A Savage Creed: The SABRETOOTH Appreciation Thread

[a0040pc]

I'm surprised that this hasn't been started before but here's a thread to discuss everything about one of the most widely known X-Men villains Sabretooth who has been a severe thorn in Wolverine's side since 1986.

[a0040pc]

Today's post in my X-Men read through blog

Issue Information
Title- Iron Fist (Volume 1) #14
Release Date- August 1977
Writer- Chris Claremont
Artist- John Byrne

Major Notes
First appearance of Sabretooth

Brief Summary

Snowfire

In West Calgary Canada the hero Iron Fist and his friend Colleen wing are running away from a pair of gunmen on snowmobiles. They are racing across the frozen Canadian landscape and Colleen is struck with a bullet. The pair stumble down a slope out of sight of the gunmen. But rather than following them the gunmen decide to leave them since a storm is coming and their two victims won’t survive the night. Instead they return to their headquarters.

Seeing the gunmen retreating Iron Fist notices that they are gone and tends to his injured friend. The bullet grazed the skull of Colleen so her injury isn’t too severe but she still falls unconscious and he has to carry her away. He knows that they will die if they don’t find shelter. He does notice a weather shack and decides to head that way.

Iron Fist’s mind reverts back to the previous day when he was walking in a back alley in New York. Suddenly he is attacked by a figure disguised in the shadows. No matter how hard Iron Fist tries he cannot get the upper hand and is swiftly defeated. But rather than finishing him off the figure tells Iron Fist that he was more than he could have hoped for despite the hero being defenceless decides to leave him.

His mind goes back to the present and as he nears shack the storm is getting worse but Colleen seemingly wakes up. As they approach the shack Iron Fist kicks the lock so that they can get in but when they’re inside they discover that the shack’s insulation has been stripped completely. The shack will protect them from the snow and wind but not from the cold. They will freeze to death but instead they use a martial arts technique called a Zen Trance which will reduce their energy output to zero. Colleen is not sure about the technique but admits that it is their only hope of survival.

They begin to remember the events that led up to this night. Twelve hours earlier Iron Fist arrives in Calgary and meets up with Colleen at the airport. Colleen is working as a bodyguard for Jeryn Hogarth and the two plan to meet him. She also talks about how Iron Fist treated Misty Knight and how she doesn’t approve. But before they go to meet Jeryn they go to pick up some cold weather clothing before they take a helicopter flight to Jeryn’s Chalet.

As soon as Iron Fist and Colleen go to get off the helicopter they are confronted by two gunmen. Seeing no way out the pair are have their hands bound and are taken inside the building. When they get there they see that Jeryn has been tied up and that a villain calling himself Sabretooth is in charge of the operation. Colleen knows him by reputation and Sabretooth comments that Jeryn has been sticking his nose in where it doesn’t belong and made his employer unhappy. He then orders his henchmen to lock the pair up so that they can be taken away with Jeryn at first light.

As they are being taken away Iron Fist breaks out of his bounds and attacks his captors. Colleen follows suit and also attacks. But before they can escape Sabretooth appears and attacks Iron Fist. The hero is able to get a lucky strike and the pair flee but Sabretooth orders them to be brought back dead or alive.

Back to the present it is an hour before dawn and two gunmen make their way towards the shack. They have seen the tracks leading to the shack and are surprised that someone could have traversed the terrain in the storm. Believing that Iron Fist and Colleen are dead they enter the shack but are quickly knocked out by the pair. They then steal their clothes and snowmobiles and make their way back to Jeryn’s Chalet.

The pair arrive at the Chalet and see a large flying vehicle being loaded. Colleen goes to free Jeryn’s staff while Iron Fist decides to go after Sabretooth himself. It does not take him long to find him along with the still captured Jeryn. Sabretooth senses that something isn’t right but before he can investigate he discovers that Jeryn’s bodyguards have been freed and are attacking his henchmen. He then turns his attentions to Iron Fist and rips off his disguise. The two then engage in combat but due to the night in the blizzard and the attack in New York Iron Fist isn’t one hundred percent.

Due to the battle outside a window is smashed above the pair. Iron Fist moves to save Jeryn while Sabretooth makes a retreat. After he has made sure that Jeryn is fine Iron Fist moves to catch Sabretooth who is heading to an exit which leads to miles of empty glaciers. Iron Fist is confident of victory but as he looks over the glaciers the sun is rising and the reflection from the ice blinds him.

Sabretooth suddenly attacks him from behind and slashes his back. He had planned for him to be snow blind and although the effects are temporary he will not live to see again. As they fight Iron Fist keeps missing Sabretooth but he notices that his enemy is all speed and power but has no technique. He remembers his training on how to fight blind and he listens for Sabretooth’s movements. He strikes him with a powerful kick before unleashing a ferocious combination of punches and throws that knock the villain out.

He senses someone else approaching him and goes to attack them but it is Colleen. He apologises and states that he is temporarily blind. She reveals that Sabretooth’s henchmen have been subdued. Iron Fist states that if Sabretooth had the right martial arts training that there would have been no chance that he could have beaten him even with his eyes. But the pair make their way back inside before Iron Fist catches pneumonia.

My Thoughts

Well I’ll start off by saying that this issue is written by Chris Claremont but rather than being drawn by Dave Cockrum it is drawn by future legendary X-Men Co-plotter and artist John Byrne. This a partnership that we will see in the X-Men series very soon and it was one that did have an ending that was almost like a divorce.

Back to the issue at hand. For the story I thought that it was quite good but there were a few moments where I didn’t really understand it. But that was because I haven’t read the previous issues and if I had of done I most likely would have grasped those little references. I’m not too sure why Iron Fist had come to see Jeryn but I think that it might have been explained in the previous issue.

As many of you might have figured out by now that this issue is the first appearance of the X-Men Villain and Wolverine nemesis Sabretooth although in this comic he does seem to be different in comparison to later appearances. For the next nine years Sabretooth will only be a minor Iron Fist villain and it is not until his involvement in the Mutant Massacre storyline and his first printed fight with Wolverine that the character really took off. I never saw him as an accomplished leader before and more of a guy who follows orders. But it was an interesting take on the character and it is amazing how a character originally starts out and how they evolve over time (Like the Hulk originally being grey and still having some intelligence to becoming green and more of a savage beast). His appearances are few and far between until 1986 when he really exploded onto the scene if you know what I mean. I did notice that there didn’t seem to be much mention of a healing factor in this issue but since Wolverine hasn’t been introduced to his yet I guess it is something that’ll have to be waited and seen.

One thing I did notice as well not just with this issue but with X-Men and when I read the two issues of Amazing Spider-Man. The issues only have 17 pages of material in comparison to the 20-24 pages that is the norm. At first I thought that it was limited to the X-Men series but it seems to be the same with the other titles. This makes me think that at the time Marvel might have been trying to make a little more money by adding more adds and having less original material. It could be the same for DC comics but since I don’t really have any from this time period I can only guess.

The final fight between Sabretooth and a snow blind Iron Fist reminded me of an episode of Samurai Jack where he had to fight one of his battles blind. It does make sense that a serious martial artist would learn to fight without the use of his eyes so I don’t find it unrealistic that Iron Fist would have that training.

In conclusion I’m giving the issue a 7 out of 10. Not the best issue I’ve read but definitely one to get for any X-Men fan.

Next Issue
X-Men (Volume 1) #107

[Jackraow21]

I actually really enjoyed AoA Sabretooth. Seeing a version that had finally managed to quell his homicidal rages and was repentant was interesting IMO. This whole "Inversion" deal seems like it could be interesting in that regard. However, on the other hand, the 616 version is so far gone that it may seem a bit forced. We'll see I suppose...

[Sundowhn]

I actually really enjoyed AoA Sabretooth. Seeing a version that had finally managed to quell his homicidal rages and was repentant was interesting IMO. This whole "Inversion" deal seems like it could be interesting in that regard. However, on the other hand, the 616 version is so far gone that it may seem a bit forced. We'll see I suppose...

This. I liked the AoA version, too, but I hope this ends up feeling organic.

[Ambaryerno]

I actually really enjoyed AoA Sabretooth. Seeing a version that had finally managed to quell his homicidal rages and was repentant was interesting IMO. This whole "Inversion" deal seems like it could be interesting in that regard. However, on the other hand, the 616 version is so far gone that it may seem a bit forced. We'll see I suppose...

Agreed, I don't know how they can "redeem" Creed in 616. The man LITERALLY eats babies, for Chrissake!

Let him stay a monster.

[Beezzi]

Agreed, I don't know how they can "redeem" Creed in 616. The man LITERALLY eats babies, for Chrissake!

Let him stay a monster.

Agreed......

[berserkerclaw]

I'm not sure how much the inversion will stick. I'm curious about that also I can't wait to see Logan ' s Legecy #3 with sabretooth

[blinkingblah]

Bring in the AOA Sabretooth and Blink as comrades again.

[sureshot]

Inversion? Did they somehow contrive to make Sabertooth good or somehow redeemed? I don't think it's necessarily a bad thing. Just doomed to failure. As some have said Creed has done too much and gone too far. Second even if the character is redeemed along will come a writer that just has to have Sabertooth as a villain again. Then throw away years of character development to do so imo.

[berserkerclaw]

Inversion? Did they somehow contrive to make Sabertooth good or somehow redeemed? I don't think it's necessarily a bad thing. Just doomed to failure. As some have said Creed has done too much and gone too far. Second even if the character is redeemed along will come a writer that just has to have Sabertooth as a villain again. Then throw away years of character development to do so imo.

We don't know the Full effect of the inversion, yet. It happens, in, Axis act two in november

[sureshot]

We don't know the Full effect of the inversion, yet. It happens, in, Axis act two in november

Thanks for letting me know. As you say it remains to be seen. Still I hope it's not another Sabertooth faking to be good then at the last minute he turns on the X-men. With no one expecting the betrayal and shocked at his attack. As it's been done too many times. If they can write a good Magneto with both good and bad elements in him they can do the same to Sabertooth imo.

[Park Slope Pixie]

Bring in the AOA Sabretooth and Blink as comrades again.

To do what, bore us into submission?

The 90s free-for-all Mark Texeira grit of Sabretooth and his girl friday Birdy can never be topped.



Quintessential Sabretooth, IN ACTION. Accept no lessers.

[doodledude]

Love the Sabretooth.Since Wolverine is dying soon he should definitely be on some X-team.He's been an X-man twice as far as I can remember.

[Park Slope Pixie]

God no. Don't neuter him by sticking him on a team construct.

[Ambaryerno]

Love the Sabretooth.Since Wolverine is dying soon he should definitely be on some X-team.He's been an X-man twice as far as I can remember.

And the only reason 616 Creed was ever on the X-Men was because there was something FORCING him to work with them and he spent the entire time just waiting for a chance to screw them over and escape.

616 Sabretooth is NOT an X-Man. He is NOT invertible, redeemable, or whatever the hell else you want to call it. He's an unapologetic cannibalistic psychopath and monster who revels in carnage and his animal nature. Marvel even TRYING to redeem him in the main verse is a clear shark-jumping moment.