X-FORCE #17: The Need To Be Reborn

Emotional beats…that’s what this issue hits perfectly, Benjamin Percy narrows his lens to focus very sharply on Quentin Quire who has become X-Force’s Kenny and died so many times it’s actually gotten embarrassing for Kid Omega and started to take an emotional toll. I very much like the idea of dying so much taking a toll on a character as it actually gives those deaths a gravitas that moves beyond the whole “death is meaningless” trope which a lot of critics of this era like to to throw around as a reason its not good.  Percy brilliantly digs into Quentin’s personality and uses the introspection focused through the use of Phoebe Cuckoo to reveal the hidden pain and need that the normally arrogant Quire character carries. That’s the clever thing  about this issue, it uses that emotional introspection to show that behind the arrogance and bravado there is a very real and flawed individual that uses this arrogance to hide the truth about how he really feels but that he is despite that veneer very much a good person and that he is looking for a way to bring that to to the surface. It may be my favorite Kid Omega issue ever.

It’s not your typical X-Force issue to be sure, but it’s a welcome one, showing that the book is so much more than just the violence so many people associate with the title. It’s not all feelings, of course, there’s a mystery involved too, and Percy drops us into it with Quire dying on a solo investigation of a ship right from the beginning and then points us in the direction of who’s responsible using a data page, till that last page of the issue reveals and confirms who is behind these attacks that are being used to incriminate mutant kind. My theory is it’s a regrown and repurposed Quire that the shadowy Xeno are using and it’s somehow psychically linked to Quentin himself, because now we have two of the same person in the world which explains his surprise on the ship as well as what Quentin sees in the mirror…

There are some fun elements worth noting, Jumbo Carnation features to give Quire a new look which I think’s pretty awesome and there is humor written in for these moments as well as in the single Data page involving the requests to The Five.

Joshua Cassara just continues to show his brilliant range as he gets to draw everything from body horror moments to strong emotionally charged moments for Quire, as well as between Quire and Phoebe, and it’s perfectly complimented by the excellent coloring by Guru-eFX. This combination continues to be a pitch perfect match for the look and feel of the book that compliments the writing perfectly. The paneling is excellent and varied (which it is) and I have to say this title remains my number one X-title from an art perspective month after month as the team continues to just hit home runs time after time.