Weapon X vol. 2: The Hunt for Weapon H
We’re technically on the third volume of this series, as I’m counting the “Weapons of Mutant Destruction” crossover, and pretty much all of it has been focused on the new Weapon X/Weapon H storylines. That’s a lot of time to devote to one subject in this day and age, but that’s not a bad thing as writer Greg Pak, now working with his “Incredible Hercules” co-writer Fred Van Lente, has been delivering a consistently enjoyable team book with this title. That trend continues here as our team of mutants — now adopting the Weapon X name from Reverend Stryker’s rebooted program — is on the hunt for Weapon H. Or, the Hulkverine if you will. Working against them is Stryker and the remnants of his organization, including Weapon H’s creator Doctor Alba. Alba’s got her own agenda as the creator of what she sees as the perfect killing machine and the doctor wants nothing more than to see it live up to its potential.
Pak and Van Lente have a good handle on the core cast and, more importantly, give them all some time in the spotlight for this story. They even chose an appropriate guest-star for this arc and she gets to put in a substantial contribution as well. The writers also get the cast to deliver some quality banter amongst each other and that enlivens things as well. As for Weapon H himself, he’s your standard “good guy in a bad situation” who fits the role well enough. He’s kind of personality-free at this point into his shelf-life which is more of an issue for the upcoming Pak-written “Weapon H” series than this current hunt for him.
Weighing this arc down a bit is the art from Marc Borstel. Though it’s largely competent and filled with good detail there’s a plasticine sheen to it which isn’t that appealing. It gives the characters a somewhat unnatural look to them, something that’s amplified during certain action scenes where they look “posed” into a panel. Ibrahim Roberson is also credited as an artist here as well, but he was apparently drafted to provide stylistic consistency with Borstel than display his own style. All this being said, vol. 3 of “Weapon X” is still another surprisingly enjoyable entry into this series which has me looking forward to seeing what the creators can do now that they no longer have to focus on the Hulkverine.