Brandon Borzelli's Geek Goggle Reviews
Uncanny X-Force #19.1
Marvel Comics
Remender, Tan & Villarrubia
The latest issue of Uncanny X-Force is by far the weakest of the Remender run as it focuses completely on the characters that occupy the alternate dimension known as the Age of Apocalypse. This isn't because the book really isn't about Uncanny X-Force or that it's some sort of massive recap of the series in an effort to create a jump-on point as the whole ".1" initiative hopes to provide. Instead the book is weak because without the full context of the alternate dimension and how these characters weave into the regular dimension, the story simply makes these characters feel thin and utterly disposable. This book should have been a zero issue to the upcoming series, Age of Apocalypse, or it should have been a back-up with the regular series featured upfront. I found this issue to be badly misplaced as it crushed the momentum this outstanding series had going for it up until this issue, while also damaging any interest I had for the Age of Apocalypse series.
Remender is among my all-time favorite writers and even knowing he was not going to be penning the Age of Apocalypse series I wanted to see his send off of the characters in the universe that he brought back into the fold. Unfortunately, in a rush to position the characters for the upcoming launch, Remender completely races through this story.
The book is basically about Magneto discovering clones of his daughter and the remaining X-Men squaring off against an evil Wolverine. A lot of blood is shed as the book sets up the teams and players for later on. As a self-contained story it is very difficult to understand the politics of what has occurred in this alternate dimension up to this point. What also isn't terribly clear is what happens to some of the characters at the end when the Island mushroom clouds.
The artwork is inked and colored in such muted tones that is almost appears to be water-colored. This doesn't bode well for the action as it becomes unclear in places and with unfamiliar characters that isn't a good recipe for a quality reading experience. Tan has the right feel for the book it just doesn't quite come together as a visual for the story though.
The book at least builds up a couple of characters that will help push this group into the next series. The one that is called the The Prophet seems to have a very unique voice and Magneto is probably the most familiar of the bunch, which also helps. I assume the evil Wolverine survives, but it is difficult to tell. I really wasn't a fan of killing off so many characters without even knowing them beyond the recognizable names.
Uncanny X-Force is among the best books out there today. If you want to jump on to this series then this is simply not the issue to start with. However, if you think you might want to read Age of Apocalypse then this is a must-read issue. Remender tells an interesting story but it just doesn't hit the right tempo with this cast. Tan provides solid art but it feels like it was washed away in post-production. Despite the three dollar price tag instead of four, this issue is something that can be skipped.
2 out of 5 Geek Goggles
