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X-FORCE #121
"Lacuna Part One: Captain Coconut"
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/$3.50 CAN |
Now that the basic structure of X-Force has been felt out in the
first five-issue arc, Milligan and Allred can really begin to play with the
characters and situations. This is a good jumping-on point, the first issue
which features a cohesive team without influence from the Coach, but it's also a
nice continuation of the media manipulation and bickering that we've seen in the
past few issues. I'm really enjoying the dynamics between the main three
characters, but Milligan and Allred aren't content to rest on those laurels,
introducing several interesting new characters in this issue as well as giving
background players Phat and Eviscerator a little more to do as well.
There's an element of
weirdness to this book that really makes it stand out from the rest of the
X-Books. A lot of that is down to the distinctive artwork of the Allreds, which
features a different design aesthetic than most art and color teams. But part of
it is that Milligan is willing to throw in a little strangeness in powers or
motivations. Lacuna's little practical jokes make for a nice background element,
and her origins are certainly interesting, as much as the backgrounds of U-Go
Girl or Phat, who have had to lie about their past as well.
The heart of the series is an
examination of media manipulation and the celebrity, tying it into the concept
of the super-hero in a way that has never been done this successfully. The
hedonism of Edie, Tike and even the somewhat reserved Guy is shown off in their
casual approach to sex or high living, and there's a really nice sexual tension
between the main three characters. Spike Freeman's attempts to pit the team
against one another are also a nice reminder of the truth behind manufactured
controversy that we see every day in the media.
However, behind the media
events, there are other interesting themes being explored. From day one, Tike
Alicar has been a focal point for racial relations, and the introduction of the
more radical Spike brings that story front and center. Guy, a.k.a. The Orphan,
is an example of sensitive guys unlike any we've seen in comics, particularly as
leader of a team, and U-Go Girl pushes the limits of the bad girl image beyond
that of the harmless and inflatable-boob-wearing Chaos girls into more real and
more disturbing territory.
This is a book about very real and very damaged personalities living under media scrutiny even as they try to turn it to their own ends. That it contains action and mutant powers is simply icing on the cake. The new X-Force is a
sterling example of the new Marvel, an example of change and taking old ideas
off in new and more interesting directions.
Email Randy Lander comments about this review, or discuss it on the Fourth Rail message board. |
