Review by Ian Keogh
X-Force’s purpose in the wider scheme of Krakoa’s mutant community is to identify threats and deal with them without bothering the remainder of the island over matters of protection. Yet just because death is generally inconsequential for a nation with a resurrection process doesn’t mean it’s any easier to witness friends and colleagues dying over and again. More recently Benjamin Percy’s been showing the strain of that on Sage, and opens with the consequences of of her alcohol use in dealing with it. The way Beast is focussing his responsibilities is even more frightening, begun in Vol. 5, but that plays out in Wolverine by Benjamin Percy Vol. 5.
Chris Allen draws the first story, revelling in both greenery and machinery, and when he lets his imagination fly loose he’s going to be an artist to watch. Currently he’s very good and a workhorse taking Neal Adams as an inspiration when it comes to some of the creatures designed. Robert Gill supplies the remainder of the art (sample page) as a solid artist who doesn’t draw attention, but is a very skilled storyteller, and it’s notable how he differentiates between the vastly disparate physical forms and sizes on the team.
Loss of control is central at the start, one person acknowledging it, the other unable to, which sows schisms in the team going into the next story about human organisations harvesting mutant body parts and selling them on as genetic technology. It’s distasteful in every respect, even taking into account it’s perpetrated by people fearful of being redundant in the face of mutant possibilities, but mitigated slightly by Percy fleshing out the head of the XENO organisation, explaining their hatred.
Deadpool’s unique personality is absorbed into X-Force better than might be expected, but humour isn’t Percy’s strongpoint, so the constant stream of consciousness dialogue isn’t anywhere near as funny as in his own title. Another weakness is the Frankenstein Monster style of threat, which is a visual shock when first seen, only to become bland thereafter, but it’s a relatively small piece of bubbling ethical stew that’s otherwise satisfying.
While Percy’s handling of Wolverine’s solo title has surged in quality, X-Force continues to jog along offering a baseline level of entertainment but only rarely rising above that.
