THE PACK

MUTANT X #3 (MARVEL COMICS)

“In another place–in another life–Alex Summers led a team of mutants in a battle against oppression. His methods were extreme, his tactics questionable, but–in his soul–he knew that he was fighting for the greater good.

Now that soul has been transferred to another world, and Summers, also known as Havok, has found himself living a lie, allied with a team of mutants who are sinister, parallel versions of his friends and family. It is to this dark, new place that Havok has come, where he stands as a man alone… a mutant alone. Alex Summers is Mutant X.

Fear him. Fear for him.”

25 years ago, Marvel Comics launched Mutant X, a Havok led X-spinoff. I recently came into a complete run of the series, and so now I’m going to re-read the series once a week, and you guys get to come along for the ride!

This week, Mutant X meets Wolverine. Yep, it’s a Wolverine episode, guys. Buckle up for “The Pack!”

THE ISSUE ITSELF

Mutant X #3 is cover dated December of 1998, and it has story and art by Howard Mackie, Tom Raney, and Andrew Pepoy.

In the wilderness of Saskatchewan, Canada, Alex Summers searches for his missing team members. He finds the downed Blackbird, and spots three unidentified figures in the snow, blasting in their direction. Four hours earlier, the team flies over the Northwestern United States, as Alex and Maddie discuss Reed Richards’ assessment of Alex’s mental state. Maddie asks Alex for some proof of his alternate life, but the Blackbird is shot down before he can give it. Back in the present, Alex encounters The Pack, made up of alternate versions of Wolverine, Sabretooth, and Wildchild. The Brute has seemingly joined them, but Alex is able to help Hank regain himself. A stray blast from Alex uncovers a restricted area, which fascinates The Pack. Alex is able to reason with the Pack and get them to find the rest if The Six. They and the Pack break into the restricted area and discover a Weapon X facility. A holographic projection triggers a hostile response from The Pack. The Six battle The Pack until Alpha Flight arrives and places the Pack under arrest and orders The Six to leave Canada or be executed as spies. As they fly home, Alex tells Maddie he’s done trying to prove his prior life, and he will just embrace this one.

This issue does the thing that every ’90s x-book had to: add Wolverine. Admittedly, it’s a more unique take than most, since he’s the rare alternate Wolverine that’s not just the same Wolverine but with some cosmetic change. He’s actually a different character entirely, and a bit player at that. We also get more exploration of this universe’s unique traits, including a less than friendly relationship between the US and Canada. Despite the changes, Alpha Flight appear to be more or less he same in their one-panel appearance. The Six still remain rather unexplored, as this issue sticks to the formula established by the last one, which is Alex trekking through this universe, more or less on his own. Once again, it’s really only Maddie and the Brute that get any time to shine.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

This issue was definitely the weakest thus far for me. While it may be a different take on Logan, The Pack are still pretty one note, and the payoff to their story feels very deus ex machina with Alpha Flight’s arrival. There’s ideas here that are intriguing, but they don’t quite land for me.

I snagged this whole run from my usual comics stop, Cosmic Comix, so I want to give them a shout out here, because it was a pretty great find.