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Uncanny X-Force #1

By Andy Frisk
October 10, 2010 - 14:30

The most recent incarnation of the mutant team X-Force was conceived of as a covert, take no prisoners, strike force that would deal with threats to mutant kind permanently. Started by Cyclops and lead by Wolverine, the team was responsible for shooting first and asking questions later. The violent and covert nature of the team, as sanctioned by Cyclops, caused Beast to leave the X-Men once he discovered the team’s existence. Beast didn’t agree with Cyclops’ creation of such a team, nor his hiding it from the other X-Men. X-Force was deemed a necessary evil by Cyclops and Wolverine though, especially during Norman Osborne’s Dark Reign. With the dawn of a new Heroic Age though and Cyclops’ X-Men being publically accepted back into the fold by Steve Rogers and his Avengers, as well as honored as the heroes that they are, Cyclops disbanded the team. Wolverine, as he is often wont to do, disagreed with Cyclops’ decision and kept the team going, without Cyclops’ knowledge or blessing since even though, according to Wolverine, it “looks like mutants’ dark times might finally be comin’ to an end—for a while at least…I know that other enemies will come callin’ sooner or later. An’ when they do, the X-Men are still gonna need a team that isn’t afraid to make the hard choices. As far as Cyke knows, X-Force is over an’ done—but me, Fantomex, Archangel, Psylocke an’ Deadpool have a different opinion on the matter…:” So when it looks like one of mutant kind’s worst enemies is resurrected, X-Force springs into action. The Apocalypse that this team will end up face to face with though is going to be a very different Apocalypse, particularly in one very specific and challenging way…

Once upon a time, The X-Men and its multiple spin off groups, as concepts and characters, were based upon the idea of an oppressed and feared minority using their unique gifts to help defend all mankind from evil. By demonstrating, through their actions, that they were just as capable of heroism as non-mutant gene humans are, The X-Men hoped to promote understanding and tolerance. Of course, there were evil mutants who abused their evolutionary gifts. The X-Men were there to stand up against these villains and, once again, demonstrate to mankind that not all Homo Superiors were evil, just as all Homo Sapiens are not evil. Xavier’s Dream was for peaceful coexistence and progress. Sometime over the years though, The X-Men, as a concept and characters, really became closed off from the greater world around them as their stories began to focus more and more on internal mutant dealings, alternate dimensions and worlds, extra-terrestrials, and sci-fi focused plots which, to a large extent, dislodged them from the world around them. The Avengers fought similar types of foes and labored through similar plots, but The X-Men seemed to only battle other mutants and basically stuck to themselves. As an example, beyond the highly popular and highly profitable Wolverine, there were no other mutants as members of any superhero teams beyond an X-Team of some sort. Even the Scarlet Witch, a mutant member of The Avengers for years, turned evil and is now absent from any team, to the best of my knowledge. It would seem that if the idea of the integration of mutants into the world at large is the goal, then there should be mutant members of nearly every super team in the Marvel Universe. There will always be a place for The X-Men, but the original concept of what this team is, i.e. a group of young heroes who are seeking and getting an education on how to use their powers for the greater good, makes the most sense as a viable and noble concept. A group of cynical adult mutants who grudgingly co-exist with the other heroes of the Marvel Universe, form secret, highly violent, and militia like strike teams aren’t really doing much to promote the whole “peace, love, and understanding” that, as far as I remember, is what Xavier’s Dream was all about. Maybe, I’m just too much of a dreamer in my outlook to expect more from my mutant heroes and, more importantly, their stories.

All that being said though, there definitely is a regrettable need for harsh decisions and actions to be made and taken in some cases. Like in the real world, there are forces and ideologies that exist that have as their goal the destruction of one or many different groups or differing ideologies. There are men and women who have to get their hands dirty and, when necessary, take lethal action to preserve the greater good as well as the greater populace. Many of us dreamers don’t like to acknowledge or accept that this is the cruel hard facts of life, but they are and we must. So is the idea of a team like The Uncanny X-Force something that actually has merit? Are a team of heroes who kill and make the other “hard choices” really necessary? As a storytelling vehicle, yes they are. They are a reflection of real world type organizations. What we need to see from this team though, is a certain level of honor and nobility in their actions. We also need to see them as sanctioned and having a code of conduct. A militia group that goes off taking matters into their own hands without being sanctioned and without a code of conduct is dangerous. Let’s see X-Force deal with some other, non-mutant specific threats too. How about they take on a terrorist cell or a group that threatens the greater Marvel Universe at large and isn’t necessarily a mutant specific villain. After all with the recent reduction of mutants existing in the Marvel Universe, they shouldn’t have to worry too much about any new evil mutant threats popping up. Steve Rogers has his Secret Avengers which is more of a covert type of team, so let’s X-Force operate more in that vein. After all, after all the years Wolverine has been alive, shouldn’t he have a more highly developed sense of all things moral and logical?

One of the aspects of the X-Teams that have made them so engaging and readable has been their writers’ focus on the characters relationships with one another and their personalities. Uncanny X-Force series writer Rick Remender keeps up this tradition by depicting Wolverine, Psylocke, Fantomex, and Deadpool pretty vividly personality wise (and true to form), and gets mileage out of the tired troubled/complicated romantic relationship plot by portraying Archangel and Psylocke’s troubled romantic conversations realistically. Bringing back a villain of the stature of Apocalypse is perhaps necessary in order to give dramatic weight to the launch yet another X-Book, but seemingly everything that can be done with this character has been done before. The twist involving Apocalypse’s current incarnation though does bring something slightly new to the table.

Series artist Jerome Opena does an excellent job penciling the characters and creating interesting settings and locales. He doesn’t skimp too terribly on background detail (a pet-peeve of mine as my readers probably are aware of by now) and he makes Wolverine look cool (especially the claws) and the X-Woman in this book look hot. (Basically, as my readers will also probably be aware of, nailing the coolness of Wolverine’s claws and the hotness of the X-Women are really all an artist needs to do to draw an effective X-Book’s adventures). The real visual treat in Uncanny X-Force #1 though is the product of Dean White’s coloring. His colors add depth and realism to the characters outfits and actions. The way that Wolverines claws shine as opposed to the way that Archangel’s razor wings do adds a depth of difference to the visual portrayals of two seemingly similarly metal based appendages. This subtle coloring difference really helps to create a unique visual look to the characters that really helps distinguish them from amongst each other.

The X-Books have always been a bit of a platform for social and political meditation, but their message has changed drastically over the years. If readers really aren’t attracted to the socio-political commentary type of storytelling anymore, then that’s fine and Xavier’s Dream as a concept can take a break (it has in the past), but if an X-Book’s writer is going to jump headfirst into the type of team philosophy that Uncanny X-Force is embracing they need to make sure to temper their philosophy with some accountability. 

Last Updated: August 31, 2023 - 08:12