- Written by: Geoffrey Thorne
- Art by: Marcus To
- Colors by: Erick Arciniega
- Letters by: VC’s Joe Caramagna
- Cover art by: Stephen Segovia, Bryan Valenza
- Cover price: $4.99
- Release date: July 31, 2024
X-Force #1, by Marvel Comics on 7/31/24, begins a new era when Forge devises a way to detect world-ending trouble spots around the world, so he “forges” a new team to stop the Apocalypse in its tracks.
Is X-Force #1 Good?
Well, this is okay I guess. Writer Geoffrey Thorne has the good fortune of nabbing one of the more prestigious titles in Tom Brevoort’s From The Ashes leg of X-Title history by following Forge and the new X-Force as they seek out and stop worldwide threats. Although there’s nothing blatantly wrong, offensive, or off-putting about this first issue, the adventure does little more than get readers from A to B.
In X-Force #1, we catch up with Forge as he laments the good old days of the X-Men during the 90s. He watches holographic replays of past battles and missions while waiting for one of his projects to finish brewing. At the appointed hour, Forge’s robotic assistant stirs him from his multi-hour binging so he can complete and unveil his latest creation – The Analog.
Readers coming into this title cold won’t need any backstory on Krakoa or Forge’s place in that ultimately failed period in X-Men history, which is a positive. That said, Throne relies heavily on clipped snippets of dialog to show the externalization of the character’s thoughts, and it doesn’t translate well to a smooth reading experience.
Later, Forge seeks out Tessa, aka Sage, in Switzerland, where she’s staying in a psychiatric hospital after she was found without identification, money, or her senses. Simply the sight of Forge seems to snap Tessa out of her psychosis, and he explains he’s come to get her released and recruit her into a new version of X-Force. The deal is sealed when Forge shows Tessa The Analog.
Okay, you’re probably wondering what The Analog is. Thorne doesn’t go into great detail, but it’s a small sphere Forge created that reads disturbances along the Earth’s ley lines. Somehow, the Analog’s sensitivity allows Forge to show where hotspots are popping up worldwide that could destroy everything, so the new X-Force will be responsible for finding and stopping trouble whenever the Analog sends an alert.
In short order, Forge recruits Betsy Braddock, Rachel Summers, and Deadpool when they get an alert about a destructive force loose in Japan. When the team arrives at the designated spot, they find the citizens under attack by bluish-goo monsters that liquidate every living creature they touch.
What follows is a standard battle wherein the team uses trial and error to figure out the right plan of attack. The issue ends with a chance meeting with Surge, a solution discovered accidentally (or was it?), and a hard-earned payout for Deadpool.
What’s great about X-Force #1? To Thorne’s credit, he doesn’t try to get too fancy or complicated with the underlying plot. The world has threats that only powered people can handle, so Forge steps up. The threat in this issue turns out to be tailor-made for powered heroes to face, and the ending is decent enough.
What’s not great about X-Force #1? There are two areas of significance where the entertainment factor takes a hit.
First, the dialog, particularly from Sage, is just plain cumbersome. There are only so many pages you can take of a person whose spoken contribution is “I’m collating… Analyzing… Insufficient information… I’m forming a hypothesis.” Yes, that manner of speech matches Sage’s power and personality, but man oh man is it tedious to read for long stretches.
Second, the formation of the team happens without rhyme, reason, or setup for what the characters have been up to since we last saw them. How did Sage wind up in a hospital in Switzerland, and why was she in a semi-psychotic state? If you’ve been following Krakoa in total, you might know the answer, but readers will have no idea what’s happening, so this first issue has more than its fair share of clunkiness.
How’s the Art? I wouldn’t expect anything less than high-quality art from Marcus To, but my expectations were exceeded. To delivers great character designs, cool action, and expressive character moments. Plus Erick Arciniegas’s coloring is first rate.
About The Reviewer: Gabriel Hernandez is the Publisher & EIC of ComicalOpinions.com, a comics review site dedicated to indie, small, and mid-sized publishers.
Follow @ComicalOpinions on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter
Final Thoughts
X-Force #1 forms a new team with a new mission – stop world-ending threats in their tracks. Geoffrey Thorne’s basic premise is truly basic yet effective, and Marcus To’s artwork is outstanding. However, the dialog is tedious in spots, and new readers may feel left behind by the lack of setup and catchup.
6/10
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