- Written by: Tim Seeley
- Art by: Michael Sta. Maria
- Colors by: Romulo Fajardo Jr.
- Letters by: VC’s Joe Caramagna
- Cover art by: R.B. Silva, David Curiel (cover A)
- Cover price: $4.99
- Release date: January 21, 2026
Inglorious X-Force #1, by Marvel on 1/21/26, sets Cable on a recruitment mission that feels less like destiny and more like checking boxes on a pre-written checklist. The real question is whether the execution rises above the formulaic premise.
First Impressions
The opening sequence drops us into a time-travel assassination scenario with Cable arriving late to prevent a mutant president’s murder. It’s inherently compelling setup material, but the emotional impact gets diluted by rushed exposition and expository narration that tells us what we’re already seeing. The tech-noir aesthetic lands well enough, yet the pacing feels hurried, as though Tim Seeley is racing to establish stakes rather than earning them.
Plot Analysis
Cable awakens in an Adirondacks safe house after a failed time-travel mission to prevent the assassination of the first mutant president. His gear is damaged, his AI assistant Belle is offline, and his memories are spotty, but he’s determined to rebuild an X-Force unit to protect Kamala Khan, a teenage girl destined to become that future president. With nothing but a cryptic list of names and his cybernetic limb, he methodically recruits his team. He convinces Warren Worthington, the Angel, to abandon his “above-board” corporate life and reclaim his Archangel persona by arguing that the man is a slave without his wings. In Madripoor, Cable encounters Daken and lectures him about redemption through purpose, inviting him into the fold for a righteous cause.
Cable recruits Boom-Boom in San Francisco, where she’s bored with civilian life and desperate for someone to give her direction and meaning. She instantly agrees, craving the structure and motivation Cable provides. The team then intercepts a Mutant Liberation Front cell attempting to bomb a mutant-detection app facility in Jersey City. Ms. Marvel, already present as a local hero, neutralizes the threat with ruthless efficiency, impressing Cable. However, when Cable approaches her post-battle, he drops the revelation that she’ll become president and demands her participation in X-Force. Ms. Marvel refuses to join his “dark ops death squad” but agrees to a trial period on her own terms, maintaining her civilian life and community ties.
The comic concludes with Cable and his new recruits at their base, where Daken questions the wisdom of bringing in Kamala as their target for recruitment while simultaneously positioning her as their assassination suspect. Cable’s final recording log reveals his sinister endgame: Stage One is implemented, and Stage Two involves using missions to let suspects clear themselves of a crime that hasn’t happened yet, implying that one of his own team members is destined to assassinate the president he’s sworn to protect.
Writing
The pacing is aggressively rushed, racing through recruitment sequences with the efficiency of a checklist rather than genuine character interaction. Cable’s pitches to each team member follow a paint-by-numbers formula: identify weakness, exploit motivation, secure commitment. The dialogue is functional but serviceable, with most conversations designed to explain character motivations rather than reveal them organically. Seeley relies heavily on Cable’s narration to convey plot information, which is effective for exposition but lazy for character development. The structure works mechanically, but emotional resonance suffers from the relentless forward momentum. Sentences are punchy and action-focused, which helps readability but prevents the quiet moments needed to make character connections land.
Art
Michael Sta. Maria’s artwork is clean and competent, with strong figure work and dynamic panel layouts that guide the reader’s eye effectively. Romuló Fajardo Jr.’s color palette is vibrant without being distracting, though the overall visual tone lacks distinctive atmosphere. The compositions are straightforward and functional, prioritizing clarity over visual storytelling nuance. Scenes feel well-rendered but occasionally sterile, particularly in the quieter character moments where emotional weight could have been conveyed through shadow, isolation, or compositional imbalance. The art competently supports the narrative but doesn’t elevate it, missing opportunities to enhance the psychological tension lurking beneath the surface.
Character Development
Each character’s motivation is immediately apparent and unambiguous, which sacrifices depth for efficiency. Warren’s arc is reductive, reducing his character conflict to a binary choice between corporate slavery and superheroic freedom. Daken’s interaction with Cable feels transactional rather than earned, touching on his redemption arc without genuine exploration. Boom-Boom’s desperation for purpose is relatable, but it’s presented as comedic relief rather than genuine psychological need. Ms. Marvel is the most interesting because she actively resists Cable’s agenda, asserting her own priorities and refusing to abandon her community. However, her resistance feels undermined by the comic’s framing, positioning her as naive for prioritizing local heroism over continental military ops. The characters are consistent with their established personalities, but consistency without growth makes them feel predictable.
Originality & Concept Execution
“Assemble a ragtag team to prevent a future assassination” is a well-worn premise, and Seeley doesn’t reinvent it. The execution is straightforward and serviceable, hitting all the expected beats without surprising detours. The most original element is Cable’s final reveal that one team member is the killer he’s recruiting them to guard against, which is a clever narrative hook. However, this twist is undermined by being saved for the final pages as a gut-punch rather than being woven into the narrative earlier. The concept promises moral ambiguity and dangerous ethical compromises, but the execution spends twenty pages on recruitment propaganda, leaving the “complex team dynamics” for future issues. It’s a competent setup that doesn’t yet justify its own existence.
Positives
Ms. Marvel’s character arc is the comic’s strongest asset, as she’s the only team member who actively pushes back against Cable’s manipulation. Her refusal to abandon her community and family for the promise of future heroism feels earned and thematically important, providing much-needed pushback to Cable’s messiah complex. The final twist regarding Cable’s true suspicion about which team member will betray him is genuinely clever, suggesting that future issues will explore moral ambiguity and ethical compromise rather than straightforward heroism. Daken’s presence adds an interesting layer of redemption history, and his skepticism about Cable’s methods provides external critique of the premise itself. The art is clean enough to never distract from storytelling, and the pacing keeps readers turning pages even when the content doesn’t demand engagement.
Negatives
The comic substitutes genuine character interaction for recruitment speeches, treating each team member as a puzzle to solve rather than a person to convince. Ms. Marvel’s inclusion feels forced and manipulative, as though her recent mutant status is the only reason she’s shoehorned into this narrative. The irony is acknowledged in-text, where Kamala herself notes that her recent mutation means she hasn’t borne the weight of mutant persecution that actual X-Force members endure, yet the comic frames her skepticism as naive rather than justified. This becomes particularly egregious when you realize she’s also positioned as the assassination target despite her explicit refusal to join the team, suggesting Cable has recruited her to protect her. The opening sequences are bloated with expository narration that undermines visual storytelling potential. Cable’s character comes across as a manipulator and recruiter rather than a leader, which may be intentional, but it’s presented without sufficient irony or self-awareness to land effectively. The comic promises moral complexity but delivers straightforward plot mechanics and shallow character work disguised as depth.
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
The Scorecard
Writing Quality (Clarity & Pacing): [2/4]
Art Quality (Execution & Synergy): [3/4]
Value (Originality & Entertainment): [0.5/2]
Final Verdict
Inglorious X-Force #1 is a competent recruitment mission that mistakes momentum for narrative strength. Cable assembles his team with all the emotional weight of a corporate onboarding session, checking boxes rather than earning investment. Ms. Marvel is the only character with real resistance to the premise, which makes her forced inclusion feel cynical and her character regressive. The twist ending is clever enough to suggest that future issues might explore genuine moral complexity, but this debut issue is too preoccupied with setup to deliver anything beyond serviceable superhero machinery.
5.5/10
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