X-Force #39
X-Force gets reorganized in the wake of Beast’s betrayal, and just in time for a new threat in X-Force #39, by writer Benjamin Percy, artist Robert Gill, colorist GURU-eFX, and letterer Joe Caramagna. Percy and the team keep things moving forward, giving readers an eventful and action-packed issue.
After Wolverine leaves the Quiet Council the ersatz Beast’s body, Sage comes in with ideas for the future. After some political wrangling, Sage finally gets to speak. She is made director of X-Force, but Storm wants a Council member there for oversight and Colossus volunteers. In space, Sevyr Blackmore decides what to do with Beast’s altered nightmare creatures from his prison, as Deadpool and Omega Red give Black Tom ideas for the new X-Force headquarters. Sage comes and vetoes them all, and Tom builds her design, a new treehouse base. At the Green Lagoon, the female Wolverine plays a violent drinking game with Blob, Juggernaut, and Strong Guy, which Sage interrupts with an offer for Wolvie to take her father’s place. However, a massive boom rocks the island, and the team springs into action. Sevyr launched the pod of monsters at the island, and X-Force attacks, tearing through them. Suddenly, an old friend returns, asking for their help.
Percy has made X-Force a can’t-miss title, and this issue shows why. From the amoral squabbling about Beast at the Quiet Council to Colossus and a new Wolverine joining to the action and reveal at the end, this is a fabulous comic. Percy knows exactly where he wants to go and how to get there. Long-term pieces are put into play, and it’s delightful to watch the way the book pays off the plots that have been set up in it. Many people complain about the long game plotting of the book, but it sets it apart from the other X-books, besides the Percy-written Wolverine, and makes it something special.
Sage leading X-Force? Something that has been building up for a while. Colossus being put into a position of power over them? Chilling. Bringing in a new Wolverine to replace the old one? A great twist. Beyond that, Percy just gets how to write every character. No one is out of character or doing things they wouldn’t. When they do, there’s a reason for it. And most importantly, everyone sounds the way they should. Adding Deadpool was a stroke of genius, one that’s paid off multiple times, as his humor adds something to the book that wasn’t there before.
Gill and GURU-eFX remain a terrific team. The way the images and color work together is second to none, and with every issue, Gill gets a little better. From the wonderful character acting to the detailed linework, this book is a feast for the eyes, all bounded by GURU’s often painterly color palette. So many aspects of this comic are slept on, and the regular art team is an example of that. They kill it every issue, and this one is no different.
X-Force #39 kicks off a new era of the book with a bang. Percy, Gill, GURU-eFX, and Caramagna have made this the sleeper book of the X-line, and these new developments are adding up to make it into something very special for readers. This is yet another excellent issue of an amazing book.