Uncanny X-Force #5

You know your book is mighty dark when Deadpool complains about how dark it is.

And for the Uncanny X-Force, the future doesn't look any lighter.

Written by Rick Remender, this issue focuses largely on the repercussions from the brutal ending of the last issue as Fantomex tries to deal with his terrible - but perhaps necessary - act of murder.

He journeys back to the alternate dimension where he was raised and trained to be a killing machine - but he finds that much has changed, and he soon is in the fight of his life.

It's a clever (though sometimes difficult to follow) bit of business, as we meet someone close to that hero, just in time for a monstrous attack by some familiar figures.

The last page also offers a great treat to longtime readers - but I won't spoil it for you.

The art by Esad Ribic and John Lucas is outstanding (if a bit monochromatic), although some of the fight sequences are a bit difficult to follow. But the art captures the dark mood of the story perfectly.

I'm on the fence with this series - it's well written and has great art, but the stories are very dark, and having OD'd on grim and gritty comics, I'm not sure I'm ready for another one.

Still, I like the ending of this story, so I'll keep hanging around - for a while.

Grade: B+