Behold the last stand of the Canuckleheads in Heroes Reborn: Weapon X & Final Flight #1. Written by Ed Brisson, drawn by Roland Bosch, colored by Chris O’Halloran, and lettered by Cory Petit
Ed Brisson and company send readers out with a brutal bang in Heroes Reborn: Weapon X & Final Flight #1. Providing us our first look at what Logan has been up to in this Heroes Reborn universe, this final tie-in issue serves up an entertainingly dire scenario. One that kept The Wolverine engaged for the length of this Summer event series.
Long ago, America conquered Canada. And they used their state-owned superheroes The Squadron Supreme of America to do it. But Canada was not without her own heroes: led by the relentless Weapon X (Logan’s codename here), Alpha Flight stood against America’s war dogs for years, at the cost of many of their roster’s lives. Logan even managed long ago to “kill” Hyperion, thus kicking off an atomic-powered cat and mouse game that leads up to this issue. Consistenting now of only Logan, Sasquatch, Shaman, Aurora, and the young daughter of Guardian and Vindicator (who has fused the two heroes into one branded suit of armor), the team is on the run, stopping only to save people as they can cross their conquered homeland.
I’ve written about how good this event is when it acknowledges that the Squadron Supreme are monsters, and Ed Brisson delivers arguably their most monstrous incarnations yet. Better still, it doesn’t shy away from the Squadron’s body counts or clear expansionist-minded goals. Sure, Hyperion wants to take down Logan, but Canada is also incredibly rich in resources, and (as far as the Squadron is concerned) those need to be in American hands. No matter how many Canadian citizens and superheroes they need to kill to get them.
Brisson’s characterizations for everyone also shine. Bringing that same gritty, slightly dour attitude that made his X-Force and Old Man Logan runs so engaging, Brisson really sells the team’s plight and open brokenness at the state of their “rebellion”. Which is then further sold by the near-cackling glee the Squadron takes in running them down.
Yes, I’ll admit, it skirts the edge of being exploitative at times. That same edge is honed by Roland Boschi and Chris O’Halloran’s artwork, which operates with appropriate grimness and near cartoonish violence. The sequence in which Hyperion finally does face Logan, along with the issue’s epilogue, are particularly grim. But I think it fits neatly with the event’s overall take on the Squadron, while also amping it up a few notches thanks to this being a Wolverine book.
Do I wish I didn’t have to see my beloved Alpha Flight brutalized? Absolutely. But I also appreciate Brisson and company sending us out with something a little more harder-edged than we would have expected from the last round of event tie-ins, while also committing fully to the premise that the Squadron aren’t worthy to protect us.
Is this story worth keeping Wolverine in the wings for basically the entire event? Not really. But if anything, I am glad that Heroes Reborn: Weapon X & Final Flight #1 sends us into the curtain call with Logan trying to stab a jingoistic stooge the face for the honor of Canada.
Zachary Jenkins runs ComicsXF and is a co-host on the podcast “Battle of the Atom.” Shocking everyone, he has a full and vibrant life outside of all this.
