Wolverine killed Sabretooth. He saw him in Hell. Now Sabretooth is back. This is where we find out how.
The Good
There's something about Simone Bianchi drawing Wolverine. He manages to create such a vibe in the stories he draws. We've seen Wolverine drawn by so many different artists over the years in his numerous appearances. It's fitting to have him back with Jeph Loeb to continue the story they started back in 2007. While I may not be completely thrilled with the "return" of Sabretooth, I'm glad that Bianchi is the one to draw it.
Of course there will be many that are opposed to Jeph Loeb bringing back Wolverine's greatest nemesis. Wolverine does have a lot of enemies but he doesn't have a lot of really great ones. We all frown upon comic book deaths because they are reverted almost every time. Without getting into that, there really isn't much of a need in killing off a great character. Wolverine needs Sabretooth because he's such a vile character and has so much history with Logan.
Once Wolverine becomes aware of Sabretooth's possible return, we see where he put the remains. Too often dead characters simply disappear. It makes sense that the first thing he'd do is check if the body is still where he left it.
Not only do we have the return of Sabretooth, there is also the return of another major pain-in-the-ass for Wolverine. Loeb isn't going to make it easy for him.
The Bad
There isn't much of an explanation, at least not yet, in this issue. What we see is a perfectly logical excuse and way for Sabretooth to make his return. The problem is, it's something that has been used before, specifically with Mister Sinister. Wolverine comments that there was something about Sabretooth's smell when he killed him. Yet, he apparently never looked into it further.
The issue opens with Wolverine using his claws to climb a structure. This is something we've seen before and it always bothers me. He's a heavy guy. He's close to 300 lbs. with the Adamantium on his bones. I always find it hard to believe that his claws could be used to climb in that way. His claws are too long and he's too heavy to have that much weight on a single pressure point. But there's a lot in comics that is often hard to believe. Also, how come he couldn't get another teleporter to get him where he needed to go?
If Sabretooth is back and the reason is is what it appears to be, how did Wolverine see him in Hell?
The Verdict
I'm really torn with this story. I'm not a fan of the death of characters only to see them return later. At least with Sabretooth, it's technically been close to five years (if you don't count his appearance in the Wolverine Goes to Hell arc). Wolverine needs Sabretooth as one of his villains. He's too evil of a character and thorn in his side to be killed off. The explanation as to how he died and is now returning isn't fully explained just yet. What we do see raises some questions, at least for me. The inclusion of Simone Bianchi's art gives the story the atmosphere needed to make this feel like it's going to be a big and gritty story. We also see the return of another deadly villain that gives this title the darker tone you would expect in a Wolverine comic. WOLVERINE AND THE X-MEN is a great read and I absolutely love it but there are times we need less fun and more doom and gloom in a Wolverine story.
Note: WOLVERINE #309 is on sale in two weeks on July 18.