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X-FORCE #119
"What's One Life?"
Highly Recommended (10/10)
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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/$3.50 CAN |
Oh, I love this book so very much. It's got elements of many concepts I love, whether it's the "Youngblood done right" element of media savvy super-heroes, the elements of danger and psychosis from Suicide Squad or just the internal conflict between the
team that feels more genuine than the often-formula bickering that populates
most team books these days. And it has a strong creative vision behind it that
comes through on every page. Of all the chances Marvel took in revamping their
X-Books, this is the one that was the most risky, and it has also paid off the
biggest. There are a lot of things I love about this book: the art, the writing,
the characters... but most of all, I love that I never know what's coming next,
and I'm always pleasantly surprised by the turns it takes.
These are very rich and intriguing
characters. The team leader is the definition of "oversensitive" in personality
and powers, Edie is a spoiled rich girl who has enough of a core of self-esteem
problems to make her real and even resident badass types Tike and Vivisector
have human emotions and motivations to back up their actions. I'm loving the
dynamic that is developing among the team, the sort of shared leadership between
Edie, Orphan and Tike and the unexpected display of loyalty shown this issue.
The very first issue of this book made it
clear that nobody was safe, and ever since, there's been a death in every issue.
The death this issue was another effective one, touching because the character
who was killed was one of the nicer members of the team and because of the
fallout from the death. And knowing that Milligan could decide at any given
moment to just wipe out the team and replace them gives the threat of the Coach
this issue more weight, making the reader as unsure of the outcome as Orphan is.
There's so much potential in this book, and
I can see the creators going on for years without this getting stale. This
issue, we get personal issues, a death and the aftershocks, government
manipulation and conspiracy, a moral choice for two different team members,
action and some touching human drama. There's also an element of humor to this,
with the wink and nod elements of media manipulation that are best exemplified
by the cover, a throwback to Silver Age blurbs but with a satiric edge.
Mike Allred's art is the icing on the cake,
and I daresay the book wouldn't be the same without him. His strange, Jack Kirby
on LSD style combined with Laura Allred's colors gives the book a unique look to
go with its unique sensibilities, and his depiction of the characters as
somewhat freakish in appearance helps readers visualize the demented nature of
their lives and personalities.
Much to my surprise, X-Force has become a can't-miss book.
Email Randy Lander comments about this review. |
