There are a lot of comics out there, but some stand out head and shoulders above the pack. With “Don’t Miss This,” we want to spotlight those series we think need to be on your pull list. Now, as the Fall of X rages on, we’re checking in with the darker side of the mutant world with “X-Force,” and all the morally gray time travel, mind control, and black ops excitement that comes with it.
Who’s This By?
“X-Force” is written by Benjamin Percy, who’s also writing the “Wolverine” ongoing, and previously “X Lives/Deaths of Wolverine.” Marvel readers will also recognize him for his work on “Ghost Rider,” while DC fans may know him for 2017’s “Green Arrow,” 2016’s “Teen Titans: Rebirth,” and 2018’s “Nightwing.” Outside of comics, he’s also written novels and stories, including his “Comet Cycle” series.
It’s illustrated by Robert Gill, who Marvel readers will also recognize from his work on “Doctor Aphra” “Atlantis Attacks,” and “Old Man Quill.” Outside of Marvel, he’s worked on comics including Valiant’s “X-O Manowar,” Zenescope’s “Grimm Fairy Tales Presents: Alice in Wonderland,” and a run on “Batgirl” for DC Comics.
The colors are by GURU-eFX, who’s been a fixture at Marvel for some time. His colors have graced everything from “Iron Man” to “Deadpool” to “Thunderbolts,” and he’s worked on no small amount of “X-Men” comics.
What’s it All About?
X-Force is Krakoa’s black ops team. They’re the ones willing to get their hands dirty, to cross the lines no one else should be forced to cross, and break the laws of Krakoa when necessary, and in return, they receive no recognition or rewards beyond the knowledge that what they’re doing is keeping their people safe.
Or it was. But in a recent story arc, Beast finally went rogue, causing a bit of an international incident and shaking up the team. Then the Hellfire Gala happened, and Colossus was forced to betray everyone, as he’d been under his brother’s control for some time.
That brings us to now, with a scattered team struggling from the sudden (but inevitable) betrayal and painful defeat. They need to regroup, recover, and get revenge, one action scene at a time.
What Makes it So Great?
“X-Force” has been a great deal of things over the past 40+ issues, but one thing it’s never been is boring. We’ve seen them deal with all sorts of foes, from tiny, replicating infiltrators to their own former teammates, and make sacrifices even Krakoa’s resurrection protocols couldn’t save them from. We’ve seen members join and leave the team, but the current lineup includes some fan-favorites like Deadpool, Quentin Quire, and Laura Kinney as Wolverine. Recently, we’ve seen them travel through time with a returned-but-shockingly-old Quire to battle multiple versions of Beast (while Wolverine dealt with the modern Beast’s betrayal in his own comic).
Now we get to see them handle the new status quo of mutantkind, the way only X-Force can.
This is a comic on the darker and bloodier side of the X-titles, and it makes the most of that. It grapples with the moral dilemmas X-Force has to make, puts them up against some of the deadlier and more merciless enemies of mutantkind, and then shows the effects it has on the characters’ psyches. Sure, characters like Deadpool and Omega Red may not blink twice at the slaughter, but we also see how the weight of the decisions and responsibilities impact Sage, the scars the missions leaves on Domino, and everything the role drove Beast to become.
This is not a comic where the heroes laugh and high-five after beating up the bad guys. It’s a comic where the damage they do is viewed as a harsh necessity, and a damnation they willingly accept.
Of course, it looks awesome too. Robert Gill’s illustrations are detailed and intense, bringing nice depth to the characters against beautifully drawn backgrounds. The action and story flows from panel to panel, adding emphasis to the key moments and enhancing the action. Sometimes we get infiltration scenes with minimal dialogue, where Gill’s artwork builds the tension of the scene as the characters creep towards their goal. Other times we get huge action set pieces, where the pages are filled with characters tearing into each other, and it’s drawn in all its gory glory with impeccable detail. The visual storytelling aspects are strong all around, made all the better by the color work.
Continued belowGURU-eFX’s color work complements the illustrations nicely, bringing out the characters and enhancing the details with wonderful shading and bold tones. The colors remain strong even in the darkest of scenes (both literally and metaphorically), making this one of the X-titles with the strongest visual styles. The colors do an important job at controlling the mood and atmosphere, and GURU-eFX knows how to use them to their fullest.
So the story has been engaging and the artwork is great, what more could you ask for? (And it has Deadpool too, which is always a nice addition to any “X-Force” run.)
Where Can I Read it?
“X-Force” #44 is out in stores today, and can be found at your local comic shop, online at Marvel.com or Comixology, or anywhere you buy comics. You can also catch up on the previous issues in volumes 1-6 of the trade paperback, with volume 7 coming out this October.
