Written by Rick Remender
Illustrated by Jerome OpenaX-Force’s mission has gone horribly wrong and the return of Apocalypse is nigh! The team has been scattered across the Blue Area of the Moon and EVA has been terribly wounded at the hands of the Last Horsemen. This could be the end of X-Force and they haven’t even completed their first mission!
Uncanny X-Force #1 from Rick Remender and Jerome Opena was one of the best books of the last month and earned a ton of love from this site as a whole.
Find out more after the jump.
This book is ridiculously great. I want to start out with that because from this book is absolutely outstanding. Rick Remender and Jerome Opena, in just two issues, may have already wrested control of the “Best X-Book” title from X-Factor and the rest (granted, that isn’t as hard as it used to be). It is spectacularly entertaining.
For the why, let’s start with Jerome Opena. He’s an artist who hasn’t had a TON of work at the big two (his work on The Punisher with Remender ended quickly but was very memorable), but has quickly proven that he belongs on a big book doing big things. This book is perfect for him, as he brings power to action sequences and pathos to the smaller moments. It’s beautiful work that is an absolute feast for the eyes, and I found myself just looking back through the book over and over to observe his scene and character design. It’s superb work.
We previously knew Remender was a fantastic writer, but his work on this book is nothing short of stellar. Everything about this issue, from the pitch perfect character work (while they are my least favorite characters on the book, the Psylocke and Angel relationship is particularly well handled here) to the exquisite plotting, is a joy to read.
The new rendition of Apocalypse he unveils in this book and the new Four Horsemen are somehow even better than we’ve ever seen them. By the time the team faces off against the Four Horsemen at the very end of this book, we totally believe that this team is up against something they cannot defeat. To see new villains that engage me in such a way is wonderful and something that is very, very atypical for a big two book.
After two issues, Uncanny X-Force is already one of the best Marvel books and the X-Book I am most enjoying. Going forward, I absolutely cannot wait to see where this book goes from here. As long as we’re in Remender and Opena’s hands, I know this book will be great.
Final Verdict: 9.6 – Buy
