X-Force #17 – Review

By Craig Kyle & Cristopher Yost (Writers) and Mike Choi & Sonia Oback (Artists)

Some Thoughts Before The Review: The less said about the Messiah War, the better. I still have *shiver* flashbacks from the trenches. So instead of diving into my nightmares, let’s just move forward…

The Story: X-23 attempts to rescue Boom-Boom from the Leper Queen and, as a result, becomes a H.A.M.M.E.R. prisoner.Meanwhile, Rahne Sinclair and Hrimhari are attacked by Frost Giants. Hellion and Surge are helped by Wolverine and Archangel, but Surge can’t seem to control her powers. As for Domino, she arrives back in the present just in time to see…

What’s Good: Craig Kyle and Christopher Yost write the latest issue of X-Force as though the Messiah War never even took place. A good move that I appreciate quite a bit, especially since it allows the writers to hit the ground running at almost the same speed they were traveling before a brick wall (roughly the size of the Great Wall and with the words “Messiah “War” painted on it) got in the way. The story by Kyle and Yost is frantic, violent, and pretty thrilling, just like an X-Force story should be.

I didn’t realize how much I missed the work of Mike Choi and Sonia Oback until now. The artwork in X-Force #17 is sleek, detailed, attractive, clean, and clear. In other words, it looks much better than the work done for the last few issues of the series. A few scenes, like the Frost Giant attack or the final spread, are great to look at and show the range Choi and Oback are capable of.

What’s Not So Good: The only real problem I have with X-Force #17 is that its storyline never really comes together all that well. It’s a bunch of little segments that continue where the series left off months ago, but it never completely stops feeling disjointed and jerky. It brings a bit of closure to the recent past and sets things up for the future, but there just isn’t a whole lot to really chew on as far as story is concerned. Understandable, but not exactly satisfying.

Conclusion: It’s nice to see X-Force get back into the swing of things. Once it settles down a bit, I’m sure the series will regain its spot as one of the best “X” books

Grade: C+

-Kyle Posluszny

WCBR’s Top Picks

Ray’s Top Picks

Best of the Past Week: Blackest Night #1 – What a wild and strong first issue. With moments like the Ralph and Sue Dibny scene, everyone is in for another Geoff Johns masterpiece.

Most Anticipated for this Week: Green Lantern #44 – The Martian Manhunter returns, and Sinestro is back to reclaim his Corps! With the focus on those two characters, how can this not be an A-grade book?

Other Top Picks: Blackest Night Tales of the Corps #2, Wednesday Comics #3, Amazing Spider-Man #600,  Incredible Hulk #600,  Avengers The Initiative #26

Kyle’s Top Picks

Best of the Past Week: Wednesday Comics #2/Deadpool #12 (Tie) – With the exception of a few misses (Example: Superman sounded like an angsty, pissy, teen), Wednesday Comics #2 proved that the summer series is definitely more than just a cool format.  As for Deadpool #12, it read and looked like a twisted saturday morning cartoon for grown-ups and that, my friends, is a good thing.

Most Anticipated for this Week: The Wonderful Wizard of Oz #8/Captain Britain & MI:13 #15 – The first title marks the end of an absolutely exception mini-series.  The second title marks the pre-mature end to a series that never found the audience that it so rightly deserved.

Other Top Picks for this Week: Gotham City Sirens #2, Cyberforece/Hunter-Killer #1, Fusion #3, Aliens #2, Ms. Marvel #42,  Avengers: The Initiative #26, X-Force #17, Dark Reign: Fantastic Four #5, Deadpool: Suicide Kings #4

Rob’s Top Picks

Best of the Past Week: Blackest Night #1 – Such a solid mythos with tons of interesting developments and situations to expand and explore. Not to mention the plain fact that DC Heroes are becoming cosmic zombies, for real; not in some pocket universe.

Most Anticipated for this Week: Invincible #64 – Just edges out this weeks Green Lantern as its the conclusion of the spectacular, dramatic, and game-changing Conquest arc. No telling what Kirkman has in store for the best Superhero in comics today.

Other Top Picks for this Week: AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #600; FINAL CRISIS LEGION OF THREE WORLDS #5; GREEN LANTERN #44; GUARDIANS OF GALAXY #16; INCREDIBLE HULK #600; NOVA #27; WEDNESDAY COMICS #3; WOLVERINE ORIGINS #38; WONDERFUL WIZARD OF OZ #8

Alex’s Top Picks

Best Of The PastWeek: Incognito#5 – Ed Brubaker’s pulp-noir superhero world keeps getting better as it nears its undoubtedly bloody close.  Pitch-perfect atmosphere combines with perversely likable characters to forge a cannot miss comic.  Self-identity has never been foggier.

Most Anticipated: Invincible #64 – Any Invincible reader worth his or her salt should be ready to kill for this issue, considering what happened last month.  This once bright and happy comic looks to take a decidedly darker tone and I can’t wait to see the lengths to which Mark is willing to go.  Can it get any more brutal than last month?  Well, this is Robert Kirkman we’re talking about…

Other Top Picks for this Week: Nothing else.