Sabretooth and the Exiles attack Station Two in Sabretooth And The Exiles #2, by writer Victor LaValle, artist Leonard Kirk, colorist Rain Beredo, and letterer Cory Petit. This is yet another great chapter in Sabretooth’s life.

As the Exiles unload a bit on Sabretooth for his treatment of them, Dr. Barrington communicates with her superiors about the Barrington Coil she put in Sabretooth. They demand results, and she gets back to work. Third Eye tells everyone where Station Two is, and Nanny outlines why it’s so dangerous for Orchis to have Orphan-Maker, and they make their way there. At Station Two, Barrington and the Creation experiment on Orphan-Maker’s armor, finding it impossible to breach. As the Exiles sneak through the facility, Barrington convinces Orphan-Maker to break Nanny’s rules. The Exiles find the Station’s mutant prisoners when the Creation runs in. Orphan-Maker opens his armor, injuring Barrington, and she’s scared. Orphan-Maker comes in, his faceplate open. As everyone readies for disaster in their own ways, Third Eye comes up with an unorthodox solution.

Sabretooth was LaValle using his story as a metaphor for the unjustness of the penal system while telling a killer story starring Sabretooth. Sabretooth And The Exiles doesn’t seem to have the same allegorical nature, but it makes no less of a great story. LaValle gets who Sabretooth is as a person, the supreme confidence of the killing machine. He also captures the hidden vulnerabilities of Sabretooth, especially with his current weakness from the Barrington Coil, which is a nice touch. Sabretooth is basically invincible because of his healing factor, so robbing him of it changes the tenor of the book completely.

This issue is well-paced. There’s a sense of impending doom as the story moves forward, with the threat of Orphan-Maker in Orchis’s hands underlined early. The scene where Barrington plays the childlike Orphan-Maker is a nice touch as well. It has the right mixture of humor to it, something LaValle uses sparingly but to great effect throughout the book. This isn’t a laugh-out-loud comic, but it’s still rather funny several times.

Kirk and Beredo make such an excellent art team. Sabretooth is an imposing mountain of muscle, but they also manage to capture the vulnerability of the character when they need to. Beredo uses his colors very strategically, helping to set the stage for the scenes, giving everything the right lighting, and really bringing the detail in every panel. There’s some brilliant character acting in this issue as well. Kirk even manages to sell the childlike innocence of Orphan-Maker, even though he doesn’t have a face.

Cory Petit’s letters help out on that count a lot. Petit gets across the feeling of the dialogue perfectly in every dialogue and thought bubble. A good letterer can make or break the emotional tenor of the comic, and Petit is very good.

Sabretooth And The Exiles #2 is excellent. It keeps up a lively tone, with the right mixture of fun, excitement, and danger. The cliffhanger ending is wonderful. LaValle, Kirk, Beredo, and Petit are doing terrific work.

Grade: A