X-Force #1: Fractures Like A Cancer

Geoffrey Thorne doesn’t allow his characters to waste much time mourning Krakoa, aside from one, but then anything different would be wildly out of character for the X-Folk he’s chosen for a cast. Betsy and Rachel spent most of the last five years in an alternate reality, Deadpool was only ever a reluctant (for his hosts) guest star, it isn’t in Forge’s nature to dwell on the past (even if he really should) and Surge is pretty much just along for the ride. He one character who seems truly affected by the fall of the mutants’ attempt at a nation is Sage, and even she bounces back from her fetal-curl the moment someone she trusts gives her a pep-talk.

Plot-wise, there was a lot to enjoy in this story. Forge’s Omega machine has promise, but the possibility of a machine that can boost any mutant to Omega potential could make these threats too easy too dispatch, especially if they all fold as easily as the goo-monster in this book. As of right now, the series appears to be setting up a one-and-done serial story in which the team faces, and defeats, a different problem every issue. This could be read as anodyne for the extremely slow-burn (though brilliantly constructed) previous incarnation of the team, but the monster-of-the-month format might be enjoyable, for a time, but unless there are some buried strings holding the book together, it has the potential to fall apart more quickly than I’d like.

I love that Rachel and Betsy are still very much a thing. It’s rare to see a healthy, supportive, totally unproblematic romantic partnership in this medium, and this is a good one to focus on, though it was baffling to see that Rachel needed help to reach her own full Phoenix potential. She’s canonically one of the most powerful mutants in existence. She shouldn’t need to piggy back on her girlfriend’s powerset. 

Marcus To is a phenomenal artist. The designs in this book, from creatures, to uniforms (and can we please talk about how marvelous Betsy looked in that suit?) down to backgrounds and desolate cityscapes, were all amazingly well-executed. The visual storytelling was detailed enough to be engaging, without ever being cluttered or too busy for the narrative.

This was a fun, engaging, beautifully rendered start to a series which promises to be deeply enjoyable – if the author can avoid the usual monster-of-the-month pratfalls.