The House of X era had several sleeper hits within the X-line, including titles that seemed like an afterthought in their marketing but turned out to be standout titles. Both Hellions and the Sabretooth miniseries gave spirit and life to their cast, and most importantly, something interesting for them to do while the larger world-building of Krakoa was undertaken. Thankfully, Marvel has decided to continue to develop the storylines crafted in those aforementioned runs and combined the two in Sabretooth and the Exiles.
Collected in this trade are issues #1-5 of the Sabretooth and the Exiles miniseries published in 2022, with Creed breaking free of the pit on Krakoa with the Exiles but a few steps behind. Orchis, the central villains in the X-Verse at the moment, has been experimenting on mutants and are looking to capture the now freed villain, and create an army of Sabretooth monsters to do Dr. Barrington’s biding. The Exiles must decide if they can work alongside a murder like Sabretooth, all while Victor is forced to face a tragic figure from his past. The arc ends with a curious conclusion that sets up several outlandish possibilities for Victor Creed.
Marvel Comics
It’s a fun storyline that carries forth the well-received plots from Hellions and the recent Sabretooth miniseries, while charting new territory for these characters in the Fall of X era. Writer Victor LaValle does a great job giving this story stakes and a twisted mix of humor and grotesque violence, giving characters like Nanny and Orphan-Maker comedic moments that work surprisingly well next to the gore and violence. Even Dr. Barrington, playing the role of a sadistic medical mind, is almost comically evil in their machinations, which fits the tone of the series quite well.
Marvel Comics
Leonard Kirk’s artwork is solid throughout, demonstrating a real versatility in its mix of splashy gore with subtle character communication. Having done line work for the previous Sabretooth miniseries gives this title a direct tonal connection.
The variant covers are included at the end of the book (although not all full-page reproductions) which is common for these current Marvel trade paperbacks. If you picked up these issues as they dropped monthly, the book doesn’t provide anything additional. Yet, if you missed this miniseries when it dropped, this trade is a perfect way to catch up on an amusing and appealing run.
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