Uncanny X-Force 1 review

Whether or not you enjoyed it, you can’t deny that Rick Remender’s Uncanny X-Force was a force to be reckoned with.  It was a dark series about an X-Men related black ops squad, and it was just as much about the consequences of killing as it was about killing. It influenced pretty much all the X-Men franchise books with its Dark Angel Saga storyline, and its events can already be felt in today’s Uncanny Avengers 3. It was both critically acclaimed, and for its first half or so, it was frequently among the top 10 selling comics each month. Those are some hefty shoes to fill, so it’s probably wise that Sam Harris is writing his Uncanny X-Force completely different than Remender did.

The bulk of Uncanny X-Force 1 is about Psylocke and Storm. Betsy (Psylocke) has been having … issues since she broke Wolverine’s X-Force team up, and the same could be said of Storm since her marriage was annulled. The two of them head out to meet Puck and solve a “drug trade” involving Spiral. Needless to say, things get out of hand fast. There’s also a quick scene featuring Bishop’s return to modern Earth, and another involving two of the separated Fantomex brains.

This comic was good, but nothing special. The central focus on Psylocke and Storm works very well, but some of the other characters feel a bit forced at times. There’s also the scene with Fantomex and his female brain, Cluster. The last page with the two of them was, well … somewhat disturbing to me. There also isn’t all that much story, and there’s little indication for what direction Harris will take X-Force.

The art is good, but there are a few minor inconsistencies. The colouring is fairly neat and feels atmospheric, which actually helps tell the story. All the flashback scenes are black and white, save for pink. There’s a club scene where the colouring changes with the flashing lights, while Bishop’s short scene is in full colour. On the down side, Storm’s eyes are always completely white even though they’re supposed to be blue when she’s not using her powers. Betsy’s eyes appear completely white on a couple panels, and several unnamed characters in the background have white eyes as well. Through most of the club scene, Betsy clearly doesn’t have earrings, yet she spontaneously does in one panel.  Apart from those complaints though, the art is good.

Uncanny X-Force 1 isn’t quite good enough to recommend to everyone, but it’s at least worth checking out if you care about any of these characters. It’s also worth recommending if you want to learn about how Bishop returned and what he’s going to be up to. This series has a lot of potential, but it could have had a better start.