"Assault on Weapon Plus" is the title of a four-part storyline which ran through '' New X-Men'' #142 - #145 (September - December, 2003). It was written by

Grant Morrison Grant Morrison, MBE (born 31 January 1960) is a Scottish comic book writer, screenwriter, and producer. Their work is known for its nonlinear narrative A narrative, story, or tale is any account of a series of related events or experiences, w ...

and pencilled by

Chris Bachalo Chris Bachalo (born August 23, 1965) is a Canadian comic book illustrator known for his quirky, cartoon-like style. He became well known for stints on DC Comics' ''Shade, the Changing Man'' and Neil Gaiman's two Death (Sandman), Death series. Chr ...

. The storyline involved

Wolverine The wolverine (), (''Gulo gulo''; ''Gulo'' is Latin for "gluttony, glutton"), also referred to as the glutton, carcajou, or quickhatch (from East Cree, ''kwiihkwahaacheew''), is the largest land-dwelling species of the family Mustelidae. It is ...

Cyclops In Greek mythology and later Roman mythology, the Cyclopes ( ; el, Κύκλωπες, ''Kýklōpes'', "Circle-eyes" or "Round-eyes"; singular Cyclops ; , ''Kýklōps'') are giant one-eyed creatures. Three groups of Cyclopes can be distinguish ...

and

Fantomex Fantomex is a fictional superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character is commonly associated with the X-Men titles. Fantomex first appeared in '' New X-Men'' #128 (August, 2002) and was created by Grant Morr ...

taking on the mysterious and sinister

Weapon Plus Weapon Plus is a fictional clandestine program appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. It was created by Grant Morrison during their run in '' New X-Men''. The program's purpose is the creation of super-soldiers intended to ...

program.

Plot

In the course of their assault they learn that the Weapon Plus organization has been ultimately responsible for the original installment of the

Weapon X Weapon X is a fictional clandestine government genetic research facility project appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. They are conducted by List of government agencies in Marvel Comics, Department K, which turns willing ...

Program as well as other government super-human programs such as Operation: Rebirth (the program which created the original

Captain America Captain America is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by cartoonists Joe Simon and Jack Kirby, the character First appearance, first appeared in ''#Golden Age, Captain America Comics'' #1 (cover ...

, a.k.a. ''Weapon I''). The story starts by catching up with Cyclops, who has recently left the

X-Men The X-Men are a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, first appearing in Uncanny X-Men, ''The X-Men'' #1 by artist/co-plotter Jack Kirby and writer/editor Stan Lee in 1963. Although initially cancelled in ...

after his psychic affair with

Emma Frost Emma Grace Frost is a fictional Character (arts), character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, most commonly in association with the X-Men. The character first appeared in ''The Uncanny X-Men'' #129 (Jan. 1980), and was ...

was exposed. Wolverine finds him drinking at the

Hellfire Club Hellfire Club was a name for several exclusive clubs for high-society rakes established in Britain and Ireland in the 18th century. The name most commonly refers to Francis Dashwood's Order of the Friars of St. Francis of Wycombe. Such clubs, ...

, contemplating quitting the X-Men. Incidentally, Sabretooth is also dining at the facility. Wolverine is aggressive toward Sabertooth, but is unable to escalate an argument into a conflict because it is against the rules of the Hellfire Club for patrons to fight within the building.

arrives and convinces both Cyclops and Wolverine to join him in breaking into the

installation floating in orbit around the

Earth Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only astronomical object known to harbor life. While large volumes of water can be found throughout the Solar System, only Earth sustains liquid surface water. About 71% of Earth's surfa ...

. On entering the complex, they find the station to be deserted. Fantomex explains in detail the agenda of the Weapon Plus program, detailing the list of candidates used for each of the Weapons. Wolverine uses the computer systems to access his personal file. He indicates that the files contain detailed information about his life before and during the Weapon Plus program. After setting a series of charges to detonate the station, Cyclops and Fantomex prepare to leave the facility. The station explodes with Wolverine inside, and the story ends with a cliffhanger regarding whether Wolverine survived the explosion.

Collected editions

The trade paperback ''New X-Men Vol.5: Assault on Weapon Plus'' () reprinted the story (''New X-Men'' #142-145) along with the previous "

Murder at the Mansion This article is a list of story arcs for the Marvel Comics comic book series ''New X-Men (2004 series), New X-Men''. Grant Morrison's ''New X-Men'' ''New Mutants'' (vol. 2) Back To School New Mutants Vol.2 Issues #1-6 Former New Mutant Daniell ...

" storyline from ''New X-Men'' #139 -141 (July - August 2003). As well as: *''New X-Men Omnibus'' (collects ''New X-Men'' #114-154 and Annual 2001, 992 pages, December 2006 ) * ''New X-Men by Grant Morrison Ultimate Collection'': ** ''Volume 2'' (collects ''New X-Men'' #127-141, 360 pages, August 2008, ) ** ''Volume 3'' (collects ''New X-Men'' #142-154, 336 pages, December 2008, )

References

* {{Grant Morrison