The “Sabretooth War” crossover is raging forward with multiple heroes dead and Wolverine incredibly angry. Sabretooth always visits Logan on his birthday to ruin it, and this time, he has gone too far, killing Wolverine’s family members. Akihiro: Dead. Quentin Quer: Dead. Laura Kinney: In a very bad place. Now it’s up to Wolverine to save them, but before he can, he must get a lead on where Sabretooth fled.
First and foremost, Cory Smith draws a spectacular issue. The detail is as good as any AAA comic, and there’s plenty of good action and gruesome gore. The issue opens with the fallout at the Krakoa home base, and Wolverine is still missing his hands. He had to remove his feet and hands to escape and help his friends. Smith offers plenty of big splashy scenes to give Wolverine some retribution, and Oren Junior’s inks only add to the dramatic effect.
One might call Wolverine #44 a table-setting issue since it spends much time reflecting on Sabretooth’s attack and does not progress the larger plot. That said, Ben Percy and Victor Lavalle greatly raise the emotional stakes. Mutants are hurting, and they partially blame Wolverine for the fallout. Near Berserker level in rage, Wolverine has a touching moment where he reflects on Laura’s kidnapping. Percy has done well to show Wolverine as a father figure to multiple characters over the years, and it’s all coming to a head here.
It’s gnarly how he had to remove his hands. In this issue, they reattach them.
Credit: Marvel
Outside of reactions to the fallout, this issue largely focuses on “Captain” Sabretooth of Earth-203. He’s a Captain America and Sabretooth mashup. This makes him incredibly deadly in open ground, as seen in a tense and violent scene. An interrogation scene is also well done, pulling in different mutants to make him crack. When multiverse shenanigans are going on, these alternate versions of characters tend to feel flat, but the creative team has done well to make the “Captain” feel real and not just cannon fodder.
Aside from a few clues given to key characters as to the whereabouts of Sabretooth and maybe even survivors, this issue does slow down the larger plot. That said, “Captain” Sabretooth is well done enough, with plenty of action thrown in to satisfy the action enthusiasts. The care taken to show how defeated the characters are helps raise the stakes and elevates the narrative for future issues.
“Sabretooth War” part 4 rages on in Wolverine #44 as “Captain” Sabretooth takes a central focus while the heroes lick their wounds. Expect great art and good emotionality in the characters.
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