Sabretooth #5
Sabretooth's plan comes to fruition in Sabretooth #5, by writer Victor LaValle, artist Leonard Kirk, colorist Rain Beredo, and letterer Cory Petit. This issue is an interesting beast because it is quite different from what came before.
The basic synopsis of this is easy: Sabretooth is released and makes his way to Nekra's boat after Magma sets off a volcano that damages the island, forcing Krakoa to drain the energy of everyone in the area. Mystique and Destiny intercept him, but they let him go after Destiny has a vision. Doug gives the rest of the denizens of the Pit a deal: hunt down Sabretooth, and they can be free. However, someone has already found Sabretooth, which all plays into Destiny's vision.
LaValle used this book to talk a lot about incarceration in the United States, which is one of the reasons this book is so damn good. It's able to mix the kind of X-Men goodness fans want while also teaching them things they might know. It's the best kind of superhero book that educates while entertaining. The problem, of course, is Sabretooth. He's not the only character in the Pit at Krakoa, but he's the main mover. The one who everyone is afraid of. The one who manipulates events and gets released. If this book is an analogy for the incarceration system, which it certainly is, taking the analogy too far with Sabretooth would never work. He may not deserve this time in prison, but Sabretooth is a monster, and he will definitely kill again.
This issue basically drops the metaphor, although it brings up how Sabretooth has changed Krakoa with his conception of the Pit and also feels very pointed in that the way Sabretooth betrays his fellow inmates to get out and becomes more of a traditional superhero comic narrative. Sabretooth escapes and gets into even more trouble, the former detainees in the Pit are sent to find him, and readers are shown what the future may hold. It's all genius set-up for a future title, one that looks like it's going to keep up the themes of this book. In some ways, it's a bit disappointing that this comic has suddenly become a normal book. On the other hand, what it's building is quite interesting.
Kirk and Beredo do a good job with the art. This issue is surprisingly low stakes for a final chapter; there are no big action set pieces, just a lot of character interaction. Kirk's pencils do an excellent job of selling all of the dialogue scenes, and Beredo's colors have a brightness that was missing from this book before in some ways.
Sabretooth #5 isn't as cerebral as some of the other issues, but it's still a fine comic. LaValle, Kirk, Beredo, and Petit have created an outstanding miniseries that set up the next chapter in Sabretooth and his fellow prisoners' lives expertly. It's not as great as the previous issues, but it's a fun read.
