Cable and X-Force #1

It’s hard to believe that there are now two X-Force comic books - I guess I never thought the group was that popular. But Marvel apparently thinks there’s no such thing as too many X-Men comics, so there you go.

Judging by the first issue of Cable and X-Force, I’m not so sure one series is warranted, much less two.

The series drops us in the middle of the action, as the X-Force team (which includes Cable, Colossus, Domino, Forge and Dr. Nemesis) has just committed what seems to be an act of terrorism.

They’re confronted by the Uncanny Avengers - and quickly we jump back in time to see how the latest X-Force team was gathered.

Frankly, it’s not all that interesting.

Cable’s struggling with some kind of debilitating illness while keeping a distant eye on his daughter Hope. He’s also recruiting new soldiers for his team, but his plans, their reasons for joining and what they hope to accomplish are largely unknown or unexplained.

The art by Salvador Larroca is excellent, but the color pallet is muted, giving the comic a grim tone - which is obviously intentional, but it doesn’t show off the art to its best effect.

Hopefully future issues will clear things up - but since Cable’s stock in trade is to be a mysterious figure, I’m not expecting much. I’m going to pass on this one.

Grade: B-

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Uncanny X-Force #18

If it's polybagged, you know it has to be great, right?

Well, that's probably pushing it a bit - but this issue of Uncanny X-Force does wrap up the long-running "Dark Angel Saga," and sets up some future tales in the bargain.

Summing up writer Rick Remender's story would take a while, so here's the thumbnail version. Apocalypse is (apparently) dead, so he's been replaced by the Angel, who has become the murderous (and heavily armored) Archangel. Using alternate realities, the bad guys have secured a Life Seed, which will allow them to scour the Earth of all life - unless X-Force can stop them.

Whew! It's a gnarly story, loaded with lots of violence, brutal battles, apparent deaths and last-minute heroics. There's a love story mixed in there, too, as Psylocke struggles to save the man she loves - if he still exists.

I suspect the whole story will read better in a collection - it definitely wanders all over the place (or at least covers a lot of ground), and it's tough to keep the characters straight sometimes - but it's a hard-hitting, action-packed comic that keeps the reader guessing most of the way.

The artwork by Jerome Opena and Esad Ribic is quite good, with lots of crazy, over-the-top sequences and a sweet sequence illustrating a long-lasting love story.

If you don't mind the grim and gritty stories, the adventures of the X-Force are actually some of the best X-Men-based comics out there. Recommended!

Grade: A-

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Uncanny X-Force #14

While I'm not normally a big fan of grim and gritty stories, I make an exception when the stories are well-written.

The list of comic book writers who can do that is a pretty short one: Frank Miller, Ed Brubaker, Chuck Dixon and Beau Smith leap immediately to mind. But I think we can safely add Rick Remender to that list, thanks to his work on Uncanny X-Force.

This one is about as dark as Marvel gets. It focuses on a block ops team assembled by Wolverine to take out the bad guys too nasty for the "regular" X-Men teams.

A sign of how well-written the story is: I'm actually interested in the "Dark Angel Saga," even though it brings back a story I never cared much for: the Age of Apocalypse.

In a complex story that has the team working desperately to save the Angel, who has become the Archangel, the successor to Apocalypse.

It's a complex story that winds across alternate realities, involves some familiar (and not-so-familiar) faces, and includes brutal fight sequences and some deaths along the way.

It's all held together with strong characterization and lots of plot twists.

The art is unusual and very effective, as Jerome Opena works with color artist Dean White to deliver a unique, painted look to the art. It's dark and intense and perfect for the story. And oh, that last sequence...

The story is so disturbing in places, I wouldn't recommend it for younger readers - but older fans who can tolerate this kind of grisly tale will enjoy it.

Grade: A-

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Uncanny X-Force #8

While grim and gritty superhero comics have largely faded in popularity, here's a title that bucks the trend by being one of the darkest books around.

It doesn't hurt that the Uncanny X-Force team is made up of characters who are either killers, psychos or killer psychos.

I didn't really think I'd like this comic, since I'm among the many who have burned out on grim comics - but this title is well worth tracking down because it knows how to handle its relentlessly downbeat attitude.

Writer Rick Remender does that by providing intelligent, hard-hitting stories loaded with bad guys who deserve the worst our "heroes" can dish out. The stories are clever, the plot twists are well planned and there's quite a bit of humor to balance things out.

This issue focuses on Psylocke, a character who's been through the mill over the decades. Here she meets up with an old, powerful enemy who manages to turn her team against her.

The art by Billy Tan is tremendous - dark, brooding, with strong layouts and some powerful sequences. Kudos also to the color art by Dean White - it's a subdued color scheme, but very impressive.

This book really isn't for all readers - the story is following some dark, twisted paths, and we're never quite sure why some characters are involved with this team - but it's a series loaded with surprises as it explores the dark underbelly of the Marvel Universe.

Recommended!

Grade: A-

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Uncanny X-Force #6

While I've never been a fan of zombie stories, I have always liked the Deathlok character.

Created in 1974 by Rich Buckler and Doug Moench, the character lived in a post-apocalyptic future - is there any other kind? (It was set in the then-distant future of 1990 - honest!)

Deathlok is a man who has been brought back to life as a cyborg - kind of a zombie soldier. And now a version of that character (there have been several different Deathloks over the years) is appearing in this issue of Uncanny X-Force.

He (it?) joins forces with Fantomex in a battle against numerous super-hero versions of Deathlok - if I understand Rick Remender's somewhat murky plot correctly, they're from an alternate reality where humans conquered the heroes and put them to work as controlled cyborgs.

Both good guys and bad are searching for an object known as The World, which apparently can be a great weapon for good or evil. What follows is lots of hoo-hah action, ably (and darkly) rendered by Esad Ribic and John Lucas.

While it's one of the grimmest comics around - not my favorite genre - I have to admit that X-Force is one of Marvel's best books right now.

Go figure.

Grade: A-

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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+

Uncanny X-Force #3

I picked up the first issue in this series, liked it fine, but didn't pick up the second issue - I think I was suffering from "mutant overload."

But I was talking with my friend Clint the other day and he asked if I was reading the Uncanny X-Force. When I said no, he told me he was really enjoying it - and that it had revived his lagging interest in comic books.

So I figured I'd give it another shot - and I have to admit, it is a well-crafted comic.

The story by Rick Remender has the "Black Ops" branch of the X-Men journeying to the moon, where the (literally) newly-reborn Apocalypse is being tutored in the ways of evil.

But he's just a child, so the question is: does he have any choice about his fate? And are the members of X-Force justified in killing a child who may become a monster?

Wherever Apocalypse goes, his four horsemen are never far behind, and their origins are revealed here as they take on - and take down - the X-Force team.

It's an exciting, often grim conflict as the two teams square off, and there are lots of surprising twists and turns along the way.

The art by Jerome Opena and color art by Dean White is very impressive. It's dark, lush, intense and perfectly suited to the story.

I'm glad I listened to Clint and gave this series another shot. It would be easy for the creative team to make this just another grim and gritty title - but instead they've made it much more.

Instead of a super-hero comic, they've crafted something that's a lot closer to a war comic. It's different, it's dark, and it's a darned good read.

Grade: A-

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Uncanny X-Force #1

I think I'm genetically disposed toward buying first issues of X-Men-based comics. But even with that, I go into this first issue of Uncanny X-Force with low expectations.

What I expect from this issue is lots of grim and gritty action, a dark tone and lots of death and destruction. If anything, the issue was a bit toned down from that.

It's certainly dark. This team is (essentially) a Black Ops team working to bring down the big menaces as quickly as possible.

The team is led by Wolverine (natch) and includes Psylocke, Deadpool, Archangel and Fantomex, all dressed in their darkest (and virtually colorless) costumes.

Written by Rick Remender, the story centers around the team's efforts to track down a newly-resurrected villain, which brings them in conflict with a powerful entity - and each other.

But for a first issue, here we get mostly setup and very little actual story advancement. The issue's big reveal is mostly an anti-climax, and the story mostly centers about introducing the characters and sending them up against some (mostly) lame bad guys.

The art by Jerome Opena is solid, with some great layouts, good character designs and fun action scenes - but it is overwhelmingly dark and grim, and a few panels are a bit tough to make out.

So will I buy future issues? I might go one or two more issues to give the team a chance to get their "sea legs" - but I hope future issues have a bit more story packed in there.

Grade: B

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