This past month has seen a slew of holiday specials; some heart-warming, some horrifying. But if you want a nasty little Christmas present for yourself today, look no further than Marvel Comics’s Sabretooth: The Dead Don’t Talk #1.
Written by Frank Tieri with art by Michael Sta. Maria, the book takes place after the recent death of Sabretooth — and this time, it’s permanent (at least as permanent as any comic book character). Wolverine is dealing with a confusing mix of emotions about the demise of his long-time rival, and things get even more confusing when he sees a picture of Sabretooth in a bar he’s never seen before.
What follows is best described as Gangs of New York, but with Sabretooth — and with all the violence and dark tidings you’d want from a book like that. To be clear, there’s nothing Christmas about this issue it just happens to be released on December 25. But there’s something about the holidays and remembering those who aren’t with us anymore that makes this the perfectly appropriate, inappropriate read for the holidays.
Tieri, if you know his work at all, is also the perfect match for this material. Sabretooth’s razor-eyed propensity for violence becomes an art under his watch, and it’s a gruesome delight. Similarly, Sta. Maria knows how to draw a disgusting murder, and there are plenty of them in this issue.
But what’s smartest about this beyond the ultra-violence is the way it weaves through Marvel history, and sets up a backstory for the gangs of New York in the 616 that has the potential to be as intricate as the backstory for Gotham City. We’re not quite there yet, and it seems like there’s plenty of fun to be had — just in case you think this is a heady, history-heavy tome. But thus far there’s a lot of promise in this book.
Is this the sort of comic you want to leave under the Christmas tree — or give out as a Chanukah present? Probably not. But as a gift to yourself, pick it up. The dead don’t talk, but this book is meaner than the Grinch and twice as much fun.
Sabretooth: The Dead Don’t Talk #1 Rating:
Sabretooth: The Dead Don’t Talk #1 Official Synopsis:
SABRETOOTH IS DEAD…BUT HIS PAST IS ALIVE AND LETHAL! A person alive in the 1900’s seen in a picture on the wall of NYC’s oldest tavern? Yes. A feared gangster and murderer who rose to power among the notorious gangs of NY? Yes. And also, perhaps most shockingly of all, none other than…Sabretooth?!? Join us – and Wolverine – as we uncover this secret untold chapter from the life of Logan’s greatest foe in a tale of violence, betrayal, shocking reveals and more violence. Sabretooth may be dead…but the secrets from his past – and the ways in which they may affect Wolverine in the present – are very much alive!
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