New Reader Guide: Wolverine

Welcome to the Austin Books & Comics New Reader Guide! We’re here to introduce some of our favorite books that you may not already know about, and maybe even help you find your next favorite comic series!

Easily the most popular X-Man, the scruffy Canadian anti-hero has a rich history including fighting as a masterless samurai in Japan, working as a SHIELD assassin, and even leading the X-Men. He’s the best there is at what he does, and what he does isn’t very nice.

In this guide you’ll find a collection of some of the best-known Wolverine titles.

All titles are available at the store, and if not we will be happy to special order them for you!

Wolverine (1982)

Wolverine’s first solo outing took him to Japan, where the story delved into the gritty underworld of organized crime, ninja assassins, and samurai tradition for a tale of action, violence, and revenge. Numerous character-defining elements including the “best there is” catchphrase and inextricable ties to Japan were introduced in this series and continue to be referenced today.

Kitty Pryde and Wolverine (1984)

This series saw Kitty and Wolverine heading to Japan in order to save her father from the brutal Yakuza. An essential read for fans of either character, this series introduced the big brother/little sister element to their relationship, which has been one of the most popular parts of both of their histories.

Wolverine: Weapon X (1991)

A look into Wolverine’s past and his origins with the Weapon X project that gave him adamantium bones, this miniseries detailed the brutality of the project and what drove Wolverine to his feral, berserker nature, as well as offered background to some of his character elements and quirks.

Origin (2001)

Before the X-Men, before Weapon X, Wolverine’s struggle with his subconscious savagery first flourished in family tragedy. Read the long-hidden history of Marvel’s most popular mutant from his early years in the Canadian wilderness to the wars of the last century.

Origin II (2014)

A few years after the events of ORIGIN finds James “Logan” Howlett running with the wolves, until something unexpected brings him back into the world of men! And when word of a clawed wild man reaches civilization, the hunt to capture him begins! James soon falls afoul of someone Sinister, who’s just discovering mutantkind — and the horrors he can visit on them. Escaping his captors and rediscovering his humanity, James and Clara are on the run — but can Sinister offer James something he can’t refuse? The mutant who will someday become Wolverine must choose: Is he man or is he beast?

Enemy of the State (2004)

Brainwashed by the ninjas of the Hand, Wolverine slices and dices his way through foes and friends alike, ultimately resulting in the death of an X-Man! Captured and reprogrammed, Wolverine is sent against his former masters – but amid an orgy of death and destruction, is even the fiercest mutant alive a match for the deadly stare of the Gorgon?!

Old Man Logan (2008, miniseries)

The near future: the villains have won and rule the world, and the man formerly known as Wolverine lives a quiet, unassuming life on a farm out west. After his family is brutally murdered by the vicious hillbilly Hulk gang, he and blind Archer Hawkeye set out across the Wasteland on a cross-country mission of bloody revenge.

Old Man Logan (Secret Wars mini/Ongoing, 2015)

Following the events of Secret Wars, Old Man Logan finds himself in the present, and his past. Desperate to prevent the villains from destroying the world again, he sets out to kill those most responsible. However, this is no longer the past he knew.

Number of volumes: 3

Wolverine and the X-Men (2012)

Spinning directly out of Schism, the X-Men are split in two. Rejecting Cyclops’ isolationist stance, Wolverine takes half the X-Men back to Westchester to start over again with a new school, a new student body and a lot of surprises. But what happens when the new Hellfire Club decides to burn the place to the ground?

Number of volumes: 8

Wolverine and the X-Men (2014)

Wolverine, along with a star-studded faculty, tries to maintain the Jean Grey School in an ever-changing world for mutants. But with their lives steeped in danger and personal crises, will the teachers prove fit to educate the next generation of X-Men? When problem student Quentin Quire starts acting up, will Wolverine break his rule against teacher-student violence?

Number of volumes: 2

Wolverine (2013)

When Wolverine finds himself the bargaining chip in a hostage situation, he must make a decision that will follow him forever…literally! How can a berserker fight what he can’t see? And how far will he go to assert his humanity in the face of the unknown? Guest-starring Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.! Then, Wolverine has to track down a boy on a deadly rampage before he does the unthinkable! How will Logan defeat an enemy with no permanent body to slash and claw? And what does the Watcher have to do with all of this?

Number of volumes: 2

Savage Wolverine (2013)

Wolverine awakes to find himself transported to the Savage Land and labeled Public Enemy No. 1! With no memory of how he got there, and Shanna the She-Devil his only ally, Logan must unravel the mystery that slumbers at the heart of the Savage Land before it kills him first!

Number of volumes: 4

Wolverine: Three Months to Die (2014)

Wolverine no more?! After the events of “Killable,” Logan has something to prove. Before he can take on Sabretooth again, he’ll need to build himself back up, get better and stronger than he’s ever been…but it’s not as easy as he thought anymore. And when the normal channels don’t seem to be working fast enough, Wolverine will soon find himself turning to other means of revenge. But what could make Logan turn his back on the school and his friends? Wolverine’s training continues, and his sights are set squarely on Sabretooth…but can Logan fight back his demons, or is this the beginning of a Wolverine who’s gone to the dark side?

Number of volumes: 2

Death of Wolverine (2014)

All roads must end somewhere, and every hero’s story eventually comes to a close. For Logan, the century-old mutant known as Wolverine, that time is now. The loss of his healing factor and the traumatic events of “Three Months To Die” have all led to this, the single most important X-Men event of the decade. Through the years, Logan has been a warrior, a hero, a renegade, a savage, a samurai, a teacher — and so much more. Logan has spent decades being the best there is at what he does, but even the best fade away eventually.

X-23

The origin of X-23! Cloned from Wolverine’s cells and raised to be the perfect killer, young Laura Kinney never knew a life free from the harsh masters at the Facility. But now she’s broken loose at last and must forge her own path in the world! Free of her chains and determined to live, Laura will write the next chapter of her story herself. But can X-23 escape her training and her instincts, or will the gallons of blood spilled in her violent past drag her down? And can she truly begin a new life until she faces the man whose shadow has loomed over her for years? Enter: The Wolverine!

All-New Wolverine (2016)

She’s the best there is! X-23 was created to be a weapon; for a time, that’s all she was. But with the help of her mentor, Logan — the original Wolverine — she escaped that dark past. Now, the man she knew has fallen, but Laura will honor his memory as the All-New Wolverine. But with the famous cowl comes a world of misery and mystery — like the devastating secret of the Sisters. Uncovering it will involve new friends Doctor Strange and the Wasp, and lethal new enemies like the Taskmaster! But after recent events, Laura is growing used to doing everything in her power to save those around her from forces hell-bent on destruction. If anyone can stop them, it’s Laura. After all, it’s what Wolverine does.

Number of volumes: 2

Daken: Dark Wolverine

The son of Wolverine, Daken will stop at nothing to attain absolute power. He yearns for his own bloody empire, sitting on a throne of fear and violence. Playing both heroes and villains as pawns and free of his ties to Norman Osborn, who can stop him?

Number of volumes: 4

Have a question? Click here to send a message and we'll get back to you shortly!