Wolverine: Patch is a 2022 comic book limited series from Marvel Comics. It's part of the X-Men franchise and stars Logan, the titular Wolverine. The series is written by Larry Hama, with art by Andrea Di Vito and Le Beau Underwood, and color art by Sebastian Cheng.
The story is an Interquel, set in the shared Marvel Universe just prior to the start of Larry Hama's 1990-1997 run on the Wolverine series. At this point in time, after The Fall of the Mutants, the world believes the X-Men to be dead. When away from the team, Logan has taken up residence in the corrupt Asian island nation of Madripoor, where he's wearing an eyepatch - and using the alias 'Patch' - in the hope he won't be recognised.
He's still trying to help people, though. And he still keeps getting into trouble. On this occasion, that's because Madripoor's Prince thinks something untoward is happening in Madripoor's jungle-covered highlands, and wants Patch to go investigate. The Prince isn't exactly trustworthy, but if Patch doesn't play along, it could be awkward for his friends. And it's a simple job - how bad could it be?
As it turns out, it could be very bad indeed. And a lot of people are about to die.
The first issue was released March 23, 2022.
Wolverine: Patch contains examples of:
- Badass Family: Beth, her husband Gimel, and their child Alef are a terrifying combination. Beth and Gimel are mutants who've been cybernetically enhanced and trained as Super Soldiers. Alef has massive Psychic Powers, as well as Healing Hands and other abilities.
- Binocular Shot: After Patch recovers from his jump from Archie's plane, a red-tinged binocular shot shows that he's been spotted in the jungle, despite his precautions. The next page changes its viewpoint to reveal the villainous General Coy and his troops, making their first appearance in the story.
- Continuity Nod: A flashback shows that one of the other super soldiers Beth and Gimel trained alongside was Omega Red.
- Devious Daggers: Gimel's usually Dual Wielding long knives and his speed and Invisibility powers mean that he can catch opponents by surprise rather than facing them head-on. When fighting alongside Beth, he's prone to stab foes In the Back while she pummels them with Super-Strength.
- Interquel: The series was published in 2022, but it's set during the first ongoing Wolverine series, which launched in 1988. Specifically, it's set just before Larry Hama's run started in 1990.
- Invisibility: Gimel's abilities let him fade out of sight. He's translucent or partially transparent in several of his fight scenes. It's not clarified whether this is his mutant power or an Invisibility Cloak cybernetic enhancement.
- It's Raining Men: After being warned off by Nick Fury and S.H.I.E.L.D., Patch decides that the easiest way to do the reconnaissance without alerting them is to jump out of Archie's plane. With no parachute. It's not exactly a safe landing, but he does have unbreakable bones and a Healing Factor.
- Laser-Guided Amnesia: At the end of the series, Alef takes Patch to the 'healing place' and the treatment means that he loses his memory of the events.
- Left for Dead: Patch comes off worst in his first fight with Gimel and Beth, and they leave him battered and bleeding to death. Or so they think - they've done a lot of damage, but don't know that he has a Healing Factor.
- Let Us Never Speak of This Again: At the end of the series, the Prince suggests to General Coy that they go their separate ways and pretend the whole mess never happened.
- Saved by Canon: Apart from Wolverine himself, Tyger Tiger, General Coy, the Prince and Archie Corrigan all play major roles in later Wolverine stories, as does Nick Fury. To a lesser extent, that's also true of Dr. Malheur and Dai-Kumo. While some of them end up in life-threatening situations, there's no real risk of lasting harm.
- Set a Mook to Kill a Mook: When Nemikova's Russian soldiers, General Coy's troops and the Prince's thugs are all searching the jungle, Patch makes hit-and-run attacks that trick them into firing towards each other. Neither Coy nor the Prince trusts the other factions, so they assume it's a double-cross. Nemikova really was planning to double-cross and murder them, so assumes they figured it out before her troops made their move. The end result is a three-way battle that decimates all three groups.
- Variant Cover: The first issue has two variants as well as its standard cover.
- You Have Outlived Your Usefulness: Major Nemikova intends to kill both the Prince and General Coy once they've helped her recover the fugitives. Unfortunately for her, this just makes it easier for Patch to Set a Mook to Kill a Mook, tricking the three factions into firing towards each other. Nemikova immediately takes it at face value, assuming Coy and the Prince found out about her planned double-cross.
