CREDIT: Marvel
Rating: 3.5/5 – Not an Event, just a Multi-Title Crossover!
By ComicSpectrum senior reviewer Shawn Hoklas.
It’s fun to see a book like Weapons of Mutant Destruction. It feels so silver age in its ideas and premise, while having the approach of modern day storytelling and art. The cover for the book alone stands out as a fanboy’s dream. What would happen if you mix the science that went into creating the Hulk with the experimentation that went into creating Wolverine? You see that on this first issue’s pulp-like cover. It draws you in with its potential and my two younger sons immediately asked what was going on inside when they saw this on my to-read stack. So does the story match the potential of the cover? Not yet…but it’s still a solid first part to this crossover event.
Writer Greg Pak is currently writing both the Weapon X series and the Totally Awesome Hulk (both of which are where this crossover will continue) so the story presented here is an extension of those two series. While I’m reading both of those books and have a solid understanding of the back story, if you’re jumping on board with this issue you should have no problem getting up to speed. The evil Weapon X program is back and they’re creating hybrid cyborgs in order to wipe out mutants. While they’ve done this before, it’s the type of cyborgs they’re now creating that is upping the danger level.
Logan leads a team that was introduced in the Weapon X series, now with the Hulk included to prevent Weapon X from creating any more. Amadeus Cho adds some humor to the mix of killers that make up the Weapon X team of Lady Deathstrike, Sabretooth, and more. But, much like my thoughts on Wolverine teaming up with Sabretooth, Cho’s teaming up with killers seems kind of wrong. This is an oversized first part with a $4.99 price point, but I feel as though I got my money’s worth. My only complaints with this first issue is that at times the art feels inconsistent, and there is a real lack of any compelling single villain figure so far, concentrating instead on the Weapon X organization as almost a bureaucratic entity. Mahmud Asrar handles the art and while I usually enjoy his work, the coloring by Nolan Woodard is really dark and makes Asrar’s already heavy line feel heavier. Also, there are a few panels in this book that look off in composition and backgrounds.
Much like in Weapon X, this series’ villains are the organizers of the Weapon X program, rather than the creations themselves. Ultimately I hope Greg Pak can create a compelling villain who stands out from the Weapon X organization that can stick around after this crossover event wraps up. I enjoyed this first part and will be back for the rest of this series. I know this will be a tough sell for Marvel if you’re not reading either Totally Awesome Hulk or Weapon X, but this may be the story that can change that.
Reviewed by: Shawn Hoklas
(shawn@comicspectrum.com)
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