X-Force #6 review

Angels $ Demons part six

I was left wondering in the last issue how Kyle and Yost could possibly wrapo up this story. I figured that it's gonna set up future events down the line, set up the villains the team would be fighting down the line and, well, I was certainly right about that. The issue itself?

Kind of a letdown.

I mean the story is serviceable and does wrap up this particular arc, but it lacks a certain energy. The story has been building to this climax that just feels...totally deflated. I think it has to do with the fact that the issue is essentially told as a flashback the entire time with Wolverine debriefing Cyclops on what happened to the Purifiers. Archangel goes fucking batshit crazy and kills people left and right, Wolverine kills people left and right, Warpath and X-23 kill people left and right (thinking back to Astonishing X-Men #26, Cyclops is full of shit).....lots of killing, but...it's lacking. There's no sense of danger to the team. It feels like a completely safe bet that the team is gonna come out fairly unscathed. Hell, the only real surprise is what happens to Archangel and his wings at the end of the issue that kind of left me scratching my head. What happens to Rahne leaves lots of room for the character to get completely mind fucked later on, but, ya kinda figure that's what was gonna happen anyway.

The real interesting stuff is what happens with Matthew Risman and Eli Bard. The last issue concentrated on these two heavily and when you realize the whole arc was basically about Risman and the Purifiers more then X-Force, I can't help but think that this issue really should have concentrated on that whole thing. What Eli does and his betrayal of Risman, setting the stage for serious awesomeness down the road with Magus.....this particular story is wrapped up far too swiftly in this issue.

Overall, my opinion of this series isn't a bad one. Flaws aside, it's actually really fun. Wolverine tearing shit up, Rahne getting hooked on heroin, brainwashed and savaging her friends, the return of lots of big fucking bad guys.....it's been a really fun ride. The end of this arc, sadly, ends tepidly. I'd like to continue on with the series but...job. Lack of one soon. Ah well.

But X-Force, like most of the other X spin-offs, is where the real action of the X-Universe is. Uncanny? Hey, for all this stories flaws it kicks Uncanny's ass. Astonishing? As soon as Ellis gets his ego out of the way it might be a winner.

Pick it up in TPB, open a beer, have fun.