Weapon X vol. 2: Modern Warfare

Now that they’re no longer on the trail of the Hulkverine, what’s a random assemblage of morally flexible and violent mutants to do?  How about head south of the border to Santo Marco where the government is violently suppressing mutants through use of a suborned Nuke platoon.  Warpath is all for it and takes point on much of the story as he clearly identifies with the natives’ plight, while Old Man Logan sees a more practical purpose in taking out the platoon.  As for Domino, Lady Deathstrike, and Sabretooth, they’re all onboard because something about the mission appeals to their personal interests — like robbing a bank. This results in a fun little action story that has a bit more going on than you’d think as the team wrestles with the optics of the situation and makes some questionable decisions as they try to pull out a win.  The art from Yildray Cinar is also pretty nice as he choreographs the carnage with appreciable flair.

Greg Pak wrote that story solo, but he’s joined by his buddy Fred Van Lente for the second as Sabretooth resumes a yearly tradition:  Trying to kill (Old Man) Logan on his birthday. This also leads to lots of well-orchestrated violence, this time courtesy of Roland Boschi, as Sabretooth tries to get Old Man Logan to give into the bloodlust he’s suppressed for so long.  If you’re going, “Wait a second, isn’t Sabretooth’s personality still inverted from the events of ‘Axis?’” Well, yes, that’s the official line even as there’s been a slow walk back to the character’s traditional mindset. Pak and Van Lente are using the birthday excuse to allow Sabretooth’s old personality to fully reassert itself and the results are surprisingly entertaining.  It’s a nice spin on a familiar concept that also has something to say about Sabretooth himself as we find out how Old Man Logan was finally able to put him down in his old timeline. Good stuff overall and welcome proof that this series can deliver the goods when not dealing with the Hulkverine.