as Wolverine does his best to fight against the animal inside of him against an enemy that he can cut loose on. Hama was on fire during this phase of Wolverine’s evolution, and this issue is a perfect example of what he did best, combining action with character focused storytelling. Williams III’s art is amazing. His style isn’t what it is today, but it’s still gorgeous, and his action scenes are something else. This is a great comic, and it’s definitely worth hunting down.
8) Wolverine (Vol. 2) #115-118
Larry Hama’s seven year tenure writing Wolverine (Vol. 2) ended with issues #115-#118, by Hama and Leinil Yu. This story was part of the “Operation: Zero Tolerance” crossover. Wolverine, Storm, Cyclops, Jean Grey, and Cannonball were captured by Operation: Zero Tolerance. They believed that Wolverine was dead, but he escaped before they could cremate his body. The X-Men escape from the OZT facility, freeing Jubilee on the way out, finding refuge at a nearby trailer park. However, the secret of the trailer park will force them to fight for their lives. Hama was the kind of writer who could make a crossover story into a thing of beauty, tapping into the themes of his run to give readers an excellent story. The art by Yu is great. Yu’s style has changed a lot over the years, and this issue is an example of his older style at its height. This is peak Wolverine, and that’s all there is to it.
7) Wolverine (Vol. 2) #51-53
Wolverine (Vol. 2) #51-53, by Larry Hama, Andy Kubert, and Marc Silvestri, is one of the wilder Wolverine stories of the ’90s. Wolverine and Mystique are pulled into some Mojo insanity, with the cyborgs Albert and Elsie Dee showing up as well. Titled “The Crunch Conundrum”, this story came after the big revelations of Wolverine (Vol. 2) #50. It was a palette cleanser of sorts, giving readers a cool sci-fi chaser after a particularly heavy Wolverine story. Hama showed just how versatile a character Wolverine could be with this story, and Kubert and Silvestri gave readers wild visuals and wonderfully laid out action scenes. It’s definitely different, and that’s its charm.
6) Wolverine (Vol. 2) #125-128
Chris Claremont was one of the big reasons that Wolverine became as popular as he is. The scribe wrote the character in Uncanny X-Men, Wolverine’s first miniseries, and the first ten issues of Wolverine (Vol. 2). Claremont seemingly wrote Wolverine for the last time in 1991, but would return to the character with Wolverine (Vol. 2) #125-128, with artists Leinil Yu, Carlos Pacheco, Jeff Matsuda, Cary Nord, Mel Rubi, Mike Miller, Stephen Platt, and Angel Unzueta. Claremont took things back to Madripoor, a mysterious villain kidnapping Wolverine and many of the women from his life, with only Jubilee and Kitty Pryde to help him. This leads to an amazing revelation, which leads to the wedding of Wolverine and Viper. Then Sabretooth shows up. Claremont is firing on all cylinders with this story, and it includes one of the best Wolverine/Sabretoooth fights of the ’90s. Claremont writing a Madripoor story with Viper, Kitty Pryde, and Sabretooth is the height of Wolverine goodness.
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5) Wolverine (Vol. 2) #75-84
Wolverine (Vol. 2) #75, by Larry Hama and Adam Kubert, is part of “Fatal Attractions”, the story that tore the adamantium out of Wolverine. This issue deals with the X-Men trying to keep Wolverine alive on the way to Earth, and the aftermath of his injuries, including the reveal of his bone claws. Wolverine leaves the X-Men, and what follows over the next eight issues is some brilliant storytelling, as Wolverine has to figure out how to fight in a weakened state against foes like Cyber, Bloodscream, Scylla, and Roughhouse. Kubert was joined on art by Tomm Coker, Ian Churchill, Bob McLeod, Bud Nadeau, Ron Wagner, and Yancy Labat. These nine issues aren’t technically one story, but they’re all part of the same story arc, as Hama explores what the trauma of nearly dying did to Wolverine. There are some amazing issues in this run of stories, including the best Cyber story of all time, and kicks off Wolverine bone claw years with style and aplomb.
4) Wolverine #119-122
After Hama’s run ended, fans got treated to a brilliant little Wolverine yarn known as “Not Dead Yet.” Wolverine (Vol. 2) #119-122, by Warren Ellis and Leinil Yu, is all about Wolverine being targeted by the most dangerous assassin that he had met during his spy years. The Gweilo has decided to destroy Wolverine, but there’s a catch — he thinks that Wolverine still has his adamantium skeleton. The Gweilo is an expert planner, trapping his victims in death traps that no one escapes. He’s ready for a much powerful Wolverine, and that could spell doom for the hero. Ellis and Yu are in rare form for this one, giving readers an action-packed little yarn. “Not Dead Yet” is the real deal, a best of all time Wolverine story that no one saw coming.
3) Wolverine (Vol. 2) #91-100
Wolverine (Vol. 2) #91-100, by Larry Hama, Adam Kubert, Duncan Roleau, Chris Alexander, Luciano Lima, Ramon Bernado, and Val Semeiks, picks up after the end of The Age of Apocalypse. Wolverine has returned to the X-Mansion, and after playing a game of one-claw monty with Sabretooth has started living outside of the grounds of the Xavier Institute. It’s revealed that the loss of his adamantium has cursed him to mutating into a more feral form, and these nine issues present that, as Wolverine deals with drunken neighbors, supervillains, and fights the beast inside of himself, all while doing his best to say good bye to the people he loved the most, as a mysterious conspiracy forms around him, one willing to restore his adamantium for a monstrous price. This is an amazing story arc, and while Wolverine’s feral mutation arc was something of bust, it’s still an amazing ride getting there.
2) Wolverine (Vol. 2) #90
Wolverine (Vol. 2) #90, by Larry Hama and Adam Kubert, is the greatest Wolverine/Sabretooth fight of all time. Wolverine returns to the X-Mansion, with all of his friends out and about dealing with X-Men business, giving him some quiet time for the first time in ages. However, the mansion isn’t empty; Sabretooth is a prisoner there. Wolverine does his best to stop from killing Sabretooth, but his arch-enemy has an idea of his own, trying to escape. What follows is an amazing fight (with massive fold-out pages) that captures the ferocity of Wolverine and Sabretooth. This is a brilliant single issue story, with the two foes taking no quarter from each other. The issue ends with the destruction of all reality, but not before Wolverine makes a fateful decision that will have major repercussions. This issue is a perfect snapshot of what Hama and Kubert did best.
1) “Weapon X”
“Weapon X”, by writer/artist Barry Windsor-Smith, gave readers the biggest revelations about Wolverine’s origin up to that point in the early ’90s. Published in Marvel Comics Present #72-84, “Weapon X” follows the members of the titular organization as they being the adamantium-bonding process with Logan. What follows is torturous body horror, that leads to Logan tearing through his captors. This is a nearly perfect Wolverine story. Windsor-Smith does a tremendous job with the art and the writing, giving readers a story they never expected to see in the best possible way.
What do you think are the best Wolverine stories of the ’90s? Sound off in the comments below.
