Weapon-X Issue 1 (Age of Apocalypse Part 7)

Weapon - X  issue #1 Age of Apocalypse.

Written by Larry Hama

Art by Adam Kubert, Karl Kesel, Dan Green, Chris Warner

Colors by Mike Thomas

During the Age of Apocalypse alternate timeline  the Wolverine title became Weapon-X. In the original timeline, Wolverine was a loner character. He had little memory of his past and loved a fellow teammate from afar.  Now in this timeline Weapon-X has teamed up with the love of his life, Jean Grey; and they are attempting to help humans that live in this decimated world.  

And now on to the story.

We start off with a sentinel crossing the Atlantic with two Alpha Class mutants on it’s back. Weapon-X and Jean Grey.  From the X-men Alpha book we first heard that they were going to be sent to the Sea Wall in America to take down the radar so that a group of sentinels can break into America and bring back destitute humans(see Amazing X-men 1).  Of course the sea wall is heavily defended and the Sentinel takes on a lot of damage, but is able to deliver his payload to the proper location. Thus starting the Mission for Weapon-X and Jean Grey.

Both mutants make their way through the heavily fortified  building when Apocalypse’s goons call in reinforcements to help fight two Alpha Mutants and a Sentinel.  The trans-mat device delivers Havok. Jean senses the younger Summers presence and tells Logan to split up so that she can take care of the Prelate that has just arrived while Weapon-X goes and takes out the radar.

  

While the two mutants, Havok and Jean, battle we learn that Jean was in the breeding pits and was a slave under Apocalypse’s rule.  Jean was broken out by Logan and that is how he lost his hand.  Yeah did I forget to mention that Logan is slightly handicapped in this timeline.

Well while the two battle Logan also takes out the Radar and security for the Sea wall and goes back to join Jean only to be caught up in her fight with Havok. Logan manages to temporarily take Havok out of the fight long enough to hitch a ride on the back of the Sentinel again.

Of course Havok does the classic monster villain trope and jumps up to get our hero’s one last time. He no less fails to get them and instead finds himself a prisoner to a disembodied Sentinel hand and is sent back through the transmat with a sentinel hand still holding on.  Thus causing it to fuse to Havok, and the evil doctor Mccoy aka dark beast must separate Havok from the hand, (which is mentioned in Factor X).

Weapon-X and Jean ride the Sentinel back to London, while on the way they see the fleet of Sentinels from Amazing X-men #1. They then make it back to london but their Sentinel is badly damaged and they crash it into Big Ben.

Back at Human HQ. We get some more exposition about how much Logan loves Jean and that it is like a calming effect to him. We then see the two mutants head into Big Ben to see what the human’s have planned now.

They are split on whether to attack america and apocalypse  with a large fleet as well. In the end it is Brian Braddock who wins and The book ends with Brian Braddock vowing to destroy Apocalypse once and for all.

This story I give a 8.5 out of 10.

It has everything. A well connected story that fills in gaps with the storytelling of two other titles. The story itself is action orientated but still contains enough exposition that it helps expand upon the world.

The art style in Andy Kubert. I have to admit that when I think of Wolverine, my mind goes to Andy as one of the styles familiar to me with Wolverine.