Or maybe not.

Actually, that's a bit harsh, because Weapon X #7 is one of the book's less egregious efforts.  However, it's still little more than average.

This is the first part of the "Underground" storyline, and the main point seems to be to give us, at last, some characters to root for in the form of Nathan Summers and an array of his supporting cast.  Of course, there's plenty to irritate in the way this is done - pretty much everything that happened in Soldier X is ignored, the original Blaquesmith appears to have returned without any explanation, Maverick's real name is now unknown, and Domino's apparently now called Neena Thurman.  Sure, whatever.  Oh, and Nathan can no longer recognise Garrison Kane from close-up photos without the assistance of computer records.

Actually, I suspect they may be doing a double-switch here where Maverick turns out to be a new character and Agent Zero is still the original Maverick; either that, or they're revising the plot because so many people guessed it at an early stage.

Anyhow, the Underground don't like Weapon X, and want to stop them.  Weapon X are at least acting in a way that's within the bounds of sanity this month, which is a considerable improvement on past issues.  And there's the same material as before riffing on the US government's exploitation of the "war on terrorism" to infringe human rights, done with a little more subtlety than in previous issues.

But the improvements stem largely from the fact that the most ludicrous parts of the plot happen to be off panel this month; unfortunately, there's no reason to think that they're being permanently disposed of.  This is middling at best; the overall direction of the plot makes the book unlikely to sustain that level.

Rating: B-

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