Marvel, get your shit together. The (very good) Sabretooth one-shot takes place right after Uncanny X-Men #328, but is published a month before it–thus the one-shot spoils a pretty significant fight from the X-Men issue.
In X-Men #328, Professor X finally gives up on trying to rehabilitate Sabretooth and invites Agent Valerie Cooper to take him into custody. But of course he escapes.
Not through brute force but by taunting Boom-Boom until she attacks him and inadvertently unchains his bonds.
Once he is out, Psylocke rushes to contain him.
Boom Boom can’t join in because she already used her power to lash out at Creed–and she needs time to recharge.
And so she is powerless and has to watch as Sabretooth he cuts Psylocke open.
From there, we move to the Sabretooth one-shot, which has art by the great Gary Frank.
It’s basically The Fugitive, but with Creed.
It even starts with him running through the sewer.
It’s a simple story–a chase–but lots of fun. In the above (and below) sequence, he slashes Archangel’s steel wings, which will (thankfully) lead to Angel getting his original feathered wings back.
The story actually ends with Sabretooth’s death. But, not, of course he’s not really dead. His body is taken away by Val Cooper.
All this is a pretty standard ‘X-Men’ romp, so I only have a couple of things to say about it: 1) As delighted as I was to see the ball get rolling on the return of the Angel’s natural wings, I am still lost on how Sabretooth managed to shred that razor-wing without losing a few of his own fingers! Archangel’s razor-wings are just stupid-sharp- they have been seen to rip open armored cars and bank vault doors- and Sabretooth’s fingers are fearsome, to be sure, but they are ultimately just flesh and blood, versus deadly-sharp razors!! Even to this day, looking at that panel just gives me the skeeves!! At the very least, healing-factor or NO healing-factor, Sabretooth should have required serious medical attention after that stunt! Second point: Psylocke in the spotlight! My Darling! May her fashion-sense never go Politically Correct! But, if there’s one woman in the ‘X-Verse’ who could-possibly- bounce her out of my bed, it’s Valerie Cooper!! Wow! What a dish! Doctor Cooper is the whole package! Which means, she’s probably on track to DIE!!!! C’mon, Marvel- show a little originality, and let her hang around for a while! I know she’s the definitive “Claremont Chick”- I’m willing to forgive her for that! Just let her hang around! X-celsior!