Sabretooth came in hot in Marvel’s “Sabretooth War,” but his advantage may be losing its luster, as part 3 reveals this week. Wolverine (Logan)’s son has been killed, and now Wolverine (Laura) has been taken. Sabretooth always tries to break Logan on his birthday, and with an army of Sabretooths from the multiverse, he has every reason to accomplish this goal this time. That is unless he underestimates his advantage.
Wolverine #43 opens in the past, where we find Sabretooth and Wolverine working together on Team X. They’re killers, and they love what they do. This scene pays off later in an epic double-page splash of moments between the two enemies. These two bonded over the years thanks to their quick wits and love of killing. But, as Creed says in the captions, Wolverine has changed, and he knows he misses what he used to be.
What he used to be was clearly a real bastard, which Sabretooth currently is. It’s the driving force to the uprising brewing amongst his Sabretooth army, as we see early on in the issue. Two of the Sabretooths from another dimension don’t love how the battle went down after they fled, and there seems to be some questioning of Sabretooth’s decision-making. Meanwhile, Laura listens in and will likely be a key factor in Logan getting an edge.
Some dynamic art can be had when you read this issue.
Credit: Marvel
Victor LaValle’s Exiles also make a return, which is exciting given the history they had with Sabretooth in his previous runs. You’ll feel confident with the team back with the various dynamics in play as they become aware of Sabretooth’s return. This scene helps set up a growing battle soon to come.
A couple of things work well in this issue, one of which is a twisted Orchis technology Sabretooth uses. Fans of the mutant he’s abusing will be seriously upset, and it’s a nice reminder of how evil this villain is in such a casual way. It’s also a super weird and original sci-fi idea. The brutality of the violence is also apparent, and while there’s less action, there’s a truly disturbing image of a beloved character in great pain. That, and Geoff Shaw does well with the opening Team X scene, adding a bit of drama. It’s a sharp looking book.
The Team X stuff, however, feels unnecessary. It harkens back to the good old days with Wolverine, but it seems to only be at the start of the issue to give it some action. It looks cool, but the Team X days don’t factor much into the plot. They’re just a reminder that Sabretooth and Wolverine were friends at one point. Mostly, this is a dialogue-focused issue as characters prepare for their next move. Speaking of Wolverine, he’s absent from this issue.
Wolverine #43 is a good table-setting chapter in an ongoing war but building in new and exciting ways. Bloodthirsty fans will like it, while the remainder of Sabretooth and Wolverine’s good old days are expertly revisited.
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