Writer: Gerry Duggan

Art Team: Andy MacDonald, Jordie Bellaire

Release Date: February 20, 2019

Cover Price: $3.99

For a long time there we weren’t getting any books that involved our favorite angry Canadian, and then BOOM this week happens, and we’re treated to three different books that feature our long gone Wolverine pretty prominently. So what happens when our old buddy re-enters the Earth’s atmosphere and ventures on over to the X-Mansion?  That’s the answer we’re about to find out, so why don’t you join me on this journey of discovery, lets go ahead and discuss.

This issue starts by doing a good job of picking up immediately where we left Wolverine at the end of the Return of mini series, which just concluded this week as well.  To the audiences surprise Wolverine approaches a working X-Mansion, knocks on the door, and is greeted by Jean Gray!?  That fun doesn’t last too long as Wolverine sniffs out it’s Loki in no time, giving him a friendly clawing to the side, for his trickery.  With the jig up, the true state of the mansion reveals itself, leading to Loki and Wolverine attempting to sort out Logan’s timeline of events of late, somehow making sense of the Mess Marvel made of this whole Return of Wolverine thing.

Turns out we weren’t getting the whole story the entire time, the reveal is the character that was actually appearing in all those Infinity Countdown Issues was actually the Phoenix-Wolverine, and not the ‘real 616 Logan’ after all.  Phoenix-Wolverine had plans, to disrupt Loki’s initial plan that started all this, however P-W’s plan also didn’t turn out so hot either, leaving us where we are at now with Loki and Logan left to clean up the mess started all the way back in the Marvel Legacy One Shot, way back when.

There are a few interesting developments that come out of the exposition that follows which include the Infinity Gems are positioned again throughout Earth, only this time instead of being an actual stone, they are inside of actual people. We get a decent example of this concept in action, showcased through a prison break, as the stones start to reveal their locations.  However we all know that when this happens it draws attention and usually not in the form of the good guys looking to keep the stone save, if you catch my drift. There is also a Time Bat at play here gifted to Logan via P-W, for what I’m not entirely sure just yet, but it beats the pants off HOT CLAWS if you ask me despite being equally ridiculous.

Overall, I have to say I enjoyed the Wolverine: Infinity Watch first issue.  While not perfect, I give the story credit for at least being able to make sense of a large group of comics I’ve invested in over the last years time, at a  point when I was really close to declaring no resurrection has been as botched as Wolverine’s in the history of comics.  Does it make everything all better? No, not entirely, but at least I have a Wolverine series of books to look forward to in the near future and that’s really all I’ve been asking for, for a long time now.

The art does a pretty good job and conveying the story but its also a little muddy and rough at the same time.  I dont have any real problems with it but it wouldn’t be my first choice for a Wolverine book.

The Return of Wolverine saga continues only this time in a more satisfying matter. This issue does it’s best to sort out the entire mess that was created in the first place, while it stinks of not being the plan initially, I’m still OK with it because for now its just some comic booky fun.  What can i say I’m here for Wolverine fighting with a ‘time bat’.

7.0/10