Written by Rick Remender
Illustrated by Jerome OpenaThe fate of the entire world rests on the shoulders of Deadpool! A new Death is born! Refugee mutants from the Age of Apocalypse descend on our world! Can the merc with a mouth hold off long enough for X-Force to regroup? Is there any hope of staving off the Age of Archangel? Not if Iceman and The Blob have their say. Monsters of doom and glory, Rick Remender (Venom, Punisher), Jerome Opeña (Punisher, Moon Knight) and legendary colorist Dean White (Avengers) reunite to serve up another boss bowl of breakneck action in the hottest book on the stands!
While the rest of the X-Universe is going through Schisms and Regenesises (?), Fantomex and the rest of Uncanny X-Force are off gallivanting in the South Pole to behead their current/former teammate Archangel in the current Dark Angel Saga. Well, they’re flexible with the beheading, they just need to stop him and his horsemen.
Are they successful? Is it a good comic? Are there schisms involved? Find out after the jump.
I’m going to be perfectly honest about something: Uncanny X-Force is one of my absolutely favorite comics on the market. I think this series has progressively gotten better and better throughout, as this current arc – the Dark Angel Saga – continues to build on every one that has preceded it as well as giving shout outs to other historical touchstones that have affected the X-Men universe.
In short, this book is incredible for the simple reason of the writing working in concert with the art, but for a lifetime X-Fan like myself? This is natural, progressive storytelling that fits snugly into the tapestry of world of X, and it’s nothing short of a joy to read.
Rick Remender has taken a rather odd team (the previous two issues have almost been entirely headed by Deadpool, Fantomex and Deathlok) and turned them from one that had mostly never met to one that has palpable connections in-between almost everyone in the cast.
In particular, Fantomex has grown by leaps and bounds in the hands of Remender. A character originally conceived by Grant Morrison, he languished unused for years after Morrison left for DC before Remender got his mitts on him. Since the beginning of this book, Remender has taken him from a ridiculously cool character fitting of the Morrison oeuvre and made him into a rich, three-dimensional creation with real feeling emotions and troubles. In this issue, he’s pushed from the heights of his leadership in the past issue (Deadpool even comments on that in this book) to a man left distraught by his personal failings. The last panel of this book is a perfect example of how well frequent collaborators Remender and Jerome Opena work together. Opena conveys more with the singular image of Fantomex escaping in E.V.A. than a thousand thought bubbles could have. It’s outstanding work.
The development of Archangel as a villain has also been a joy to watch. Like everything in this book, the resolution and assuredness in Archangel is omnipresent. He knows what he wants and he knows the weakness inside his former form (the narration at the beginning of the book, calling out said weakness, is outstanding), and the scene in which he shares with Psylocke how the seeds have been planted for his rise throughout the previous 15 issues is outstanding. In a lot of ways, this new form of Archangel has been the orchestrator of all events that have played out in these books. It’s been incredible to watch it play out, and oh so badass.
I have to say one other thing that needs to be said about this book: it is pretty damn funny. The banter between Deadpool and Fantomex as well as the Blob showdown are perfect highlights of the hilarity and depravity Remender puts these characters in.
Jerome Opena’s art is superb as well. I already mentioned the singular panel that stood out in the issue, but his work has really stepped to a new level these last couple issues. There are some moments where you can see the actual pen strokes in the pages, and little things like that help enrich the depth and power of his imagery. His art is dynamic, equally excelling at talks between characters and action sequences. His sense of movement and choreography makes his visual storytelling all the better, and he gives each individual character their own visual identity (particularly well shown in one panel where Fantomex and Deadpool are leaping off the roof of a building).
Continued belowIt’s a beautiful book. One of the best looking books on the market really, particularly when Opena is around (although Dean White’s colors have a tendency of making everyone look great, but he and Opena work particularly well together).
But do you know what perhaps the most astounding thing about this book is? It has been coming out once every two weeks for the last little while. Once every two weeks! And it’s this good! It is ridiculous.
That’s it. I’m calling it. This is the best superhero book Marvel is producing right now, bar none. Uncanny X-Force is both one of the enjoyable reads and best technical reads in comics. Both creators are on peak form here, and I honestly cannot wait until the next issue comes. And knowing them, it will be sooner rather than later.
Final Verdict: 9.5 – Buy
