The dust has barely settled on the explosive milestone of Wolverine #400 (Vol. 8 #8), yet Logan is already being dragged off the global stage and back into the shadows of his own history. After giving the previous issue a 9/10, the bar was set incredibly high. Wolverine Vol. 8 #9 doesn’t quite hit that legendary peak, and it doesn’t try to, but it delivers something just as important: atmosphere, restraint, and a creeping sense that this story is about to get very personal.
As a standalone issue, it’s smaller.
As fallout from a milestone? It’s necessary.
The Road So Far: A Ghost’s Summons
Issue #8 was a massive 64-page celebration that closed out the first arc of Saladin Ahmed’s run. Logan faced off against the “Adamantine” force and its champion, Romulus, in a fight that pushed his healing factor to its absolute breaking point.
But the most unsettling moment didn’t come from the violence.
It came after.
While recovering in a motel room, Logan received something that should not exist: a letter from his mother, Elizabeth Howlett, dead for over a century. It wasn’t just words on paper. It carried a scent Logan recognized, tightening the suspicion that this wasn’t nostalgia, but manipulation. Included was a Victorian calling card instructing him to return to the Howlett Estate in Alberta, Canada.
Logan knows better.
Of course he goes anyway.
Wolverine Vol. 8 #9: The Long Road Home
Issue #9, fittingly titled The Long Road Home, follows Logan as he arrives at his ancestral estate, a place that represents legacy, memory, and everything the Adamantine arc threatens to strip away.
Ahmed leans heavily into Logan’s internal monologue here, and it works. The house isn’t comforting. It’s hollow. A reminder that Logan’s past isn’t something he can ever truly return to, only revisit.
And, predictably, he’s not alone for long.
The Ambush
Logan is attacked by two classic Marauders: Harpoon and Vertigo.
This isn’t a flashy set piece. It’s a nasty, close-quarters fight that immediately reminds us Logan is still far from recovered.
- The fight: Vertigo’s disorientation powers hit harder than usual, and Harpoon’s kinetic spears become genuinely dangerous when Wolverine’s senses are already frayed. Logan wins, but not cleanly.
- The unease: During the fight, Logan catches a scent that stops him cold: Sabretooth.
- The implication: Victor Creed is supposed to be dead after the end of Vol. 7. Whether this is resurrection, imitation, or psychological warfare is left deliberately unclear.
That uncertainty is the point.
The issue ends by making it painfully obvious that Logan’s return home was never his idea. The letter from “Elizabeth” wasn’t closure, it was bait, designed to isolate him and weaponize his past against him.
The Adamantine war didn’t end at #8.
It followed him home.
A Change in Vision: Javier Pina Steps In
Visually, this issue marks a clear transition.
After the marathon intensity of Issue #8, Martín Cóccolo steps aside, and Javier Pina takes over art duties. The shift is immediate.
- Style: Pina’s work is cleaner, more architectural, and far more restrained. Where Cóccolo’s art feels like a fever dream of violence, Pina’s pages feel like a gothic horror film.
- Why it works: The Howlett Estate feels imposing and empty, not grand. Pina excels at drawing exhaustion. Logan looks tired in a way that no amount of healing can fix.
It’s the kind of art change that won’t sell slabs, but absolutely sells the mood, and for this issue, that’s the right trade.
The Verdict
Rating: 8/10
As a standalone issue, it’s restrained.
As part of the Adamantine arc, it’s essential.
Why the 8/10?
Issue #8 earned a 9/10 because it was a landmark event with scale, spectacle, and payoff. Issue #9 deliberately narrows its focus, and while that means less immediate gratification, it succeeds by tightening tension instead of escalating noise.
Pros
- Excellent use of legacy villains (Harpoon and Vertigo)
- Strong psychological atmosphere at the Howlett Estate
- Logan written as a loner who feels the weight of his history
Cons
- Very much a setup issue
- More mystery than resolution
- Feels like the opening chapter to a darker turn rather than a complete story
If you loved the chaos of #8, don’t skip this. Wolverine Vol. 8 #9 is a quiet, deliberate pivot, the kind that makes you uneasy because you know what’s coming next won’t be kind.
What do you think?
Is the letter really tied to Elizabeth Howlett… or is Sabretooth playing the longest, cruelest mind game of Logan’s life? Next: Wolverine Vol. 8 #10: When the Hunt Stops Being Subtle.
