Wolverine: Infinity Watch #4 (of 5): In Space, Nobody Can Hear You Scream This Series is Ridiculous

After getting off to a rocky start right off the bat with a cover that forcibly reminds us that, yes, hot claws are still a thing, Wolverine: Infinity Watch continues to move the goalposts for just how nonsensical a comic can get. Four issues in, and writer Gerry Duggan is still finding new ways to show he isn’t taking any of this seriously. It’s one thing to write a funny comic, and another to write one that’s self-aware and humorous in that way. Duggan wants the latter, but fails because ultimately, nothing in this story is being taken seriously at all by the writer. Worse still, it’s clear Duggan isn’t even trying to make it anything other than a bad joke.

Admittedly, the bit where Darkhawk accidentally kills his own mom (don’t worry, she gets better) is actually pretty hilarious. But literally every other gag in this issue falls flat on its face, the result being anywhere from eye-rolling groans to outright loathing at a comic that refuses to display anything even remotely resembling an actual human emotion. Wolverine running around wearing a belt made of dead Darkhawks’ armor is a particular low point. It’s not funny. It’s just juvenile and dumb, and an insult to readers’ intelligence – not to mention their hard-earned dollars.

But maybe light comedy was always the point. I’ll admit that. Wolverine in space with an Infinity Gem is a pretty silly concept in its own right. But thinking back to the Marvel Legacy one-shot that midwifed this plotline, I have a hard time believing that this soulless absurdity was ever what Jason Aaron had in mind. Which is too bad, because honestly, a ton of fun could have been had with this premise had it been in the hands of a writer who knew how to make it work. Gerry Duggan, though, is only interested in cheap laughs. Don’t be fooled – nothing of real consequence is happening here, except that Loki’s next trick will be when readers realized how badly they’ve been swindled out of their hard-earned money for this nonsense.