Sabretooth discovers what the Pit is all about in Sabretooth #1, by writer Victor LaValle, artist Leonard Kirk, colorist Rain Beredo, and letterer Cory Petit. LaValle and company give readers an entertaining tale that ends on a very intriguing note.

The crux of this comic is Sabretooth in the Pit. Somehow, he’s able to “escape,” becoming conscious more than once when he supposedly shouldn’t be able. Krakoa and Doug Ramsey have mercy on him and offer him a deal- he’ll still be trapped down there, but they’ll give him the freedom to create any kind of world he wants, a more humane imprisonment than what Xavier meant for him. He goes through multiple fantasies, killing everyone he wants before creating more elaborate fantasy worlds. Finally, he creates his ultimate fantasy- Hell. Then, he suddenly has visitors.

LaValle twists a fun little yarn in this one. Sabretooth is one of the most iconic mutant villains out there, and while this issue doesn’t really reveal too much new about him, that’s okay. LaValle nails Sabretooth’s voice and really gets into his head. It’s not exactly surprising that Sabretooth was able to “escape” the Pit, as he’s always proven very resistant to telepathic intrusion and control. LaValle doesn’t get too much into that because it’s unimportant to the story.

This issue is a bloodbath, but that’s what one would come to expect from Sabretooth’s fantasies. What’s really interesting is that Sabretooth, even before Krakoa gave him the ability to, was able to manipulate the island. This pops up later in the issue as well, as phantoms of the killer start appearing around Krakoa. That’s the most interesting part of this comic. How is Sabretooth doing it? How much power does he have over the island? What comes next? This development takes what could have been a run-of-the-mill Sabretooth story and takes it to the next level. The end of the issue reveal is another great little wrinkle, especially since no one else was supposed to be sent into the PIt at this point.

Leonard Kirk is an old hand, and it shows in this issue. There’s an awesome double-page spread of Sabretooth slashing Cyclops’s face off and using the resulting uncontrolled optic blast to kill the X-Men who came after him. It’s such a great, imaginative double-page spread, and unlike the Cyclops moment from last week’s X-Men #7, which is getting a lot of praise for looking cool, this makes perfect sense given Cyclops’s powers. Later, there’s a full-page spread of Sabretooth signing the contract with Krakoa and Doug. It looks beautiful, but at the bottom of the page, there’s rotten fruit, a nice visual signifier of what’s to come. Kirk does an amazing job throughout, and the last double-page spread of Sabretooth’s Hell is just as great as the previous spreads.

Sabretooth #1 takes something that could have been cliche and makes it truly special. LaValle was the perfect person to write it. Kirk is just as great an artist and gives the comic wonderful visuals. With a first issue this good, it will be interesting to see how this one turns out.

Grade: A+