Weapon X: Will Nuke Save the Day?

Thirteen, it has been said, carries bad luck with it. On January 17, the Weapon X team better hope that amounts to nothing but superstition. Because in WEAPON X #13, they find themselves divided, up against a nearly tireless foe in the Nuke Patrol, and their only hope of survival lying with the original Nuke and Sabretooth, two individuals not well known for self-control or loyalty.

We feel too freaked out to just wait and see what happens, so we hit up writer (and noted Numerologist) Greg Pak and asked him if the superstitions might be true.

Marvel.com: At the end of #12, we see Sabretooth encounter the one true and original Nuke. Without offering too much by way of spoilers, what is Nuke’s relationship to the Patrol beyond sharing a taste for facial tattoos and pills?

Greg Pak: What the heck—I’m gonna spoil it! Because it’s fun stuff.

The idea is that mysterious entities in the United States have sent paramilitary teams into Santo Marco over the years to assassinate President Duarte. But Duarte’s military has managed to thwart all of these attempts—and even captured his would-be assassins. Finally, Nuke himself was sent—and was captured! And at that point, Duarte’s scientists got to work, reverse engineered the pills that power Nuke, and Nuked-up the soldiers who had previously tried to assassinate Duarte! Now those soldiers form the Nuke Patrol and serve Duarte. But we’ll see what happens himself when the original Nuke gets free…

Marvel.com: The plot details hint at the possibility of Nuke aiding the rest of Weapon X, but how reliable an ally can he be? How in control of himself even is he?

Greg Pak: That’s the big question, isn’t it? In the classic Miller/Mazzucchelli DAREDEVIL: BORN AGAIN storyline, Nuke was prone to completely losing control in a spectacularly dangerous way. What makes his appearance in this story even more high stakes is that he’s apparently teaming up with Sabretooth, who’s the least in-control member of the Weapon X team, which is already a team of loose cannons.

Weapon X #13.

Marvel.com: Speaking of in control of himself, with Sabretooth effectively isolated from the rest of the team, how reliable can he be to follow the rules and help Weapon X over just indulging himself?

Greg Pak: Exactly! The huge fun of this team is how much they shouldn’t be able to work as a team at all.

Marvel.com: How does working with Yildiray Cinar enable you to realize not just the bloody conflicts Weapon X indulges in, but the moral quandaries as well?

Greg Pak: Yildiray is just a tremendous artist. We got to work together on one of my favorite Batman/Superman stories, which told an alternate world meeting between a young Bruce and a young Clark, and Yildiray delivered beautiful, affecting character work. Here he gets to cut loose with spectacular action, and I just adore all the mayhem. But he’s also delivering all that great emotional conflict and humor with every page and panel.

Marvel.com: As for the larger team, how are they faring without Sabretooth? What’s their physical state and state of mind?

Greg Pak: The team’s getting pretty brutally ripped up by the Nuke Patrol, so they’re getting pretty ticked off. Some huge decisions are coming up that will affect the team in a big way moving forward. Also, sometimes moments of great stress lead to unexpected emotional revelations. So get ready for some kissing!

Marvel.com: For holdouts who haven’t checked out the title yet, why is this arc the exact right time to jump aboard?

Greg Pak: It’s a new adventure that you don’t need a lot of extra info to dive into. And it’s a big, fun action story with pretty huge emotional consequences for the team. Also, we got kissing coming up in #14. KISSING! ACTION! MAYHEM! Dontcha dare miss it!