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Wolverine: Patch #1-5
Wolverine: Patch
Return to Madripoor with the man called Patch! All-new action, intrigue and espionage await you as legendary creator Larry Hama crafts a story set before his original run on WOLVERINE! Logan has donned an eyepatch and made a new name for himself on the cutthroat island of Madripoor. From their haunt at the Princess Bar, what starts as a simple recon mission lands “Patch” and his old pal Archie Corrigan knee-deep in a paramilitary struggle that will herald some surprise revelations! Who is the mutant Krasny Beth, and how does she figure into the plans of both General Coy and Dr. Malheur? And what are S.H.I.E.L.D. and the Russians after? Jungle warfare is a nasty business…but luckily, Patch is the best there is at what he does!
COLLECTING: Wolverine: Patch (2022) 1-5
COLLECTING: Wolverine: Patch (2022) 1-5
112 pages, Paperback
First published November 29, 2022
8 people are currently reading
56 people want to read
About the author
Larry Hama
1,955 books152 followersLarry Hama is an American writer, artist, actor and musician who has worked in the fields of entertainment and publishing since the 1960s.
During the 1970s, he was seen in minor roles on the TV shows M*A*S*H and Saturday Night Live, and appeared on Broadway in two roles in the original 1976 production of Stephen Sondheim's Pacific Overtures.
He is best known to American comic book readers as a writer and editor for Marvel Comics, where he wrote the licensed comic book series G.I. Joe, A Real American Hero, based on the Hasbro action figures. He has also written for the series Wolverine, Nth Man: the Ultimate Ninja, and Elektra. He created the character Bucky O'Hare, which was developed into a comic book, a toy line and television cartoon.
During the 1970s, he was seen in minor roles on the TV shows M*A*S*H and Saturday Night Live, and appeared on Broadway in two roles in the original 1976 production of Stephen Sondheim's Pacific Overtures.
He is best known to American comic book readers as a writer and editor for Marvel Comics, where he wrote the licensed comic book series G.I. Joe, A Real American Hero, based on the Hasbro action figures. He has also written for the series Wolverine, Nth Man: the Ultimate Ninja, and Elektra. He created the character Bucky O'Hare, which was developed into a comic book, a toy line and television cartoon.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 40 reviews
January 31, 2023
It was fine. More enjoyable for the line art than for the bonkers plot that ends with a mind-wipe and a "let us never speak of this again."
Not sure why Logan had to keep wearing that stupid eye-patch while he was out in the jungle.
Not sure why Logan had to keep wearing that stupid eye-patch while he was out in the jungle.
January 31, 2024
After all the political X-MEN comics, it was great to just have an old-school Wolverine/Patch comic. Unleashed and against all enemies on all sides. This book takes place before Wolverine has regained his memories.
Wolverine is taking a break from the X-MEN. He is at his home away from Madripoor. Known as Patch, but he is not the only one hiding in Madripoor. It is time to show four armies why he is the best at what he does, and it won't be pretty.
This is just an all-out action comic. No story is really necessary apart from setting up the next scene of violence. The book distributes the variant covers all through no cover gallery here.
Wolverine is taking a break from the X-MEN. He is at his home away from Madripoor. Known as Patch, but he is not the only one hiding in Madripoor. It is time to show four armies why he is the best at what he does, and it won't be pretty.
This is just an all-out action comic. No story is really necessary apart from setting up the next scene of violence. The book distributes the variant covers all through no cover gallery here.
February 16, 2023
Been wanting to finally read this trade since I read issue 1 way back when. This was a blast. Two Russian mutants had been being experimented on at some secret facility. But once they had a kid and they discovered she was way more powerful than her parents, they wanted to experiment on her. The two grabbed their kid and escaped to the jungles of Madripoor. Now the Russians have enlisted the help of General Coy, The prince and their own army to track them down and SHIELD is watching all of it. Patch finds himself caught in the middle of all of it giving him a reason to hack, cut, slash and mutilate his way through all the assembled fighting forces. All done with the amazing artwork. It was glorious!
January 7, 2026
Quick read and action-packed. Not much to it besides that so 3 adamantium claws out of 5!
December 6, 2022
(2.5 stars, really)
I was curious about this book in its original five-issue comic book format, but held off buying it because it seemed like something that would be better read as a one-shot graphic novel. Writer Larry Hama returns to one of his signature Marvel characters and the fictional locale of Madripoor, but for the life of me, I can’t tell you what this confusing tale is about. There are Russian mutants on the run, local tribes and warlords, and Nick Fury and S.H.I.E.L.D., all of which seem to want the mutants for some reason and Wolverine jumps in in his white tux (and black eyepatch, hence the name “Patch,” even if they never explain why he has it) and tries to save the day. The whole book is confusing and has a definite 1980s/90s vibe, but that’s not necessarily a good thing. Di Vito’s art is great at times and meh at times, but the covers are beautiful, even if the art is in the traditional Marvel overly-colored mode. Shockingly, this is a Marvel TPB that doesn’t cost $24.95 or some other outrageous price; it’s only $15.95, so about three bucks per issue, which is definitely cheaper than if you bought the original comics. Don't tell Ike Perlmutter that, though.
I was curious about this book in its original five-issue comic book format, but held off buying it because it seemed like something that would be better read as a one-shot graphic novel. Writer Larry Hama returns to one of his signature Marvel characters and the fictional locale of Madripoor, but for the life of me, I can’t tell you what this confusing tale is about. There are Russian mutants on the run, local tribes and warlords, and Nick Fury and S.H.I.E.L.D., all of which seem to want the mutants for some reason and Wolverine jumps in in his white tux (and black eyepatch, hence the name “Patch,” even if they never explain why he has it) and tries to save the day. The whole book is confusing and has a definite 1980s/90s vibe, but that’s not necessarily a good thing. Di Vito’s art is great at times and meh at times, but the covers are beautiful, even if the art is in the traditional Marvel overly-colored mode. Shockingly, this is a Marvel TPB that doesn’t cost $24.95 or some other outrageous price; it’s only $15.95, so about three bucks per issue, which is definitely cheaper than if you bought the original comics. Don't tell Ike Perlmutter that, though.
September 4, 2022
I have a soft spot for the 1988 Wolverine series, so I was happy to read a story set in the early days of that series. The story itself really wasn't as good as the early days of that series, but was still a good read. We had mutants on the run from the Russians, two factions hunting them down for a bounty, and Wolverine stuck in the middle of it all. And if that's not confusing enough, SHIELD shows up as well. There was a subplot involving stealing monkeys from the jungle that went over my head, but otherwise this wasn't a bad series.
December 4, 2022
4
The story grew on me as it unfolded and fleshed out more.
The story grew on me as it unfolded and fleshed out more.
July 16, 2024
A bit of a confusing mess, where I wasn't entirely sure what was happening for 90% of the time. I will give this props for including a non-binary deaf/blind character, though I cannot speak to how good the representation is.
TW for violence, antisemitic and anti-indigenous comments (made by the villains), murder, mentions of 'thinning out' populations, guns, blood, childbirth mentions, mentions of a child being taken from their parents, mentions of human experimentation.
TW for violence, antisemitic and anti-indigenous comments (made by the villains), murder, mentions of 'thinning out' populations, guns, blood, childbirth mentions, mentions of a child being taken from their parents, mentions of human experimentation.
April 22, 2024
Some nice art and cool Wolverine action but the story was just very meh. A waste of time to read.
September 24, 2024
3.5 stars. Wolverine is really good in this one, but the plot is extremely convoluted and confusing; at one time there are about six different parties involved in the fight. The art is great though, I love the "darker" look because it fits the plot quite well, some of the larger panels of Wolverine are absolutely stunning.
April 12, 2023
Years and years ago, when I primarily had a Sega as my household console, I was gifted X-Men 2: Clone Wars and I spent hours and hours playing it. There were some levels in the game I absolutely couldn’t beat…unless I played as Wolverine. Thanks to his healing factor, I could just sit in a safe corner, get back to two life bars (enough to survive two hits), and then continue forward with a level. It helped me finally beat the game, but sitting and waiting for Logan to heal was dreadfully boring.
That’s actually one of many major issues with this TPB — Wolverine is being constantly hurt and needs to stop to heal to allow the plot to slow down, and what might be actually better as a two issues condensed version of this story gets drug out illogically across five issues. Another major problem here is that the writing is trying so hard to invoke a pulpy noir sensibility that all the characters come across as flat and cartoonish. By the end, I’m not sure why you’d care about anyone really surviving save Alef is a child and we want the child to survive through the book where the antihero protagonist murders MANY people by brutal stabbing to their torsos, heads, or necks resulting in some wild decapitations.
On the other hand, if the writing were better, this story has the trappings of a plot somewhat similar to the film, Logan, at least in terms of genre being important (sub in a tropical spy thriller for Logan’s western aesthetic and motifs). The idea of Logan losing his memory at the end, or SHIELD being caught up in an overwatch action against the Yakuza and Russian KGB and other mercenaries from Logan’s past also could be interesting, if any of it felt actually connected clearly to his past. It’s so close to being good, but kinda just comes out really “meh?”
That’s actually one of many major issues with this TPB — Wolverine is being constantly hurt and needs to stop to heal to allow the plot to slow down, and what might be actually better as a two issues condensed version of this story gets drug out illogically across five issues. Another major problem here is that the writing is trying so hard to invoke a pulpy noir sensibility that all the characters come across as flat and cartoonish. By the end, I’m not sure why you’d care about anyone really surviving save Alef is a child and we want the child to survive through the book where the antihero protagonist murders MANY people by brutal stabbing to their torsos, heads, or necks resulting in some wild decapitations.
On the other hand, if the writing were better, this story has the trappings of a plot somewhat similar to the film, Logan, at least in terms of genre being important (sub in a tropical spy thriller for Logan’s western aesthetic and motifs). The idea of Logan losing his memory at the end, or SHIELD being caught up in an overwatch action against the Yakuza and Russian KGB and other mercenaries from Logan’s past also could be interesting, if any of it felt actually connected clearly to his past. It’s so close to being good, but kinda just comes out really “meh?”
January 8, 2024
I picked up this book because I was really interested in the character of Alef and their parents, after I found out about Alef from the Marvel wiki. Alef is a gender non-conforming deafblind Russian Jewish reality warper, fleeing from Soviet Russia alongside their parents, after being experimented on by the government.
I like the concept and the ideas Hama had for these characters, but I feel like if these characters, specifically Alef, were written again (which I hope they will be!), I would like it to be by a disabled author, who will better be able to flesh Alef out as an actual character, instead of a plot device. Obviously Alef is a child, but it's still possible to flesh out a child character and to allow the reader to see more of their personality.
Overall, I enjoyed this book more than I expected too, especially as someone who hasn't read Hama's original comic run set during this time period. There were honestly probably too many different factions running around in this story-- I'm still not sure what General Coy and his troops or the random Price guy have to do with this, but I'm guessing it's connected to the original comic run. Regardless, I still enjoyed this comic. I'm not intrigued enough to pick up that original run, but I didn't read this comic for Logan or Madorpoor in the first place. Logan losing his memory of this felt a bit like a cop-out, but considering his memory is swiss cheese anyway, it's probably not a huge deal. I hope we get to see the Chernekhov family again though.
I like the concept and the ideas Hama had for these characters, but I feel like if these characters, specifically Alef, were written again (which I hope they will be!), I would like it to be by a disabled author, who will better be able to flesh Alef out as an actual character, instead of a plot device. Obviously Alef is a child, but it's still possible to flesh out a child character and to allow the reader to see more of their personality.
Overall, I enjoyed this book more than I expected too, especially as someone who hasn't read Hama's original comic run set during this time period. There were honestly probably too many different factions running around in this story-- I'm still not sure what General Coy and his troops or the random Price guy have to do with this, but I'm guessing it's connected to the original comic run. Regardless, I still enjoyed this comic. I'm not intrigued enough to pick up that original run, but I didn't read this comic for Logan or Madorpoor in the first place. Logan losing his memory of this felt a bit like a cop-out, but considering his memory is swiss cheese anyway, it's probably not a huge deal. I hope we get to see the Chernekhov family again though.
March 7, 2024
Set during Logan's days as an underworld figure in the shady nation of Madripoor, this book sees him taking on Yakuza enforcers, Chinese soldiers, Madripoorian mercenaries, Russian Special Forces and SHIELD Mandroids in an attempt to protect a family of fugitive mutants wanted by the KGB.
This is a retro story, harkening back not only to Hama's run on the Wolverine comics of the 80s but also to the Cold War era in general. Mostly it's perfectly fine, if somewhat bland, Wolverine action but it has two elements which spoil the enjoyment overall.
The first of which is simply that the idea of the short, hairy guy with adamantium claws not being recognised as Wolverine due to wearing an eyepatch and calling himself 'Patch' is ridiculous.
I would've rated this book as a 3 out of 5 for being bland but largely inoffensive if it weren't for my second gripe, however.
The final scenes of the story have Logan losing his memory of the entire event which leaves you with the distinct feeling of 'Well, why the hell did I waste time reading it then?', since this tale can have no impact on Logan's life after this point. It's almost obnoxious in how it covers for being a previously unknown prequel tale by having the main character not remember it anyway.
* More reviews here: https://fsfh-book-review2.webnode.page *
This is a retro story, harkening back not only to Hama's run on the Wolverine comics of the 80s but also to the Cold War era in general. Mostly it's perfectly fine, if somewhat bland, Wolverine action but it has two elements which spoil the enjoyment overall.
The first of which is simply that the idea of the short, hairy guy with adamantium claws not being recognised as Wolverine due to wearing an eyepatch and calling himself 'Patch' is ridiculous.
I would've rated this book as a 3 out of 5 for being bland but largely inoffensive if it weren't for my second gripe, however.
The final scenes of the story have Logan losing his memory of the entire event which leaves you with the distinct feeling of 'Well, why the hell did I waste time reading it then?', since this tale can have no impact on Logan's life after this point. It's almost obnoxious in how it covers for being a previously unknown prequel tale by having the main character not remember it anyway.
* More reviews here: https://fsfh-book-review2.webnode.page *
November 4, 2022
I think this series would have worked well enough within the pages of Hama's original Wolverine run, but given the modernized aesthetic and decompressed storytelling, I really did not like this at all. I commend Marvel for trying these throwback stories, but I don't think they understand what's missing to really drive the nostalgia home. Give us artists capable of capturing the styles of Frank Miller, John Byrne, John Buscema, Marc Silvestri, etc. Give us a comic that wraps up the story in one issue and feels like it could easily be slotted into the short box containing a completed Hama run.
Wolverine: Patch takes place during Logan's time on Madripoor as Patch. I did like that we got some further world-building on the parts of Madripoor previously unseen, but the overall adventure is so boring and forgettable. I guess nothing majorly life changing can occur in these books, but that also makes these completely skippable reads. There are ways to tell a story that doesn't alter canon, but still act in service to the characters.
Wolverine: Patch takes place during Logan's time on Madripoor as Patch. I did like that we got some further world-building on the parts of Madripoor previously unseen, but the overall adventure is so boring and forgettable. I guess nothing majorly life changing can occur in these books, but that also makes these completely skippable reads. There are ways to tell a story that doesn't alter canon, but still act in service to the characters.
January 12, 2023
It was... Fine? I didn't hate it, but I also didn't enjoy it that much either. And it took me F O R E V E R to actually read. Normally I can read 5 issues in a couple hours. This one took me days of disinterest to get through.
And there were parts I enjoyed! I like the new characters of Alef, Beth & Gimel. I liked the proper use of Yiddish terms in their speech, and, like, ones beyond the standard phrases that every goy in NYC knows 😅 Hama clearly put in the work to ground these characters in their Jewish identity.
But the story just didn't grab me, and was mostly repetitive and boring. Every issue has a similar arc with very little plot or character development for most anyone. Which can happen a lot in stories set deep in past-continuity. You want the characters we recognise to be recognisable, but that means they can't grow over the course of the story because we know where they start and end up based on when this story happens. It's an incredibly tough balancing act that, unfortunately, I think Hama failed at this time around.
And there were parts I enjoyed! I like the new characters of Alef, Beth & Gimel. I liked the proper use of Yiddish terms in their speech, and, like, ones beyond the standard phrases that every goy in NYC knows 😅 Hama clearly put in the work to ground these characters in their Jewish identity.
But the story just didn't grab me, and was mostly repetitive and boring. Every issue has a similar arc with very little plot or character development for most anyone. Which can happen a lot in stories set deep in past-continuity. You want the characters we recognise to be recognisable, but that means they can't grow over the course of the story because we know where they start and end up based on when this story happens. It's an incredibly tough balancing act that, unfortunately, I think Hama failed at this time around.
January 30, 2023
This series starts out strong and then buckles; after the first issue I thought I’d read the rest, because I really liked the secret-agent-Casablanca vibes the cover was giving.
Alas, once the action starts it becomes clear that there are no secret-agent-Casablanca vibes; Wolverine is just a blunt instrument who carves up bad guys for pages on end. This whole book is really just an excuse to put him in a suit and eyepatch and watch it slowly be ripped off his body as he carves up mooks.
There *are* big villains, but their storylines are uninteresting and kind of blend together. There’s not a lot to make you care about them, and there are way too many of them. He has friends, but they are tropey stereotypes. I get that this is a book that’s about a certain nostalgia and tropey setting, but there was nothing to surprise the reader and make you feel interested in these characters.
The art is great! The story is one note. Regretted purchase.
Alas, once the action starts it becomes clear that there are no secret-agent-Casablanca vibes; Wolverine is just a blunt instrument who carves up bad guys for pages on end. This whole book is really just an excuse to put him in a suit and eyepatch and watch it slowly be ripped off his body as he carves up mooks.
There *are* big villains, but their storylines are uninteresting and kind of blend together. There’s not a lot to make you care about them, and there are way too many of them. He has friends, but they are tropey stereotypes. I get that this is a book that’s about a certain nostalgia and tropey setting, but there was nothing to surprise the reader and make you feel interested in these characters.
The art is great! The story is one note. Regretted purchase.
March 20, 2025
Hm. Wanted more espionage since you know....Wolverine is supposed to be undercover and expectedly not using his most recognizable feature....his left eye - duh. It's like he pops his claws in every other panel (seems like) and you'd think someone would just be like "Oh hey, Wolverine. Fancy seeing you here."
And Wolverine would be all like "Dammit, how'd you recognize me? It was the eyebrows, wasn't it?"
.
.
.
.
"Yes. And your voice, face, and body. Now -"
Props to you if you recognize where that line of dialogue comes from.
Honestly, the only thing I got out of this one was wanting to see more of the dynamic between Tyger Tiger and Wolverine. It's an okay read if you just want to see more of Wolverine.
And Wolverine would be all like "Dammit, how'd you recognize me? It was the eyebrows, wasn't it?"
.
.
.
.
"Yes. And your voice, face, and body. Now -"
Props to you if you recognize where that line of dialogue comes from.
Honestly, the only thing I got out of this one was wanting to see more of the dynamic between Tyger Tiger and Wolverine. It's an okay read if you just want to see more of Wolverine.
August 7, 2024
Probably the weakest Wolverine graphic novel that I have read so far. There is just too much going on with a bunch of different groups trying to capture some Russian mutants, and there is this corrupt research group thrown in the mix as well. It all takes place in a jungle as Wolverine defends a powerful mutant family from various groups interested in the family. Wolverine is also constantly taken out in this story due to a slow mutant healing factor. I also found the artwork weak in a few places and there is a certain character decision that made me cringe. It was an alright story overall but not great.
January 8, 2023
So, this was bad. Like really bad. I was a big fan of Larry Hama's Wolverine run, especially the stuff in Madripoor. This, however was written terribly. The plot is bananas. Its all over the place. So much stuffed into it without making sense. The dialogue was worse however. It was awful. I did enjoy seeing the old brutal Wolverine again. The saving grace for the book was the art by Andrea De Vito. Truly fantastic line work. Loved it. Overall, simply a mess. Larry Hama is capable of so much more.
March 12, 2023
3.75
Here’s the deal with the low ratings. I think sometimes we forgot we just need stories where Logan is the best at what he does and shows us the importance of doing the right thing.
Honestly this is a street level story set in a jungle that could be turned into an affordable movie.
It hit the spot just right!
Here’s the deal with the low ratings. I think sometimes we forgot we just need stories where Logan is the best at what he does and shows us the importance of doing the right thing.
Honestly this is a street level story set in a jungle that could be turned into an affordable movie.
It hit the spot just right!
April 17, 2023
Always interested in some Madripoor and/or Patch stories but this is a pretty by the book noir adventure. This felt like a weak entry in the x stories and doesn’t introduce or add much to the world- this is a story I read and put down and honestly won’t remember much of in after I close this review
February 7, 2025
I have gotten back into reading graphic novels of late and some of the Marvel runs are supposedly good. I picked up this one, and while the story is somewhat confusing (as comics are wont to be), the Wolverine-based, claw brandishing action in this graphic novel is just awesome. I dock it a star for not being a super cohesive story, but the action was great.
December 2, 2023
What did I just read? What a mess. Former Soviets, Yakuza, indigenous peoples, and the X-Men. Wolverine is running a club in not-India when S.H.I.E.L.D. shows and Wolverine jumps out of plane into the jungle.
Some of the artwork was cool, I guess?
Some of the artwork was cool, I guess?
July 11, 2022
No hate to the creator because he seems like a nice person, but I just didn’t really like this. That’s abt it. I hope others enjoy it, but idk, maybe it just wasn’t for me.
Low 3.3
Low 3.3
September 6, 2022
If you liked Larry Hama's previous run writing 'Wolverine', this is more of the same....
just unnecessary.
It's classic Wolverine/Patch in a classic story, doing classic things. Meh.
just unnecessary.
It's classic Wolverine/Patch in a classic story, doing classic things. Meh.
December 7, 2022
A total waste of time. If you like those early, Madripoor Nights Wolverine stories this will not scratch that itch.
May 30, 2023
This fits in right before Larry Hama began his long run on Wolverine. All of the usual Madripoor suspects along with the Russians, the Yakusa and SHIELD are searching through the jungle to find an escaped Russian mutant family. It's fine. It doesn't add anything to the original run like most of these untold story comics. It's always been ridiculous that no one knows Patch is Wolverine because he wears an eyepatch. That is taken to extremes here. It does mention the monkeys that people start killing in order to create drugs from their brains from the original Wolvie run although it never gives a reason why you should care about them here.
August 6, 2023
I liked the first issue before the family came in. Interesting story but not really what I was expecting, or wanted. Excellent art throughout.
August 23, 2023
3.5-4 stars
Entertaining… felt like a 90s comic I would pick up and read at a comic shop when I was 10 years old.
Entertaining… felt like a 90s comic I would pick up and read at a comic shop when I was 10 years old.
December 26, 2023
A nice vignette of a story where nothing is what it seems. a nice comic but hard to follow the plot
Displaying 1 - 30 of 40 reviews