Sabretooth took a major turn last week, and lucky us, Sabretooth #5 is out just a week later to progress the plot! Victor LaValle and Leonard Kirk continue to explore the injustices of prison systems via the vicious and downright evil Sabretooth. In the latest issue, Sabretooth is freed and a new batch of heroes are dispatched to save everyone.
As the preview shows, Sabretooth is on the run after duping his fellow inmates into helping him escape. He’s gained this freedom because Cypher wanted to end Sabretooth’s psychic attack on the Krakoan people and the rise of a kind of revolution. If the first few issues were a prison break, it appears the series is now taking a fugitive approach.
Give credit to LaValle and Kirk: this series has moved along at a fairly fast clip. Five issues in and the identity of the series is shifting gears towards the prisoners being the only solution to avoid embarrassment. If you thought the five were alone, think again, as this issue grows the group of mutants tasked with bringing Sabretooth back.
Run Sabretooth, RUN!
Credit: Marvel
It’s also worth noting there are subtle ways this series has tied into the ongoing events of Krakoa. In this issue, we see Destiny and Mystique as a factor as both of them are becoming far more important in the narrative. The last issue saw an X Deaths of Wolverine connection as well. It’s nice to know this series fits within continuity even though it’s also telling its own side quest story of Krakoa.
The themes of making a hell, a metaphor for prison in some respects in this series, and then leaving it for others to take control of are explored here. It’s interesting to see how Cypher is trying to clean up this mess, even without the Quiet Council’s full support. Ultimately this series is about ideas be it of the mind, or in the case of this issue, the idea of Xavier being tarnished by the acts of imprisoning Sabretooth. These concepts are rather loose but are present, allowing the reader to glean what they will from the bigger meaning.
Kirk’s art continues to capture each character’s different look well. It’s a slightly cartoony and less detailed style than other X-Men titles. Mystique and Destiny end up having a calming effect while Nanny is as bizarre and outrageous as ever. Colors by Rain Beredo are bright and suit the colorful characters in the narrative. Sabretooth in particular looks great, whether it’s the lighting on his costume or the subtle textures in his blonde hair.
Sabretooth continues to surprise as it pushes its plot forward in new and exciting ways. In just five issues this series has been a prison narrative, a heist-style escape, and now something entirely different. All the while it exhibits compelling ideas about the human condition.
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