Ben's Bit - Sabretooth - Open Season #1
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[img=right:6a89b196c4]http://www.alphaflight.net/reviews/sabretooth_1_review_1.jpg[/img:6a89b196c4]
Writer: Daniel Way
Artist: Bart Sears
Cover: Paolo Rivera
Story: Open Season 1 of 4
OVERVIEW:
[img=left:6a89b196c4]http://www.alphaflight.net/reviews/sabretooth_1_review_2.jpg[/img:6a89b196c4]This tale begins with the Cost Guard ice breaker, the U.S.S. Polar Sun cutting its way through the northern ice flows. Captain Mitchell and his crewman Hamilton are sharing a drink a drink to ward off the chill, as Hamilton tells takes of his father's time in the war. Just as they begin to relax, a mayday call comes in on the radio from a nearby island. The woman making the call for help is cut off as she makes mention of her husband and the other men of the island having gone after a monster, and that her children are missing. Mitchell swings his ship around and makes a course for the island, meanwhile calling for backup from an other ship.
As sunrise comes, and the ship comes in sight of the island, we see Sabretooth standing over the bloodied corpse of a woman, with a D.B. radio in her hand. Sabretooth leaves as the ship pulls in closer.
Back on the Polar Sun Mitchell and Hamilton are within binocular range of the island. They see carved in large letters on one of the buildings "LEAVE OR DIE". Their backup contacts them informing them they have been caught in a storm and won't be there for an other thirty hours. The captain decides that he can't wait, and sends Hamilton out with a twelve-man team to investigate the island.
[img=right:6a89b196c4]http://www.alphaflight.net/reviews/sabretooth_1_review_3.jpg[/img:6a89b196c4]Once landed, Hamilton and his crew discover torn apart copses littering the snow beside one of the buildings. Upon closer inspection he realizes that it is just the men of the island, that the women and children are not among the dead. In the distance Hamilton spots smoke from a chimney, and decides to take the risk to check it out. The bidding seems to have no one inside, however the chimney is warm. He notices a trapdoor in the floor, and shoots it open. Below the floor are two children huddled beside a small stove. The children as where "he is", just as the sounds of yelling and gunfire come from the main floor of the cabin. Hamilton goes to check it out, and finds Sabretooth who tells him to get down. Hamilton is knocked back down into the cellar, and is soon joined by Sabretooth, who informs him that he is the only survivor of his troop. He says that they, unlike Hamilton didn't get his message. Sabretooth is holding a bleeding wound in his stomach, and orders Hamilton and the children to stay in the cellar.
Through the driving snow, a large figure lumbers towards the U.S.S. Polar Sun. The captain is trying to contact Hamilton on the radio to take cover from the incoming storm. One of the crew men enters the captain cabin to inform him there is a visitor on the dock asking permission to board. When Mitchell comes on deck he is handed Canadian Governmental credentials with AF on the front. Yelling over the deck of the ship he speaks to Sasquatch, who informs the captain he is there to help.
REVIEW:
[img=left:6a89b196c4]http://www.alphaflight.net/reviews/sabretooth_1_review_4.jpg[/img:6a89b196c4]So far this is story has grabbed my interest. Ways does a good job of making us wonder what Sabretooth is responsible for, and what he is really doing. The impression I came out with was that for some reason his is trying to save the inhabitants of the island from some greater threat, though he is being heavy handed in his attempts to help. Should it turn out he is doing this out of the "goodness" of his heart, that would be quite out of character, however I have the impression there will be more to it than that.
I certainly came out of the issue curious about what was to come, and how Sasquatch would become involved. It was great seeing Sasquatch, and is about time there was an Alpha Flight appearance since the new series began.
I have never minded Bart Sears' art in the past, but it has never really done anything special for me. This comic surprised me with how much better I found most of his stuff. He seems to have relaxed his style a great deal and it flow better. I liked how he drew Sasquatch’s body, but the face really didn't work for me. The horizontal panel layout was great, and made the full page art piece really stand out.
A good first issue, perhaps a little too spread out with only 4 issues to tell the story, but time will tell. All in all I quite enjoyed it.
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