Uncanny X-Force by Rick Remender and various artists (but mainly Jerome Opena)
AAAH...the 90s. we all have fond memories of the 90s. Saved By The Bell, Baywatch...erm there was other stuff......but for me the 90s where when i really started to read comics. Jim Lee and Chris Claremont's X-Men was what got me hooked and i've never looked back.
But the 90s were notorious for ridiculous plots and even more ridiculous characters:
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| yeah.... |
Mojo, Onslaught, Guido, Maggott to name just a few main offenders (and anything Rob Liefeld drew immediately LOOKED stupid)
But why even bring the 90s into it if you are just gonna bash them, homes?
Well ill tell you. Uncanny X-Force is fuelled by pure 90s nostalgia.......and i L O V E it.....
The titular X-Force is a clandestine hit squad put together by Wolverine to 'deal with' threats against mutant kind. And by 'deal with' i mean kill/maim (but mainly kill).
Wolverine is joined by Archangel, Psylocke, Deadpool and French psychic sleaze bag Fantomex.
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| and for an extra 90s vibe, a line up drawn by J Scott Campbell...forgive me.. |
Their first mission is to follow up a lead Wolverine had found, that Apocalypse (major X-Men bad guy, evil geneticist and all round bad egg) is being resurrected. So the first mission is to stop the Akkaba Society (Apocalypse's homies) and kill Apocalypse. Only problem being Apocalypse is a currently a small boy of around 8 years old.....wait, what!?!
I had never read anything by Remender prior to this. Now i can honestly say that he is up there for me with Jonathan Hickman as Marvel's top two writers. Uncanny X-Force is, quite simple, the best comic coming out of Marvel each month.
Remender writes long form stories (much like Hickman) the first four issues, The Apocalypse Solution, deal with the teams infiltration of Akkaba's moon base and subsequent 'taking out' of tiny Apocalypse. This arc finished right at the beginning of the year but its ramifications have echoed ever louder thru the year. With Apocalypse now dead, Archangel (once Apocalypse's right hand man) begins to under go changes, he begins to 'ascend'. He is becoming Apocalypse. Thus begins the Dark Angel Saga.
The tone of this funny book is DARK. The team is essentially an assassination squad. Not all members of the team are pleased with what they have to do. Remender writes these moments of intra-team turmoil masterfully. Too often in comics people die and hard decisions are made and the consequences are all but brushed under the carpet but in Uncanny X-Force we are forced to witness the arguments that arise from the actions being taken for 'the greater good'. Its refreshing.
Also Remender is gifted with giving each character a unique voice and personality. It doesn't feel like you are reading how a guy thinks Deadpool would talk, you are reading Deadpool actually talking.
In fact one of my favourite things about this comic is Deadpool. If you are unaware, Deadpool was a creation of Rob Liefeld an is quintessentially 90s
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| ok, so his thighs are thicker than his waist...erm..you know what? FORGET IT |
The most striking thing for me is how Remender folds in 90s characters and plot points into his story without turning it into a cringey, testostorone fuelled crap-fest. Deadpool (obviously) Apocalypse and The Shadow King appear early on. As Remende'rs opus progresses we are re-introduced to Dark Beast and we visit the Age Of Apocalypse demension (an alternate time line in which Prof X dies leaving Apocalypse unchecked and with nothing to stand in his way)
Its so engaging. i would even recommend this series to people who are unfamiliar with the myriad Marvel back stories. its engagingly written, exposition is deft and unnoticeable and the story is dark, gripping and action packed.
Remender also writes dialogue between characters so well. The little interactions between each member of the squad really draw you in and involve you in the story:
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| tastes like chicken |
Uncanny X-Force has had a few artists on board. Two mainstays of the series have been Esad Ribic (who also provides covers for most of the issues) and Jerome Opena.
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| Esad Ribic, everybody! |
Ribic is one of my fave artists right now. Primarily because he makes Psylocke actually look Asian (which she is, she is Japanese) and doesn't have her look like a stripper. He is currently illustrating Hickman's The Ultimates, he is awesome....
But my favourite is Jerome Opena. His detailed European style is perfect for the dark, dangerous and dirty world of X-Force. Detailed and fluid and supremely coloured by Dean White's almost painterly style:
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| you can almost feel the blood splashing you in the face |
Uncanny X-Force is my favourite comic right now, certainly from Marvel possibly my fave in the world. its just so engaging. You have literally no idea what could happen from issue to issue and it is written in an adult fashion with a real consideration for the larger over-arching storyline that Remender is forging. As we leave 2011 X-Force are having to answer for their actions of the last years worth of issues. I can't wait. Its nice to read a comic that throws curve balls and morality, action and philosophy, blood and science to such a degree that you don't even feel it going in...it picks you up and carries you along. There is a genuine sense that every character in the comic is in very real danger all the time (something that is missing from alot of mainstream funny books)
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| also: its very violent! GO WOLVERINE! |
Uncanny X-Force is a prime example that comics aren't just for kids and can be as engaging and intelligent as any medium. And i will fight to the death with anyone that says other wise!
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