Wolverine is a character who has throughout the years worn many different hats. If there’s an era or style of story you enjoy, there’s probably one featuring Wolverine of that type. For a while, Wolverine was hanging out in Madripoor as a personality called Patch (he wore a patch, get it). Hanging out with Tyger Tiger and running a bar, the character dealt with the seedier sides of the Marvel Universe. Wolverine: Patch #1 takes us back to that time in a comic that feels retro in so many ways and that’s not necessarily a good thing.
Written by Larry Hama, Wolverine: Patch #1 has Wolverine being tasked to find out what’s going on in some jungles. There’s Generals, weird experiments, and something to do with Russians. It all has a retro-James Bond feel to it all, down to Wolverine… I mean Path… wearing a tuxedo with a flower through much of the issue. There’s crooked leaders and lots of mystery all around while there’s nothing particularly bad about the comic, it’s also not all the exciting either. It just kind of is. Wolverine: Patch #1 feels like a story I meant have read in the classic Wolverine series or Marvel Presents in the 90s or maybe a backup stories in those.
The issue feels like an 80s James Bond story with a bit of the cheese and colorful characters that you’re never quite sure whose side they’re on. The story, the look, the overall vibe feels like something we’d have read in the 1980s.
The art by Andrea Di Vito is good. With ink by Le Beau Underwood, color by Sebastian Cheng, and lettering by Clayton Cowles, the art has a feel that matches the story. There’s a retro aspect of it all and feels like it sort of leans into the silliness of the story. As I mentioned above, Wolverine rocks his Patch white jacket and flower through the comic and over time it takes a bit of damage but generally remains looking good, a mutant power of the its own I guess. Visually it just sticks out for some reason and just feels like it matches the overall vibe of the comic.
Wolverine: Patch #1 isn’t bad in any way but it also doesn’t stand out. You read it and kind of wonder of what the point is other than adding some nostalgia. So far, it doesn’t give us anything new. There’s not some interesting exploration of the time or character. It’s just a standalone story so far with a “classic” feel of it all. This is one for fans looking for a bit of nostalgia.
Story: Larry Hama Art: Andrea Di Vito
Ink: Le Beau Underwood Color: Sebastian Cheng Letterer: Clayton Cowles
Story: 7.0 Art: 7.0 Overall: 7.0 Recommendation: Read
Marvel provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review
Purchase: comiXology/Kindle – Zeus Comics – TFAW
Source: Graphic Policy
