X-Force #2 – Review

by Simon Spurrier (Writer), Rock-He Kim (Artist)

The Story: Sometime the ends justifies the means, no matter the cost to your soul. Apparently, Cable really believes in that line.

The Review: Simon Spurrier is a writer whose work I appreciate. Being a regular of 2000AD and the one who wrote X-Club, Six-Gun Gorilla and the delightful David Haller volume of X-Men Legacy, he has grown from nobody to a talented writer in my perception. With such a pedigree, it’s hard not to want to try some of his stuff and give him a chance, if only to see if he can recapture the magic of some of his previous work.

As it turn out, anyone can make mistakes, as the very first issue of this new volume of X-Force was unfortunately a rather clunky affair, filled with some questionable choices as well as a tendency to repeat some key information without actually clarifying much. It was a bit of a letdown, to say the least, yet a single issue is not always the best of indicative of what is yet to come. While other writers might have scared me off the title by delivering an issue that wasn’t exactly the best all-around, to put it gently, in Spurrier I trusted as I continued to buy the title. Was my choice a wise one or am I deluding myself?

For what it’s worth, this issue work a good deal better than the previous one, even though there are still some clunky bits here and there that doesn’t make the book reach the height it can attain.

X-Force #1 – Review

by Simon Spurrier (Writer), Rock-He Kim (Artist)

The Story: Getting together a new outfit, Cable gets on track with the shady side of the world with a new X-Force.

The Review: We have been spoiled by Uncanny X-Force. The Remender version, for good or ill, effectively made it so there has been a certain modicum of quality attributed to the franchise that not anyone can actually reach. While not, in retrospect, the best run in comics history, this previous iteration did leave a lot of potential for characters and the franchise in general in terms of legacy and importance.

Of course, to compare a new series with one that has attained a certain respect among fans would be unfair, yet it is almost unavoidable in this case. To compare is something that is basic in anyone’s mind, whether it is meant or not. With this regard, there are some things that unfortunately don’t really work with this new version of X-Force.

One of the problems of this book is its identity. While Spurrier makes sure readers do understand what is at stake, there is a certain repetition of some of the elements that is a bit undesirable, while some other important elements are left on the side. The Alexandria incident, for one, is the event that supposedly kicks off the team and gives a certain purpose for the team to be put together by Cable. However, it is merely mentioned in terms of importance as well as repercussions, yet not in any ways that are descriptive or entertaining. Considering the fact that this is an immensely important event, it seems like a waste to not actually show what happened and delve a bit more on the details of this tragedy.