Uncanny X-Men # 328, Sabretooth: Red Zone, X-Force # 51, Uncanny X-Men # 329-330
Uh, so yeah, Fabian's last issue is in this batch. Not the last. Whoops!
Anyways . . .
So, Sabretooth shows everyone that he's smart again. This basically pisses off Boomer and has Professor X deciding that there's nothing he can do for Creed anymore and plans to have Val Cooper haul his ass outta there with some SHIELD guys. However, before hand, Boomer goes off to have some words with Creed. Creed, however, just eggs her on until Boomer decides to blow him up . . . only in succeeding in blowing up his restraints. Luckily, Psylocke steps in to fight him. Unfortunately for her, it ain't like last time. While Betsy gets in some good blows, he pretty hands her ass to her. By the time the other X-Men are there, Psylocke's down . . . and pretty much dead.
So, Creed's on the run. Caliban makes a swipe at him as he's rushing though the adjoining Morlock tunnels, but Sabretooth takes him down. Various teams are deployed, with the orignal X-Men crew heading to NYC. The chase him around, the entire time, the complete and utter disaster of having him live there hanging above their heads. Sabretooth eventually takes a huge chunk of Archangel's wing out. Finally, as Jean is holding him, he busts loose and falls to the ground (and this is after a big throw-down with Beast and Cyclops). Beaten and broken, he takes one final pot-shot at the X-Men by spitting blood on Cyclops' cool-ass "X."
As one would expect, Boomer doesn't take any of this business well. So what does that mean? Why, a wild crazy 90's-style angsty MAKE-OVER!!!! Belly shirt, push-up bra (I'm assuming), hip huggers, risque zipper, short hair-cut, and a new code-name: Meltdown! (she's actually hotter this way)
To save Psylocke's life, Wolverine and Archangel embark on a quest in Chinatown for the Crimson Dawn. They enlist the help of Dr. Strange and Gomurr the Ancient and face down various "Inu-Yasha" rejects before at last confronting a being named Tar. He allows Psylocke to gain the power of the Crimson Dawn, which is a mystical force (as if her life couldn't get more complicated).
A good patch. The Meltdown issue is kinda dumb, but damn it, I love that sexy cover. And it's good to see Creed has had an effect on her. The Crimson Dawn story is pretty good, although a little too Anime-esque for my tastes. It's fun to see Wolverine and Archangel team-up, considering all their history.
The two Sabretooth stories themselves and brillant. The fundamental feeling of failure is palpable. The idea that Professor X has really screwed this up sends ripples throughout the team. The fact that Professor X failed is great, bringing to the table a lot of questions regarding the X-Men's career. The whole affair is, in some ways, akin to the Dark Phoenix Saga. However, where it was Jean's humanity that saved them all, it was Sabretooth's viciousness that damned them. Despite lossing some of its impact some ten years later now, this story is great and should be held in higher regard.
Joe Mad's art is pure awesome, too. Plus, little things like having the original X-Men hunt down the person who practically tore them apart is a shining gem in this story. Hands off to Fabian for that.
~W~
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