Inglorious X-Force #1: Putting the Band Together

Putting a fresh spin on characters and teams that have been around for a long time is never easy. Fortunately when you play in the X-universe there is a smorgasbord of characters to choose from and that variety and mix are often what make a team book like X-Force fun to read. Tim Seeley, Michael Sta Maria, Romulo Fajardo Jr., and Joe Caramagna bring us the latest iteration of the team that does the dirty deeds that the other teams don’t. Seeley and the team don’t stray too far off the traditional reserve with BOOM BOOM and Archangel having served on other versions before, but the addition of Akhiro aka Hellverine is fresh and having Cable far less sure and centered as the leader is also a new element.

Seeley’s script dances very neatly between the appropriate amount of fan service and nods to past canon while also writing the characters in flawless voice. Boom Boom is a balance of obnoxious, chaotic and smart. Warren’s ongoing issues with the duality of his abilities are framed in a way that you immediately don’t question why he joins the team. Daken is the sullen one. There’s some big giveaways on the futures of characters like Kamala Khan. Kamala and the presence of the threat of the reformed more dangerous MLF under the mysterious leadership of Kali that actually makes the book feel part of the current status quo. In lesser capable hands this issue would probably feel a little dry but Seeley’s banter is perfectly on point and the ending is a exactly the kind of cliffhanger designed to keep readers interested as Seeley reveals Cable’s deadly and risky plan!

Michael Sta Maria and Romulo Fajardo Jr. bring the visuals to life. Sta Maria who was very impressive on the recent Sabretooth: The Dead Don’t Talk continues to impress. The issue start’s very dark and serious as one would expect for an X-Force book and the art and coloring from Fajardo reflect that. Sta Maria makes good use of several perspective shots and the paneling keeps pace visually with everything happening on the page all the way through the issue. X-Force is generally a very serious book but the art team get to soften that seriousness with Boom Boom who has all the best lines in this opening salvo. Sta Maria balances solid action with excellent close up facial expressions from the first to last page while Fajardo Jr gets to have some very colorful fun with the new MLFers. Caramagna is solid on lettering while RB Silva’s main cover is fun nineties nostalgia with a modern styling sensibility. Fun stuff.