X-Force #1 - Marvel Comics

X-FORCE No. 1, February 2019

Proudly proclaimed as bringing “the mutant squad together again” for “an all-new, high-octane… adventure”, Ed Brisson’s screenplay for Issue One of “X-Force” must have pleased the vast majority of this comic’s 57,369 strong audience in December 2018 with its mix of break-neck pacing, politically-motivated military machinations and over-the-top gun-play. Indeed, it’s arguably hard to find fault with the Ontario-born writer’s intriguing storyline which simultaneously depicts both the original team of Domino, Shatterstar, Boom Boom, Cannonball and Warpath hunting down “the murderer of their former leader”, and Cable’s “time-travelling younger version” infiltrating a Transian Science and Research Department for the living remains of Deathlok.

But whilst this opening instalment of “a new ongoing series that reunites the squad… for vengeance” seemingly lives up to its Canadian author’s promise that “the team are willing to do things that no one else in the Marvel Universe will”, such as when James Proudstar badly beats up a hapless anti-mutant terrorist despite the man having already surrendered, Dylan Burnett’s penciling debatably is far less impressive, particularly when drawing the likes of Thunderbird’s brother who rather than being portrayed as a proud apache super-hero disconcertingly comes across as a brooding, maladjusted long-haired hulk, whose misshapen form skulks within the shadows; “You said no killing unless necessary. I just hurt him.”

Fortunately however, the “Murder Book” self-publisher’s penmanship still manages to successfully carry this book’s pulse-pounding plot along, and even injects some genuine laugh-out-loud moments into his script courtesy of Nathan Summer‘s poorly thought out mission to retrieve a homicidally deranged Deathlok. The partially disassembled cybernetic soldier’s insane outbursts at his adolescent would-be rescuer are thoroughly entertaining, and in many ways it’s a shame that by the end of this twenty-two page periodical the alternate future assassin has once again attained full control over his “psychopathic human host.”

Somewhat oddly, this publication also contains a separate short story focusing upon Boom Boom entitled “The Big Sleep In” which explains precisely why Tabitha Smith wasn’t present when the rest of X-Force were battling anti-mutant terrorists during a night-time raid upon a warehouse in Queens, New York. Sketched by Juanan Ramirez and penned by Brisson, this tale contains all the explosions any perusing bibliophile would expect from a story revolving around “Doctor Madame McSplode”, but nonetheless rather jars with the look and feel of the comic’s previous narrative.

The regular cover art of "X-FORCE" No. 1 by Pepe Larraz and David Curiel