Kyle/Yost X-Force

X-Force 1-11

The grim, gritty, and grey X-Force, the one that kills.  Cyclops decides that he needs a black ops team, so he forms a group out of all the X-Men who can puncture things.

Lots and lots of pointy objects.

Then Archangel joins with his flechette feathers and Domino adds her bullets to the piercing party.  

So much penetrating trauma.

Next team member?

It really is somewhat of a shock to see all the evisceration that takes place within these pages.  Marvel really let Craig Kyle and Christopher Yost go to town this team. Gone are the days where Logan was trying to rein in his inner beast.  He gives some lip service to X-23 and Warpath about crossing a line that they can’t come back from, but he doesn’t try too hard and it’s never really brought up again.

So the action is fun and the art is as dirty and messy as the team itself.  But the story is just so-so.  I think most of my problems have to do with the inclusion of Wolfsbane, Warpath, and Archangel. None of them have ever really interested me, and that trend continues here.  Rahne’s daddy issues, Proudstar’s spiritual journeys, and Warren’s Apocalypse struggles tread over done-to-death arcs that bring nothing new and nothing exciting to the mix.

Matthew Risman, an acolyte of William Stryker, brings Bastion back to life.  Bastion, in turn, uses the Magus techno-organic virus to resurrect a whole mess of old X-Men foes, setting up potential plots for ages to come. That part's solid enough.

Regret buying: No

Would buy again: No

Would read again: Yes

Rating: Fine