The X-Axis, 3 December 2004
Part 5 of 8: SABRETOOTH vol 2 #4

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Daniel Way and Bart Sears' Sabretooth miniseries concludes with issue #4.  In one of those little gifts that writers offer to critics from time to time, this issue is titled "Abominable."

Issue #1 wasn't too bad, or more accurately, it exceeded expectations.  Mind you, expectations were low to start with - Way has produced some grindingly slow and boring comics lately, and Bart Sears' run on Captain America & The Falcon was little short of unreadable.  The series started off with art that could actually be viewed without a protective shield, and a story that kind of made sense.  This alone meant that it was better than expected.

It's been downhill from there.  Boy, has it been downhill.  Sabretooth hangs around the edge of the plot.  Sasquatch, of all people, serves as the de facto lead character.  The whole story is built around the "twist" that Sabretooth hasn't killed anyone - he's just hunting the Wendigo, who's the true killer.  This was blindingly obvious since issue #1, was even more blindingly obvious in issue #3, and remarkably, seems to be presented as a twist yet again in this issue. 

There is nothing else to the story - nothing.  No tension, no characters worth caring about, just some big exaggerated figures hitting one another.  This is bad.  Who thought that it was worth commissioning a four-issue Sabretooth miniseries solely on the strength of one lame plot twist which doesn't even work?

An outright failure.  Avoid the trade paperback like the plague.

Rating: D+

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Copyright 2004 Paul O'Brien.  This web site is a work of critical comment and review. All characters and publications referred to, and artwork reproduced, are ™ and © their respective owners.
 

SABRETOOTH
(second series)
#4 (of 4)
Marvel Comics
February 2005
$2.99 US / $4.25 CAN

OPEN SEASON,
part 4 of 4:
"Abominable"
Writer: Daniel Way
Penciller: Bart Sears
Inker: Mark Pennington
Letterer: Cory Petit
Colourist: Mike Atiyeh
Editor: Warren Simons

Cover by Paolo Rivera

LINKS
Marvel Comics
Paolo Rivera