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Nowadays, Marvel loves to relaunch its books over and again, but if you put the various volumes together, you get some very long-running series. These books star some of the greatest Marvel heroes ever, and some of them have reached some rather surprising numbers. These ten Marvel series are the longest running, giving readers some of the best superhero stories of all time.
10) Wolverine – 403 Issues
Wolverine is the best there is, and he’s starred in a lot of comics. Since 1989, Logan has starred in eight solo series, which add up to 403 issues. Like most long published heroes, his earlier series’ reached much higher numbers running than his later ones. He’s the youngest character on this list, having only been around since 1974. Marvel has inexplicably published #900 and #1000 (the House of Ideas has an obsession with pumping numbers to match DC’s longer series) of Wolverine despite his books not reaching those vaunted numbers, but his massive popularity has made him into one of the most published superheroes ever.
9) Invincible Iron Man – 683 Issues
Iron Man is one of Marvel’s most beloved characters in the 21st century. There’s a narrative surrounding the character that is sort of false. It’s been said that he was never popular until the MCU, but this isn’t exactly true, because his series Invincible Iron Man has run for 683 issues. There have been seven volumes of the series over the years, although “Invincible” wasn’t in the title of every volume. His books haven’t always been as popular, but they’ve garnered quite a legend over the years.
8) Daredevil – 687 Issues
Daredevil is one of Marvel’s most beloved series, and has a sterling reputation. While it’s last volume failed, it’s gone for eight volumes and 687 issues, with a new volume on the way. Daredevil is a comic that has boasted some of the greatest runs of the last 40-some odd years with Frank Miller, Ann Nocenti, David Mazzucchelli, John Romita Jr., Kevin Smith, Joe Quesada, Jimmy Palmiotti, Brian Michael Bendis, Alex Maleev, Ed Brubaker, Mark Waid, and more all giving readers amazing stories starring the long-suffering Matt Murdock. It’s been quite a ride for fans of the Man Without Fear, giving readers one of Marvel’s most pedigreed books.
7) Uncanny X-Men
Uncanny X-Men spent almost three decades as one of the bestselling comics in the comic industry. The book kicked off as X-Men, running for 66 issues as a first run title before becoming a reprint book. Giant-Size X-Men #1 revitalized the book, gaining an uncanny new title, and since then we’ve gotten seven volumes of the series, running for 725 issues. This book contains the longest creative run in Marvel history, a 17-year run by Chris Claremont (if you add up all three of his runs, he’s wrote the team for well over 20 years). This is the premiere mutant comic, and right now, Uncanny X-Men is the best X-title running.
6) Fantastic Four – 731 Issues
Fantastic Four has a very important place in Marvel history. The House of Ideas stopped publishing superhero comics in the ’50s, producing Western, sci-f/horror, and romance comics. DC brought the superhero roaring back with 1956’s Showcase #4, kicking off the Silver Age, and the success of Justice League of America in 1960 opened the door for 1961’s Fantastic Four, the first brainchild of Jack Kirby and Stan Lee. The book has run over seven volumes and is up to 731 issues and still kicking. It’s had some ups and downs over the years, but it will always be the world’s greatest comic magazine.
