Marvel Comics 2017
Written by Greg Pak
Penciled by Greg Land
Inked by Jay Leisten
Coloured by Frank D’Armata
Lettered by VC’s Joe Cramagna
Logan, Sabretooth and Domino have teamed up after being individually targeted by Adamantium Cyborgs imbued with abilities suspiciously similar to those of the recently captured Lady Deathstrike and Warpath. Reaching an impasse in their hunt from their mysterious enemy, the group is approached by Amadeus Cho (also known as the Hulk) who was the target of a similar cyborg attack. Using a partially preserved cyborg, they were able to determine the location of the cyborg’s command center. Meanwhile, a sample of the Hulk’s blood was recovered by Weapon X scientists.
This is what happens when you think outside the box. It feels like what PAD did with X-Factor in the sense that these characters don’t necessarily feel like the belong together but Greg has pulled them together in a convincing fashion. He’s made what we are seeing here feel like a natural extension of their lives in the Marvel X Universe by using the past as a basis for the present. If movies, television and fashion have taught us anything it’s that everything gets recycled it’s all in how it’s presented to make it new and fresh that really matters.
Now I have no idea when Amadeus Cho became The Hulk and honestly I don’t really care, my feelings of him are beautifully summed up in this very issue as he’s assessed by someone standing in shadow. While I get why he’s here and I kind of applaud the direction that’s going in so long as after Weapons of Mutant Destruction is over and he’s gone i’m good. Otherwise what Greg is doing with the characterisation here is pretty outstanding to see. I like that they all feel familiar and yet not over processed, if that makes sense.
I’ll be brutally honest, I’m loving Greg, Jay and Frank’s work on the interiors here. While yes it remains Greg’s signature style it has a different feel to it like he’s evolving as an artist. His eye for storytelling using page layouts, those pin-ups are fantastic, through angles, perspective and yes even backgrounds really make this pop. Oh and the face of evil on the last page could not be any better or right than it appears! That was spectacularly well done!
The idea behind the story fuses the past, present and the future in ways that are fresh, exciting and bring us back to the days when it was FUN to read mutant mayhem adventures. The way that Greg structures the story, has reveals, and balances action and story development shows off how far he’s come as a storyteller. He’s doing things with this book that makes you want to read, follow and thrill in what’s possible.
While I’m not ready to Make Mine Marvel again i’m more than willing to go out on a limb and hope that series like this one mean there’s a return to greatness coming. With strong storytelling in words and pictures i’d like to see this creative team do a very long and healthy run together.