Written by: Victor LaValle
Art by: Leonard Kirk, Craig Yeung
Colors by: Rain Beredo
Letters by: VC’s Cory Petit
Cover art by: Ryan Stegman, J.P. Mayer, Frank D’Armata
Cover price: $3.99
Release date: June 29, 2022
Sabretooth #5 ends the title with the aftermath of a cataclysm on Krakoa used as cover for a daring prison break, but all is not as it seems.
Was It Good?
I am an idiot. I’m an idiot for publicly praising Sabretooth #4 as the perfect vehicle for the beginning of the end of the Krakoan Era, an era that has long overstayed its welcome. Well, it’s the end alright, but an ending that shifts the story in a different direction only to start all over again with a new title coming later. The curse of Marvel’s addiction to #1’s strikes again.
When last we left Victor Creed, aka Sabretooth, he was about to make a deal with Krakoa for some goal the feral mutant kept to himself, away from the reading audience. Now, we see the outcome of the deal but never actually see it happen. A volcanic eruption is staged as a cover for Krakoa to knock out all the mutants who could be a witness to Sabretooth’s release. You don’t see the deal being made, you don’t know about the plan, you don’t see the “escape” plan executed, and it all happens in the blink of an eye. In essence, most of the excitement of Creed’s “escape” happens off-panel.
Krakoa let Creed go because he was causing too much trouble by sowing unrest, and it was easier to fake an escape than answer uncomfortable questions. Again, we have another situation where Krakoa and the Quiet Council take the convenient path at the expense of (human) lives and damage to maintain control, prolonging the Krakoan Era well past its expiration date.
On his way to a waiting boat, Creed is briefly stopped by Mystique and Destiny who ultimately decide to let Creed go. Why? Destiny sees a future where Creed’s actions save lives (maybe), and that future involves the Exiles. If you were to sum this series up – Sabretooth goes to prison, sows seeds of descent, gives Krakoa a headache, and is let go. The End.
You may wonder why the grumpiness over this turn of events. I’m grumpy because this is the finale, and whatever momentum comes next is automatically dampened by ending the series and starting over with a new one sometime later. Given Marvel’s recent struggles with “supply chain issues” and delays, the future is uncertain as to when or if Sabretooth & the Exiles #1 will arrive. Marvel is poised, with this series, to finally put an end to the Krakoan Era, but silly shortsightedness and the lack of conviction to let a series mature and develop make this a frustrating and incomplete finale.
About The Reviewer: Gabriel Hernandez is the Publisher & EIC of ComicalOpinions.com, a comics review site dedicated to indie, small, and mid-sized publishers.
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Bits and Pieces
Sabretooth #5 is a frustrating finale for a series with so much potential. The big action happens off-panel, the pieces of the escape we do see are dialog heavy and packed with unanswered hints about the future, and this all appears to be a setup for another series coming later. Such a waste.
Weird Science Marvel Comics 