Uncanny X-Periment # 122: "War of the Programs"

Weapon X # 19-28

So, the new Weapon X project is kinda reformatting. Sabretooth's gone, Jackson is the new Director, and Marrow has left to form a new Gene Nation bent on destroying Weapon X. As Chamber discovers Neverland, Marrow is confronted by Agent Zero, who wipes all of Gene Nation. Agent Zero then fights Maverick and we discover the "new" Maverick is some kid from a while ago (issues I don't have) that's buds with Mav and that Agent Zero is Maverick himself.

Also, Director Colcord and Box are building an army of Sentinels.

Wolverine goes off to track down Chamber and he ends up at Neverland . . . which has been abandoned. The only clue is the word "Roanoke." Ditto goes for Maverick at the Weapon X base and Fantomex with John Sublime's empty grave. The three converge on a field, where it's revealed that Wolverine wiped out an entire town that had been sitting there as part of his intense testing.

Then, we're treated to a nice explaination regarding Weapon X and Weapon Plus. Turns out that the Weapon X Professor broke off Weapon X from the Weapon Plus Project (which was being run by John Sublime), thus all the other Weapon X creations over the years. When Director Colcord took over, he made a deal with John Sublime that they would stay out of each others way - except they would share Neverland.

Now, however, Jackson has a change of thought. The Weapon X program has gone underground and Sublime is out to find them. Or something like that. Wolverine, Fantomex, and Agent Zero fight off U-Men. Fantomex gets shot down.

Then Sabretooth is hired by a front for Weapon Plus to bring in Mr. Sinister. Eventually, there's some putzing around, but Sinister is brought in and meets Sublime. Sabretooth then joins the Brotherhood.

THE END!

Yeah.

Talk about unresolved. I know that Tieri tried to wrap things up in a mini-series, but it actually isn't very good. Really. It's not. So I'm not including that. And if I did, there would still be about ten questions left in the air.

Where is Weapon X? What happened to Chamber? Is Fantomex dead? Where is Agent Zero? What about Colcord's Sentinel army? What about Reyes?

It's frustrating because - despite the sometimes terrible dialogue - this was a pretty enjoyable book. I certainly liked it. But no sense of closure. I kinda blame Tieri for that, but in the end, it's Marvel's fault. This was a book that was still telling it's story. They can't pump out five more issues to finish that story? Really? They could have even had the X-Men proper show up.

Which they should have.

Now, in this post-Decimation and mid-Endangered Species world, we've seen the ulimate fate of Weapon X. I'll cover that when we get closer to it. Now, however, I'm just left disappointed.

~W~