Weapon X #12
Writer: Greg Pak
Artist: Yildiray Cinar
Colorist: Frank D’Armata
Letterer: Joe Caramagna
Publisher: Marvel Comics
A Review by Greg Brothers
Throughout the history of the X-Men and the Marvel universe there has been quite a few mutant teams that have formed that may not have always been sanctioned. These are the teams that are willing to go and take on the missions that may be more dangerous. And in some cases, may need to be “off the books” to deny any knowledge of the team.
The latest such team, known as Weapon X, came together as each of them was targeted for their connections to old Weapon X program. Old Man Logan and Sabretooth lead the team as they tried to stop the Weapon H program and later tried to help Weapon H accept his new life. Now the team has its own ship and plan to head out and take down threats against Mutants.
I’ve found through the series so far, the characters are hit and miss, and Weapon X #12 continues with that streak. On one hand Warpath has come into his own as a type of defacto leader. He is violent and cunning, but can show and use compassion. He comes off as having the most heroic qualities. On the other end I have problems with Lady Deathstrike. She has never been one that works well within a team setting and she is way to compliant within the series. Honestly if she was removed from Weapon X #12 it would not have affected the story at all.
The plot is one that has some potential. A foreign country that has gained control of American weapons and technology to kill mutants. The problem here is that there isn’t much substance to it. The Heroes find out, they show up to save the day through sheer violence, and they find the source of the power locked away. It is as if Pak and company just wanted to jump right into the big guns and explosions rather than explore the reason why the president of Mexico has such a hatred for Mutants.
The art in Weapon X #12 is good but not break taking. The action within the panels is done well as you can see and feel the movements. The panel layouts when the soldiers are taking the red pills are jarring, but in a way, that makes you feel as if you are going through the transformation. The art falls very much under that Marvel house style, with bright clean colors and easy to recognize movements and characters. It just seems that especially for the night fights it would have made sense for the panels to be darker.
Verdict:
Wait and See. Weapon X #12 is the first of a new arc, and while some elements of the team are starting to gel, the kickoff of this story is lacking. The plot is one that has a lot potential in how the story telling is handled. Hopefully moving forward some of the parts that do not feel fleshed get explored further.
