Black Ops Sports Team. That was the pitch for “X-Force” as part of the spring 2001 relaunch of the X-Men line, stuck somewhere between Claremont’s “X-Treme” and Casey’s “Uncanny.” A Vertigo mainstay and an indie cartoonist doing an X-Book? How crazy was that? But “X-Force” turned out to be the little book that could, grabbing critical praise and the attention of comic fans old and new with its bold combination of satire, commentary, and characterization. Mike & Greg look back at the first 14 issues of the Allred/Milligan collaboration and see how it holds up almost 15 years later. How reader-friendly was the title BEFORE the revamp? What part did that first issue play in getting Marvel to finally drop the Comics Code for good? Which recurring Allred archetypes show up in “X-Force” and why? When does the series go off the rail (and why)? Who comes in to pinch-hit for Allred on art, and do they strike out or hit a home run? All that, plus a head-to-head matchup between X-Force and Morrison’s New X-Men over the hosts’ affections. Which book will reign supreme? Find out the answer to that question and more on this episode!
[audio:http://traffic.libsyn.com/robotsfromtomorrow/rft_226_mixdown.mp3](direct download)Robots From Tomorrow is a weekly comics podcast recorded deep beneath the Earth’s surface. You can subscribe to it via iTunes or through the RSS feed at RobotsFromTomorrow.com. You can also follow Mike and Greg on Twitter. This episode is brought to you by Third Eye Comics. Enjoy your funny books.
