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X-FORCE #126
"As I Die Lying"
Highly Recommended (9/10)
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Marvel Comics
Writer: Peter Milligan
Artist: Mike Allred
Colors: Laura Allred
Letters: Mike Allred & Blambot
Editor: Axel Alonso
Price: $2.25 US/$3.75 CAN |
It's been almost ten issues since the "new look" X-Force
debuted, and the book has evolved far from the one-joke book I was afraid it
might be when it was first solicited. There are some big character developments
this issue, as well as some solid action, the origin of another team member and
the very real threat of death. In amidst that, there's still room for
soul-searching characterization and the same light touch of sarcastic humor that
has made the book so enjoyable.
One of the dangers of a book where characters can die, like Suicide Squad, X-Force or Exiles, is that the creators have to
be able to come up with equally entertaining characters to replace the lost
members. Milligan and Allred have another winner in Dead Girl, who puts on the
enigmatic spook act you'd expect but reveals a human core this issue, first to
the reader and then to her teammates. She also has a stunning visual,
deceptively simple but with an undeniable appeal, whether it's in her near-nude
performance on the cover or the look in the story where she's distinguished from
the others only by her unearthly facial features. Mind you, Laura Allred could
serve to make Dead Girl's skin tone more like the white on the cover and less
like the interior color, an identical blue as similar-looking teammate Edie
Sawyer.
Dead Girl isn't the only
character who gets some development this issue. The rivalry between The Spike
and Tike Alicar comes to a surprising climax in this issue, and I expect we'll
see something of a final showdown between the two in the next issue. In
addition, the relationships between Guy and Edie and Myles and Billy-Bob (Phat)
get some screen time this issue, including a revelation that I thought would be
staying in the background regarding the latter. In addition, the dynamics
between the core team of Guy, Edie and Tike get a little more developed in this
issue, and I'm going to be sorry to see any of those three go, if in fact they
do wind up dying.
Allred's artwork has been
impressive to me from the start, but he seems to be improving with each issue.
The splash page of Edie and Guy battling a "Bush-Ranger" is a beautiful piece of
layout, and the station and X-Force spacesuits all have a Kirby feel to them
without being overly retro in their design. As always, Allred also takes the
edge off some of the more gruesome elements of the series with his art, such
that Dead Girl's reformation or Tike's disintegration of one of the villains
comes across as gross but not disturbing. That tone helps to make the humor
funnier, whether it's the running gag about X-Force's name troubles or the
hilarious cliffhanger ending which also serves as the humorous payoff.
With a sense that any of the characters could go at any moment and a creative team that holds nothing sacred, X-Force is one of the most unpredictable books on
the market. In fact, the only thing I can predict is that I'll enjoy each issue
as much as the last one.
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