Comic Review - X-Force 1-6

Title/Storyline

X-Force

Publish Date/Year

2009

Creative Team

Christopher Yost & Craig Kyle

Clayton Crain

Issue (s)

1-6

Publisher

Marvel

From the same acclaimed writing team of New X-Men - Christopher Yost & Craig Kyle

Cyclops (Scott Summers), leader of the X-Men has put together a new covert team comprising the most deadly & vicious members of the merry mutants:
- Wolverine (Logan) - Field Leader
- Warpath (James Proudstar) - in-your face attacks
- Arch/Angel (Warren Worthington III) - Recon/Aerial Support
- X-23 - Killing machine
- Wolfsbane (Rahne Sinclair) - Werewolf
- Elixir - Healer

Their task is to perform pre-emptive strikes against mutant enemies black ops style. Their first mission was to eliminate the Purifiers' (Mutant Hating Human Group) new leader - Matthew Risman (the successor of the late William Stryker, who founded the Purifiers), who, with the help of his lieutenants - Eli Bard & Rev Craig, revived & merged 2 mutant killing robots from the future - Bastion & Nimrod!

They've captured Wolfsbane and pumped her fullof heroin. The heroes managed to save her but find it unusual that the Purifiers didn't kill her as is their general MO.

They soon discover why as she rips Angel's wings apart as soon as she awoke. Somehow she had been programmed to do that at the sight of Angel - specifically to acquire his wings' DNA (still containing the genetic material imbued into him by Apocalypse a looooong time ago when he made Angel into Archangel - Apocalypse's horseman, Death). This was so that they could create an winged army of loyal Purifiers with Archangel's deadly wings, a group called the Choir! With his wings ripped off by Wolfsbane, Angel heals
but reverts back into his Death persona - Archangel, and regrows his pair of deadly metal wings!

Meanwhile, the Purifiers had been busy gathering the X-Men's most dangerous foes so that they can wipe out the mutant threat once and for all. They have gathered the likes of:
- Graydon Creed (Sabertooth's Son)
- Magus* (New Mutant Warlock's** father)
* & ** - these 2 characters have nothing to do with Adam Warlock or his nemesis the Magus.
- Leper Queen (mutant killer)
- Cameron Hodge (Leader of the Right)
- Bolivar Trask (creator of the Sentinels)
- Donald Pierce (Cyborg member of the Hellfire Club & Reavers)
- William Stryker (Purifiers' founder)

However, Matthew Risman and his loyal lieutenants soon realize Bastion's plan goes against their own and soon mobilize contingencies (the loyal Choir) against Bastion.

In fulfilling thier prime objective of eliminating Matthew Risman, the X-Force enter the fray in time to contribute to the body count - taking down Matthew Risman, but were unable to apprehend Bastion or any of the other revived X-Villains!

Donald Pierce & the Reavers

Leper Queen

Cameron Hodge & the Right 

Magus

Art
Crain does a fantastic job in conveying the gritty black ops feel with his painted art. Did I say painted art? Yup! It's a pretty rare thing these days to get painted artwork in a regular monthly series!

Overall
I know that this book didn't get rave reviews from many critics but as a longtime fan of the X-Books, the revival of the X-villains really got my blood pumping - making it almost impossible to wait for the nest issue just to see how much worse things would get for the heroes.

However, this is one of the bloodiest titles I have ever seen from the House of Ideas. I mean, you can kinda know that it's not going to be pretty when you put the likes of Wolverine & X-23 into a black ops team, BUT, the degree of bloody massacre depicted in the pages does seem overboard and even unnecessary.