Whether you know him as Logan, Patch or Weapon X, there’s no doubt that Wolverine is the best at what he does. And while there are hundreds of key issues featuring the adamantium adventures of everyone’s favorite mutant berserker, in this list we’re looking solely at the best Wolverine comic covers of all time. In other words, we chose these issues because of their awesome cover art and not necessarily because they feature a key moment in Wolverine’s long and complicated history. To make things easy, we’ve listed the books in publication date, along with estimated prices and all the details on why each issue made the cut.
But enough talk, bub. Time to fire up a stogie and sink your claws into… the 20 best Wolverine comic covers ever made.
1. Incredible Hulk #181
- Published: November 1974
- Estimated Price: $12,000 USD (Raw High Grade)
- Why It’s a Key: 1st appearance of Wolverine
- Why We Picked It: The issue that started it all, this grail comic introduced Wolverine to the Marvel masses. And while it marks an important first milestone in Logan’s character arc, it also stands out as an epic Wolverine comic cover thanks to the incredible art by the great Herb Trimpe.
2. Uncanny X-Men #133
- Published: May 1980
- Estimated Price: $150 USD (Raw High Grade)
- Why It’s a Key: First solo Wolverine cover
- Why We Picked It: In this classic issue Wolverine truly came into his own, hacking and slashing his way to become one of Marvel’s most popular characters. A huge part of the transition was due to the incredible art of John Byrne, with this book featuring one of the greatest early Wolverine comic covers ever drawn.
3. Wolverine Limited Series #1
- Published: September 1982
- Estimated Price: $200 USD (Raw High Grade)
- Why It’s a Key: First solo Wolverine title and first use of the iconic Wolverine phrase: ‘I’m the best there is at what I do”.
- Why We Picked It: This iconic series would go on to establish Wolverine as a grittier and more complex hero. That style and tone is beautifully captured in this incredible cover by comic legend Frank Miller.
4. Uncanny X-Men #207
- Published: July 1986
- Estimated Price: $35 USD (Raw High Grade)
- Why It’s a Key: Iconic cover.
- Why We Picked It: While Wolverine may have got his start within the ensemble pages of the Uncanny X-Men, it wasn’t long before he started to steal the spotlight. Case in point: Logan is front and centre in this classic cover by John Romita Jr. (which also might be in the running for one of the best X-men covers of all time).
5. Captain America Annual #8
- Published: September 1986
- Estimated Price: $50 USD (Raw High Grade)
- Why It’s a Key: Iconic cover.
- Why We Picked It: Over the course of his career Wolverine has tangled with more than his fair share of superheroes. Yet it’s hard to top this stunning showdown with Captain America, which remains an iconic Wolverine comic cover illustrated Mike Zeck (a Marvel legend who has also created some of the very best Spider-Man comic covers of all time).
6. Incredible Hulk #340
- Published: February 1988
- Estimated Price: $10 USD (Raw High Grade)
- Why It’s a Key: Iconic cover by Todd McFarlane
- Why We Picked It: A classic Todd McFarlane cover that has since become a sought after key issue, this single image has been recreated in dozens of other comics, including this gorgeous Savage Avengers #1 variant by Mico Suayan. This also might be in the running for one of the best Hulk comic covers ever.
7. Wolverine #1
- Published: November 1988
- Estimated Price: $100 USD (Raw High Grade)
- Why It’s a Key: 1st ongoing Wolverine issue and debut of Wolverine black costume.
- Why We Picked It: This issue marks the start of Wolverine’s long running standalone series, which saw Logan face some of his greatest triumphs and tragedies. For us, however, this book makes the list purely on the merits of this unforgettable Wolverine cover by the great John Buscema.
8. Wolverine #8
- Published: June 1989
- Estimated Price: $80 USD (Raw High Grade)
- Why It’s a Key: Features the Hulk as his “Joe Fixit” persona.
- Why We Picked It: While there are plenty of amazing Wolverine comic covers to choose from, few are as instantly recognizable as this classic work of art by John Buscema, which finds Wolverine’s “Patch” persona going toe-to-toe with the Hulk.
9. Punisher War Journal #6
- Published: June 1989
- Estimated Price: $20 USD (Raw High Grade)
- Why It’s a Key: First battle of the Punisher and Wolverine.
- Why We Picked It: While this classic issue marks the first time Wolverine set his sights on the Punisher, we chose it because of the iconic cover by Marvel master artist Jim Lee. Incidentally, this book is also in the running for one of the very best Punisher comic covers of all time.
10. Wolverine #10
- Published: August 1989
- Estimated Price: $30 USD (Raw High Grade)
- Why It’s a Key: 1st time Sabretooth appears in a Wolverine title
- Why We Picked It: When it comes to Wolverine’s long line up of foes, there are few as formidable as Sabretooth. Nowhere is the conflict between these two bitter enemies better captured than in this stunning cover that’s yet another classic work of comic book art by John Buscema.
11. Uncanny X-Men #251
- Published: November 1989
- Estimated Price: $20 USD (Raw High Grade)
- Why It’s a Key: Iconic cover.
- Why We Picked It: This once unappreciated issue has since grown in popularity among collectors thanks to iconic cover art by Marc Silvestri. In fact, this single image has appeared in several other homage covers, including a spot-on reproduction featured on the cover of Witchblade #170.
12. Wolverine #27
- Published: January 1990
- Estimated Price: $25 USD (Raw High Grade)
- Why It’s a Key: Iconic cover.
- Why We Picked It: This stunning Jim Lee cover definitely has to be in the running for one of the greatest Wolverine covers of all time, with Logan exploding from the page. Incidentally, this same image was repurposed and altered as the cover for the 1991 Wolverine video game for the NES. Nuff’ said.
13. Uncanny X-Men #268
- Published: September 1990
- Estimated Price: $25 USD (Raw High Grade)
- Why It’s a Key: Revealed that Wolverine, Black Widow and Captain America knew one another in World War II. Origin of first meeting between Captain America and Wolverine.
- Why We Picked It: Another Wolverine key issue, this issue marks an important milestone in Logan’s history. For us, however, it’s on our list purely because of this stunning Jim Lee cover that features the ol’ Canucklehead and two iconic Avengers ready to throw down.
14. Marvel Comics Presents #72
- Published: March 1991
- Estimated Price: $55 USD (Raw High Grade)
- Why It’s a Key: Ongoing Weapon X storyline begins.
- Why We Picked It: The covert government agency known as Weapon X is a key part of Wolverine’s backstory and was first introduced in the pages of this issue, which also features an iconic cover by the incomparable Marvel artist Barry Windsor-Smith.
15. Marvel Comics Presents #79
- Published: June 1991
- Estimated Price: $20 USD (Raw High Grade)
- Why It’s a Key: Debut of Wolverine’s Weapon X design in full, with helmet
- Why We Picked It: This issue also marks an important milestone in Wolverine’s long and blood-soaked history (in addition to featuring the now iconic Weapon X helmet). Again though, we included it here simply because of yet another stunning cover by Barry Windsor-Smith.
16. X-Men #11
- Published: August 1992
- Estimated Price: $20 USD (Raw High Grade)
- Why It’s a Key: Iconic cover.
- Why We Picked It: It’s hard to overstate just how much of an impact artist Jim Lee has had on the character of Wolverine. Case in point: this iconic X-Men cover that remains a staple of 90s Marvel comic book art.
17. Wolverine #88
- Published: December 1994
- Estimated Price: $50 USD (Raw High Grade)
- Why It’s a Key: First battle of Wolverine and Deadpool
- Why We Picked It: Over the years Logan has locked claws with countless heroes and villains, but his first battle with Deadpool is definitely one of the greatest and is immortalized in this incredible cover by Adam Kubert.
18. Wolverine #1 (Variant)
- Published: February 2020
- Estimated Price: $300 USD (Raw High Grade)
- Why It’s a Key: Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo 2020 exclusive. limited to 3,000 copies.
- Why We Picked It: To some collectors so-called “negative space” variant covers are nothing more than a gimmick. Yet it’s hard to deny their impact when you see incredible images like this Wolverine cover by John Tyler Christopher, which has since become a rare and sought after book.
19. Wolverine #8 (Variant)
- Published: December 2020
- Estimated Price: $20 USD (Raw High Grade)
- Why It’s a Key: Variant cover.
- Why We Picked It: While some may argue that the market has been saturated with variant comic book covers, it’s hard to resist picking them up when you have stunning examples like this variant Mico Suayan cover, featuring a Weapon X-style Wolverine in all his adamantium glory.
20. Wolverine: Patch #1
- Published: March 2022
- Estimated Price: $5 USD (Raw High Grade)
- Why It’s a Key: Return of Wolverine as Patch.
- Why We Picked It: This recent series resurrects Wolverine’s old alter ego “Patch” in a prequel story arc by old school Marvel scribe Larry Hama. We have it rounding out this list, however, because of this cinematic cover by Geoff Shaw.
So there you have it! Our picks for the 20 best Wolverine comic covers of all time. Are there any issues you think we missed? Let us know in the comments below!
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