X-Force 10, Punisher 11

X-Force 10


With Pete Wisdom's advice to watch out for the bugs, Cable's X-Force team recognizes that they're being watched. They're intent to make the surveillance work for them, though, and Dr. Nemesis has a plan to do it. Thanks to Psylocke's keen noticing skills, she has recognized that something has been going on at the X-Mansion, that there's been some unseen entity there, and MeMe has learned which toilet the entity uses, allowing them to teleport the mutant, who Nemesis suspects can only be remembered when seen, to their base. The mutant is ForgetMeNot, from Si Spurrier's (among others') X-MEN LEGACY 300. Nemesis intends to use a power suppressor to make ForgetMeNot, who doesn't have a bug watching him because Volga doesn't know/remember he exists, appear to Volga's systems, at which point Volga will send a bug after him and Nemesis will put a tracker on that bug before removing ForgetMeNot's suppressor and making the bug and Volga forget he was there, sending the bug back to Volga's base. After a long time trying to catch ForgetMeNot (and many viewings of a video Nemesis recorded to fill the team in on ForgetMeNot's presence, which of course is forgotten every time they lose sight of him), Nemesis is finally able to talk to him and reveal the plan, which ForgetMeNot, who absolutely hates these guys after spending some time in their presence, agrees to help with. Unfortunately, when the bug is dispatched, it doesn't forget him when the suppressor is removed. Fantomex knocks Nemesis out, reveals to ForgetMeNot that he knew the whole time he was there (the benefit of his advanced brain) and promptly kills the mutant, causing everyone to forget he was there and sending the bug back to Volga.

Boy, this book is something else. It's often so smart and so self-aware and so much fun, all at the same time. This is a perfect example of that as the ultimate plot and plan is extremely compelling and fun, as is the inclusion of Spurrier creation ForgetMeNot, and as we get a great characterization of everyone here. I wrote a summary that was altogether much longer than I wanted it to be and still couldn't convey everything I wanted to say about this book. There are so many great things happening in this issue between great looks at the viciousness of X-Force and of the broken people who have been chosen by Cable. This is a book that uses its space remarkably well, dragging very little while getting so much across. Excellent stuff. And it's great to see Tan Eng Huat and Craig Yeung once more teamed up with Si Spurrier (as well as the great X-MEN LEGACY homage cover by Rock-He Kim).

Total Score: 5/5


Punisher 11

Punisher gets out of the prison after learning what he wanted to learn for both himself and for Black Widow, who worked out a deal with him on the way to the prison to try to learn information from one of the inmates. After breaking out, Frank calls on former partner Rachel Cole-Alves to pick him up. As they talk on the ride back, he admits that he's thinking about hanging it up, feeling too old and broken for everything that's happening. She tells him how bad things have gotten in LA, even indicating that the Dos Soles are stronger than ever and looking for political sway (which they are). She convinces him by asking if maybe the Dos Soles and the American commandos trying to kill him are connected. Meanwhile, Officer Stone has taken the Punisher route to exact justice on the thugs who put Lou in a coma.

Edmondson, who has really been getting back to Punisher's roots, goes a little deeper into Frank's personality as he shows a rare moment of "maybe I'm done" from Frank. He also does a lot to show the effect Punisher has had in the last few years, obviously showing what Officer Stone has been inspired to do but also revisiting Rachel Cole-Alves, who last was investigated for killing a cop as Punisher's partner and for whom he took the fall, drawing the ire of the Avengers in last year's (I think, I was definitely doing the blog at that point) PUNISHER WAR ZONE. Edmondson is doing a lot of world-building here as we're seeing so much of what's happening in LA and with the Dos Soles looking to extend their reach. Another strong issue with some really good Mitch Gerads art.

Total Score: 4/5

Amazing Spider-Man 6, X-Force 9

Amazing Spider-Man 6

Black Cat unmasks Spider-Man on live TV but Jameson inadvertently blocks the shot the entire time in a swing and a miss at humor. Silk manages to bust Peter out of the fight before any lasting harm can come of it but they know now to be prepared for Electro and Black Cat at every turn, which is good because the villains, on the sort-of coerced advice of Sajani, plan an attack on Parker Industries' big reveal of their new Electro-depowering tech. Everything at the press conference goes crazy but the ultimate result is a massive explosion that falls on Parker Industries and Spider-Man's rep, though it does indeed manage to depower Electro. Black Cat escapes and finds herself back in the good graces of a slew of underling supervillains, pledging to become the queen of the thieves, while Silk gets an internship with a news station in hopes of finding more about her family, and Peter feels rejuvenated by the success of the Electro device and believes he's in a good place with his work and his friends Sajani and Anna Maria, who are whispering even now about undermining some of his work.

I've already voiced some disapproval and concern about this book as it has focused on a pair of villains who just come off as crazy and well out of their own character, particularly Black Cat (I think Electro has been slightly better and a little more interesting). Cat has oscillated between petty criminal and vigilante for some time now so this full U-turn to hardcore crime boss because she's been wronged continues to seem really far-fetched. It may seem overkill to keep harping on that but right now that's what the entire story hinges itself on so it's impossible to overlook or to overstate its significance. What's more, the writing has been exposition heavy and the repeated attempts at jokes and humor have come off forced and mostly weak. I think there are interesting nuggets here and there (Sajani's sort-of betrayal, Anna Maria as sort-of sidekick to Spider-Man, Peter's determination to "heal" supervillains, etc.) but they're hard to find right now beneath the problems of the book.

Total Score: 2/5


X-Force 9

X-Force has been revealed in the desert and, despite Dr. Nemesis' hopes for a dialogue, a fight breaks out between X-Force and Pete Wisdom's team. Meanwhile, Agent Mel, the leader of the soldiers, is taken right from under their noses by the guerrilla Quaddees they were chasing in the first place, which, along with the insane power the seemingly least powerful soldier has, serves to end the fight and open a dialogue, to Nemesis' satisfaction. The soldiers in this unit have volunteered for superpowers, essentially, that will kill them all within a year but that will aid Volga until then. Now aware of their situation and the stakes, they agree to accompany X-Force to find their missing commander. When the team finds her, they're overwhelmed by powered-up Quaddees. Psylocke and Meme manage to bust through and read the captured Mel's mind, learning about the experiments and the power of the soldiers. Unfortunately, there seems to be no reasonable way out of this scenario so X-Force is x-forced to stick to Mel's plan, which involves her own team self-destructing, more or less, to take out the Quaddees and to stop their own powers from getting out into the work. Wisdom leads his team back home, though he warns Cable first about the bugs around them as Volga's spies (which we saw just two issues or so ago).

Things remain a little confusing this issue, as they were last issue, but Spurrier's managed to clear up enough and to keep a lot of the banter entertaining enough to allow us to proceed with the story. It's a true in media res story overall as we only get bits and pieces of the soldiers' mission, only the parts we need to know as they pertain to X-Force, which makes for a bit of a confusing issue but still allows us to come out the other side with a slightly better sense of our team and of Volga's capabilities, not hurt by Wisdom's reveal. It's a particularly strong Dr. Nemesis issue (a character Spurrier unabashedly loves, and rightfully so) as his unending disdain for superheroes finds a real home with this team. Some strong writing and fun character moments (one of the constant joys of this series is watching Fantomex repeatedly assert he is the best as whatever he's doing only to be proven wrong immediately, a joke that never seems to get old) carry this one.

Total Score: 4/5

X-Force 9, Wolverine 9

X-Force 6
Spurrier (w) and J. Molina (p) and Yeung (i) and Rosenberg (c) and Petit (l)

Volga's thrown Cable out the window and subsequently exploded him and now has the team trapped and even MeMe, our narrator in this issue, rather trapped in a computer. She seems to be taking Cable's death particularly hard but takes the time to give us a brief rundown on what happened in Alexandria. She had been there, working for Volga, and saw the bomb explode, aiming for mutants, and had seen Cable and Hope affected. Back with Volga in the present, the villain prepares to start experimenting on the surviving team just as Cable and Dr. Nemesis teleport into the room, revealing that Cable has been sending copies of himself into fights as the real Cable, poisoned during the bomb, is in stasis and continually sends his copies out to die while receiving the memories and information they gain in his headband. They escape Volga's grasp and Psylocke again tells MeMe that she has to reveal to Cable who she really is...Hope, piggybacking on the real but brain dead MeMe's powers.

What do I have to tell you people to get you to read this book? Or are you all doing it already? Let me know, okay? Because seriously, it's so great. I explained this whole series to someone today and, even with my babbling summarization (familiar with those?), the book sounded AWESOME. To me, at least. I think the audience I was telling it to was genuinely interested but, you know, babbling. Really great issue and how crazy is it that the reveal of the bomb's real impact and that Cable's been sending copies of himself out into the world while he slowly dies at home AREN'T the biggest reveals. Check this series out.

Total Score: 5/5


Wolverine 9
Cornell (w) and Anka (a) and Curiel (c) and Petit (l)

Wolverine continues to chat with Death while Iron Fist and Shang-Chi fight the Hand outside. Wolverine learns from Death that he's still rather afraid of dying but that he also still has honor and pride and whatever else. He also learns that Sabretooth has Pinch, her daughter, and Lost Boy and he's ready for a rematch.

THE DEATH OF WOLVERINE is looking more and more like a rebranding than an actual, literal death. There's talk in this issue about what a name means and what his name is and other things of that vein. Death also scoffs at the idea she told him he'd die in three months. ANYWAY, I still can't get behind this book. The talk with Death as an actual person continues to not be that compelling to me, particularly as Death just espouses super basic psychology kind of stuff that should absolutely blow no one's mind. Also Rose makes another appearance and his dumb rose tattoo does the same. Hoping his healing power comes back just to get rid of that.

Total Score: 2/5

X-Men Legacy 20, Cable and X-Force 16

X-Men Legacy 20
Spurrier (w) and Huat and Yeung w/ Tadeo (a) and Villarrubia (c)

The Shadow Phoenix is in David's mind attacking all of the powers that live there as David tries to find a way to defeat it. He thinks back to the things that linked the survivors of the Shadow Phoenix he saw when he was combing around Aarkus' head for clues. His first assumption is that sheer power defeated it, so he tries to rally his strongest and most intimidating powers, though he does so to no avail. They're scared of the Shadow Phoenix, who is picking them apart one by one. His next thought is strength in numbers, so his next move is to attempt to lead the remaining powers in his head. When this continues not to work, it sets in on him. Strength in numbers doesn't matter, it's the ability to work together that saved the Shadow Phoenix's other foes. Knowing this, David opens himself up to bond with his powers, teaming with them instead of simply grabbing and controlling them when he needs. David realizes that his mantra of "I rule me" has never been more true; every human, as he says, is a legion in need of a leader, wishing to be guided and not ruled. As a result, the Shadow Phoenix starts to weaken and even starts to spit back out the powers its swallowed, which David realizes is pretty weird; a predator who doesn't chew its food but keeps it intact. It dawns on David as he expels the Shadow Phoenix and wakes up: the Shadow Phoenix wasn't real, it was all a con. As he emerges from his own mind and awakens again, he begins to accuse Aarkus, who quickly cuts him off and explains it was only for his own good. He needed to learn how to use his powers like this, to become one with them. They needed him scared, not smug. Aarkus, in fact, appreciated that David stepped in to correct his previous views about mutants and wanted to return the favor by opening David's mind to what he could really be. On top of that, they need him whole to face down the golden Xavier. Even this series' first person to turn on David, Karasu Tengu, has realized that her life is, in fact, better for David's interference in it and so she played the role of the Shadow Phoenix. Now David must go and fight, with all of his powers intact.

Really, really lovely book. There are few examples of the sort of "hero realizes his potential" part of the hero's journey that are as well executed as this. All of the pieces start coming together as we see flashes from David of his own memories of this series where, for as successful as he's been, he's used and abused people. He's accomplished most of his own goals but his mistakes and even the problematic perception of him have all come because he's refused to let people in on his plan, preferring to do things himself and let people see too late that maybe he was doing a good thing after all. This issue makes clear that David simply hasn't seen things that way up to now and, even if he realized he wasn't really in any danger from the Shadow Phoenix, it's impossible to argue that he didn't just become far more powerful by leading his powers instead of just controlling them so there's a lesson here for him regardless of how the lesson came to him. The art is gorgeous and fits so well with this book and I continue to read these issues and wonder how I didn't love the art from the start. This issue very much feels like Spurrier's way to wrap it up here as he begins his transition over to his new X-FORCE book (still excited about that, you guys); we've now seen David embrace his powers and his future as well as mending relationships with Aarkus, SWORD, and Karasu. The issue ends with the knowledge that Blindfold was kind of in on this plan from the start but that she refused to be a part of it because she didn't want to see David in so much pain and because she realized that it was the beginning of the end. Brand then promptly wiped Blindfold's memory of it and sent her home. Some has stuck around, though, as she mutters in her sleep that they're going to start the end. So, as Abigail Brand says, go start it, cowboy.

Cable and X-Force 16
Hopeless (w) and Sandoval (a) and Rosenberg (c)

The sudden appearance of another entity in Forge's head has complicated things for the team as a whole. The Sentinel Colossus and Domino were tasked with taking down is not as inert as they were expecting it. Though they eventually manage to shut it down, the initial chase and the ensuing explosion cause an avalanche very near to them. Cable, on the other hand, has found that his new pre-cog powers are working pretty well but that his old powers aren't running properly any more, leaving he and Hope in the middle of a firefight with Reavers without any guns. Hope, though, had accidentally borrowed some of his TK powers when she had to attack him with the psimitar and so has enough to keep them mostly protected, though how far that will go remains to be seen as higher ranking Reavers return with a device that morphs the fallen Reavers into one giant predator. Finally, back at the base, Nemesis has entered Forge's consciousness to try to figure out what's going on inside. While in there, he runs into Forge and the two begin to explore while Forge explains that this entity is known as the Adversary (very clever name) and is a creature of pure chaos who likes to mess with humans (who Nemesis likens to Q from Star Trek: the Next Generation for all you nerds out there, says the guy with a comic blog). As they explore and find no real way to stop the Adversary, Forge realizes that the mind they're in isn't Forge's any more, it's the Adversary's.

A good deal of interesting stuff here as, in typical CABLE AND X-FORCE fashion, things go extremely wrong extremely quickly. There's a lot to contend with and it's almost entirely interesting as Cable's old powers are no longer working, Hope's powers are somewhat amplified by the TK that came pouring out of Cable's mind not long ago, Domino and Colossus have ruined their date night by causing an avalanche when they had to bring down a Sentinel, favorite odd-couple Nemesis and Forge are reunited as they wander through someone's mind, and Boom Boom is stuck at home contending with a god-like being of pure chaos who, in his first moments around her, converted their base into a simulacrum of a night club. As I said, there's a lot happening. The writing continues to be really character-driven, giving us really great moments from...well, from everyone, really. There's not a character in this issue who doesn't have a good few lines. The art fits the tone really well, a somewhat more cartoony feel than what we've seen from this book previously with Gerardo Sandoval  picking up the pencils on this one. There are cute little moments in lettering too as Hope throws a car at some of the Reavers and the sound effect reads "KAR-KRASH," just pages after an avalanche starting made the sound "AVALANCHE." Sometimes little fun games like that can get really distracting and pull you out, but I had to double-check kar-krash before really getting it and I didn't even see "AVALANCHE" on the first read-through. Lots of fun stuff with plenty of plot to keep us motivated for next issue.

Uncanny X-Men 13, X-Men Legacy 18, Cable and X-Force 15

Uncanny X-Men 13
Bendis (w) and Bachalo, Townsend, Vey, Irwin, Mendoza, and Olazaba (a) and Gracia (c)

Battle of the Atom pushes forward (this is part 8 of 10) with more fights as present-day Scott's team arrives on the scene in time to learn that the first team of future X-Men to come back to the present is made up of frauds and that the second team of future X-Men is the real deal but then they get eaten by Krakoa, controlled by Xavier. Meanwhile, Magik fights alongside Colossus as they try to push into the school while the fraud X-Men team try to send the past X-Men back to the past. They have some trouble with the time cube, though it seems the cube works (they test it with Wolverine and Mystique's son Raze, who jumps back to the past briefly and returns to the present to test it). Beast speculates that the original X-Men have jumped back and forth in time so much that they now kind of exist outside of their own timeline so they can't be forcibly sent back? Look, that's what they said, okay? The issue ends as Scott and his team, having defeated the Krakoa, burst into Hank's lab.

This series, as you can tell from the summary and the fact I have to specify which of the five or six X-Men teams present I'm talking about, is extremely convoluted. Complicated isn't necessarily bad. Convoluted is. Infinity is complicated (apparently I'm planning to link everything back to Infinity this week), with plenty of moving parts and new characters and untold power and consequences. This is convoluted. In addition, this series is clearly just making up rules at this point. The O.G. X-Men exist outside of their own timeline because they've created such a paradox? The problem with time travel (or one of them) as a literary device is that there are no real defined rules because it's a thing that doesn't and really can't exist. Therefore, everyone who gets a turn to play with it has the chance to make up his or her own rules. As a reader, though, I still have to compare the rules of time travel within a given medium; I'm not comparing the time travel in Dr. Who to the time travel in the Marvel Universe but I sure will compare the time travel in Marvel to other time travel in Marvel and there are way more complicated, paradox-inducing time travel stories in the Marvel Universe already. There was already one this year with Age of Ultron and that turned out, obviously, pretty poorly but it still didn't create a paradox that acted like this. The response, of course, is that there are no defined rules of time travel because time travel isn't real, which is infuriating because I'm not looking for rules of real time travel, I'm looking for rules that make sense when measured against the other rules this universe has set forth. Frustrating. Also, this book is built, it seems, only on revealing new X-Men teams and on fight sequences, as just about every issue in this event has ended in either a new X-Men team or a fight sequence. I guess welcome to comics? AND ANOTHER THING (I really didn't want this to go on this long but here we are), I'm getting pretty tired of future people constantly hinting at ridiculous future events that will either never be referenced again or will be erased from the timeline. You don't need to mention the Baxter Building/Stark Tower wars because it's almost certainly not applicable here and you're just getting people to say "well hey, what's that?" without any chance of offering an answer. It feels like the basest form of fanservice, throwing in things that fans never asked for but will no doubt recognize and thaty ou have no intention of showing. It happens constantly in any book that has to do with time travel and by god it is irritating. Okay, next book.

X-Men Legacy 18
Spurrier (w) and Pham w/ Leisten (a) and Rosenberg (c)

Luca has revealed himself, after jumping from body to body watching David all over the world as he prepares to intercede when David loses control of his powers. Luca wants the end of mutantkind and knows, with the abilities he's stolen from Blindfold, that David might be the root of that. He can't accurately see David's future but he recognizes that the best way to ensure Blindfold's failure in stopping David is simply to follow him around everywhere, hopping from body to body. Finally he jumps in as it seems David is set to explode but he quickly realizes that David has been aware that he's been followed. David had released one of his personalities, the Delusionaut, to the site of his battle with Cyclops earlier that day and it had created a scene that drew the X-Men there, which also drew the press and everything else, meaning that David would get a highly publicized fight with Cyclops, publicized enough to make it seem real if he looked like he was losing control. It drew Luca out and now David has caught Luca in his web. The fight with Cyclops was never about hating Cyclops (David recognizes that he couldn't hate Cyclops more than Cyclops hates himself), to Cyclops' surprise; it was about drawing Luca out. However, Cyclops' team had cheated in the battle and poisoned David's mind with a psychic poison that Emma and the Cuckoo's had designed in the case of a foe stronger than they could fight. It takes longer to kick in but now it has and David crumples to the ground, his mental jail in shambles and, worst of all, the Xavier in his head escaping, potentially teaming with Luca for the next step.

Plenty happening here. I swear, I keep coming into each of these reviews planning only to write a little bit but I get complicated book after complicated book. Whether it's Infinity, where every step is important and we're dealing with longer books anyway, or it's Battle of the Atom and I have to spend half of the review explaining which X-Men team I'm talking about, or it's Hawkeye and no real action happens in the classic sense so I feel like I have to describe every inaction because it all seems equally important to the plot, or it's X-Men Legacy where crazy complex things are happening and I have to explain them, I end up here, with a really long summary and the worry that I've ruined the book by boiling it down to text. Bleh. Oh well, this is another solid issue, and one made particularly good by the end of the fight with Cyclops. I liked the fight itself, with David using his powers to wipe the floor with the X-Men and with what seemed legitimate rage but it would be a lie to say it didn't feel a little out of place. David has a very complex relationship with his father so attacking Scott to avenge that father felt more than a little Hamlet-like, though admittedly with less whining. Instead, it was all another part of his plans. I don't really get why I don't see this coming, Spurrier has pulled this off several times now, with the Pete Wisdom adventure and the Church of the Happy Host, and Darwin's Martyr's. Each time I go "no, something must be up," but then I forget that I thought that and buy into the story as it's written before being pulled back again as David cries "something was up!" Really great book that can fool you over and over and not annoy you but, in fact, delight you. Good stuff. Really long review. I swear I'll cut this next one down if it kills me.

Cable and X-Force 15
Hopeless (w) and Sandoval (a) and Rosenberg (c)

Things are returning to "normal" for Cable and his X-Force as the team is working again to prevent threats to mutants before they happen. They're split on three fronts for this issue, with Cable and Hope taking out bomb-wielding Reavers in Australia, Domino and Colossus stopping thieves from accidentally activating a Sentinel at a Trask safehouse in Colorado, and Forge, Dr. Nemesis, and Boom Boom at mission command in Montana. Forge is hacking on a tight schedule between the other two missions while Dr. Nemesis and Boom Boom test out a new device that should be able to enter Cable's mindscape to see the visions he's getting so he no longer has to be bothered relaying them to the team, they can just see them. The plans, which are all going pretty well, go belly-up when Forge is attacked by an enemy who seemed to be biding his time in Forge's own mind, leaving Cable and Hope at the detonation of a bomb, Domino and Colossus at the hands of a fully operational Sentinel, and Dr. Nemesis and Boom Boom squaring off against a Native American demon thing that was inhabiting Forge.

It's another good issue for Cable and X-Force and one that starts to get back at the root of what this book had set out to be. Obviously there were complications here and there as we had to deal with the Uncanny Avengers and some of the ramifications of the team's actions for several issues in there, as well as whether or not Hope belonged with the team, but now we seem squarely back on task of preventing threats to mutants and dealing with internal problems on the team. I'm pretty happy about it; I like the Uncanny Avengers and I thought the series was still telling some pretty good stories but we're reading this book in large part because of the team so to have the team take kind of a backseat to the story seems counterproductive. Here, in just one issue split out among seven team members, we get a good feel for every character as if to re-establish them before diving into this new story. What's particularly great about the way it's handled is that it definitely feels, after the fact, like it's re-establishing the characters, but during the issue you don't get that sense. Sometimes books will take the easy way out and will try to re-establish characters in very much the "tell don't show" method, where someone will come out and say "you're always so bitter, you have to let go of [events in your past]" which very much tells us what's happening instead of showing it over time. Some books, of course, don't have the luxury of time to tell a story but this one makes sure it shows but doesn't tell. Good stuff. Also some choice Dr. Nemesis lines so you know I'm on board. God, I thought this review was going to be shorter.

Good news to balance earlier's bad news

This Cable & X-Force issue I'm writing is so full of Forge/Nemesis crazy, I had to jump up and down with both feet to cram it all in.

— Dennis Hopeless (@HopelessDent) August 26, 2013

X-Men 4, Cable and X-Force 13

X-Men 4
Wood (w) and D. Lopez and C. Smith w/ N. Lee (a) and Peter (c)

The new team is fresh off their first adventure together wherein Storm was prepared to make the call to kill their friend Karima to protect the world from Arkea. It's a decision that's not exactly sitting well with her teammates, particularly Rachel, who also feels that Storm has installed herself as leader prematurely. The team has to work out their issues as they save a jet with a malfunctioning engine from crashing by hooking it to their Blackbird. Meanwhile, Wolverine escapes the school for a bit to hang out with Jubilee for the first proper time in a long while (they hung out at some point in the last couple years but it was amidst Jubilee turning into a vampire and a clan attacking Wolverine to find he doesn't turn into a vampire very well so it's not a real hangout, you know?). The two friends and Jubilee's adopted son Shogo hit a couple of Jubilee's old favorite places in the California town where she grew up and share a very nice day which ends with Wolverine buying Jubilee's old house, unbeknownst to her. He's a good guy, that one. Also featured prominently on the cover.

Lot of really good stuff in here. It's a bit wordy, particularly as we get accustomed to this team and the way they talk and the issues they have to work out but the words aren't typically wasted. There are a few bits that feel a little forced, particularly with Jubilee as she and Wolverine decide that subtext is for suckers and that they'd rather lay their history out on the table in front of us for all to see but it's still not the worst decision. Jubilee has been removed from the spotlight for a while now and it seems like she's going to be a major player in this book full of people who have stayed very much in the spotlight lately. Best to get everyone caught up. Besides, her relationship with Wolverine does allow for that sort of talk. It's not perfect and you do catch yourself reading a lot of bits like "hey, I was a pretty lost kid myself when the X-Men found me!" but it gets across the points we need and generally keeps pretty uptempo. The other storyline, featuring the actual X-Men team, is even stronger, showing the team dealing with problems and giving us a good sense of personalities on the team. On top of that, it's a little nice to see a crisis solved efficiently and effectively and without a single supervillain showing up. You guys, there wasn't even a supervillain in this book. Kind of neat to just see them being heroes because they can do things like save jets, not because they're the only one matched to fight a supervillain. Solid issue, I think the best that's come about so far. Also a nice side of Wolverine that certainly has existed but isn't focused on a ton.

Cable and X-Force 13
Hopeless and Bunn (w) and Larroca and Sandoval (a) and D'Armata (c)

Hope is still in the future talking to future Hope and Blaquesmith while X-Force, starting to come back together again, is still dealing with problems in the past. We finally get the Dr. Nemesis and Forge bit that I've been waiting for and it does not disappoint, though it's incredibly short-lived as the two argue about the best way to destroy a giant horrible monster (kind of Cthulu-ish but not exactly, for reference), with both shooting down the other's ideas one by one. Domino, Boom-Boom, and Colossus show up and, with a combination of punches and explosions, defeat the monster pretty quickly. As the team talks, Domino reveals that Cable's in trouble and they head out to attack the Uncanny Avengers again. Cable himself is trying to explain things to Alex who finds himself in the difficult position of believing Cable but still unsure how to deal with what seemed to be a terrorist attack to the media by Cable's team and the fact that Cable's seizures are getting worse and worse, causing his powers to go out of control and hurt people nearby. Finally, Hope, in dealing with her future self and Blaquesmith, has found that she's not particularly fond of her future self and the solutions they've come up with. They've made Cable have these visions in the hopes (ha, get it, two Hopes) that he stays in the superhero game (he would have quit, future Hope relates, if not for these visions and it would have doomed the world). Of course, the downside is that now it's killing him and present Hope has to figure that out herself.

A lot going on here and, as I said, the Dr. Nemesis and Forge bit is exactly what I was reading for and I was not disappointed, except in that it's so quickly over. I just want to read them talk with one another. PRO-TIP: read Dr. Nemesis as a 1950s detective or, more accurately, as the Venture Brothers' Cardholder and Doe. It's the most fun in the world and hopefully you'll understand what I see in him. Anyway, the team's stuff is mostly interesting, the Hope stuff feels a little protracted and a bit weak and Cable's stuff is good but we already pretty much know it all, it's just him explaining it to Havok now. Some decent writing carries a bit of the bad stuff though the Hope sections still feel pretty slow and they're the majority of this book. It's tough to wade through a bit of time as Hope can't quite figure out what's happening and, when it all clicks into place, she's angry at future Hope for not realizing her plans might kill Cable. The issue ends with Blaquesmith and future Hope preparing to send Hope back to the past with the corny and shoe-horned line that the weapon she's carrying with her back there is "a fighting chance." Come on, don't leave us with that, you guys. Leave us with Dr. Nemesis finding a new hat! His excursion to a hat store!

Cable and X-Force 7, Dark Avengers 189, Thunderbolts 8

Cable and X-Force 7
Hopeless (w) and Larocca (a) and D'Armata (c)

One of the things that's been so fun about Cable and X-Force so far is that, despite Cable's ability as a good strategist and the team's overall competence in their respective fields, sometimes things just don't work out. There are often variables that Cable can't foresee, for one reason or another, and the plan goes south amazingly fast. In the first story, Cable and X-Force were stunned to find how quickly the disease infecting the fast food chain had spread and how resilient it was to any of Dr. Nemesis' remedies and were also surprised to find Deathlok involved, among other setbacks. Already in this seemingly smoother plan, after a successful first half, Cable finds himself face-to-face with his fugitive father Cyclops, and Boom Boom and Domino find that the alien they're trying to break out to reunite with his ship is less than cooperative. I will say, this is the only time I've really thought to question Cable's plan. Even if it's necessary to get the alien out so he can pilot the ship, we maybe should have done a little more research on this alien to find out just how creepy and not helpful he might be. Of course, Cable hasn't come across the alien yet, which has attacked every other member of the team so far, so maybe Cable will turn up and force him into submission or blackmail him or something. On the other hand, it does seem like they need this SPECIFIC alien to prevent the future Cable has seen, so maybe they're just out of pleasant options.
So Boom Boom and Domino break the alien out while Dr. Nemesis and Forge take a quick jaunt into space for Dr. Nemesis' benefit. Cable talks with Cyclops, who says that he trusts Cable and if there's anything he can do to help, he's available. Domino hits on Colossus a bit and tries again to convince him to leave with them but Colossus refuses, still preferring to serve his time in the prison. After the alien knocks out Boom Boom and Domino and brings them onto his ship, which he hijacks out from under Dr. Nemesis and Forge, he gives a threatening message to Colossus before taking off in his ship with the rest of the team. Cable pursues in a stolen SWORD ship.
The writing in this book continues to be fast-paced and largely fun. There are some great character relationships developing here. I really love the Forge-Dr. Nemesis dynamic that Hopeless has created and I'm kind of intrigued by this Domino-Colossus relationship. I don't mind Domino but I'd never found her super interesting. I guess that I've been most interested in her when she's teamed up with Cable or Cable and Deadpool or something and I tend to be a fan of the Kitty-Colossus relationship, so I wouldn't have expected myself to care about this fling at all, but it's interesting to watch develop. I also love Colossus and I think the arc he's going through right now is fascinating and fits the character really well. You do have to ask how long he's going to keep himself on the bench, knowing he could help his friends. Exciting questions abound and NEXT TIME, dear readers, we had to SPACE.

Dark Avengers 189
Parker (w) and Edwards and Pallot (a) and Sotomayor (c)

Events are moving quickly again in Dark Avengers as the not-dead Moonstone phases into Stark's lab to break Ragnarok out and meet up with the other Dark Avengers who are in battle with Doc Strange. Strange imbibes all of Iron Fist's chi energy as he goads Danny into attacking, making him even more formidable. It's a little sad as a fan of both those characters in the 616 to watch Strange drooling to kill Iron Fist, as I think they're relationship is pretty fantastic in the normal universe. Meanwhile, Al Apaic organizes a bit of an attack himself, directing US Agent to the Cap of this world's shield, which US Agent uses to deflect Strange's attack and kill Clea. Apaic uses all his poison on Strange, killing him and releasing Skaar from his spell, allowing him to turn on Grimm and spare Reed's life. Moonstone and Ragnarok begin to try to leave Stark's lab and are confronted by Stark himself, who kills Pym with a blast Moonstone phased through. Ragnarok tears into Stark and destroys the armor, only for them to watch as a brain in a helmet flew away. Pym reveals, with his dying words, that he kept replacing bit by bit of himself to make room for more weapons until only the brain was left. Moonstone then leads Ragnarok away from Stark's and towards Thor's hammer, still in the crater Thor died in. Ragnarok lifts it and is transformed into something that looks a bit less like Thor.
So things have definitely sped up after a couple issues of the pieces fitting themselves into place. Now the Dark Avengers have seen to the end of Strange and have put Grimm and Stark very much on their toes. Assuming Skaar can escape with Richards and meet up with Ragnarok and Moonstone and the three heavy weights can find the other team members, things could get real interesting real fast. I've already been interested in this story (though I am glad to see it pick up its pace a bit again) and now I'm very intrigued to see how the rest of the arc plays out. AIM has something up their sleeve and Tony has just launched his "Iron Omega," which seems to be kind of an endgame for all he's concerned. Meanwhile, lingering in the background is the Namor-Sue Storm threat of destroying New York and the worry that Reed might not be able to open a portal back (he probably will though...then again, there's no reason this team COULDN'T stay out here). The resolution of the story is also something to be excited about, as we can learn what AIM's game is behind all of this and exactly what happened to devolve everyone so quickly. Fun stuff ahead for this book.

Thunderbolts 8
Way (w) and Noto (a) and Guru eFX (c)

There are a couple of great little twists in this book that make me excited about the way the Thunderbolts can run as a team again, after what I found to be a little bit of a stall in the first arc. I was intrigued by this team after seeing the first cover and who was going to be in it, and I still am, but I was a little turned off by the pacing of the first arc (and, in truth, I wasn't a fan of Dillon's art and that took me out of it a bit). I think now we're reaching some really interesting points, as we're seeing the skill and competence of this team mixed with the warring personalities. Let's get to the twists in a minute. First, the plot.
On the hunt for whoever is using gamma-powered armor to decimate the Middle East, Red Hulk's investigation brings him to a former American living as a terrorist in (of all places this week) Chechnya. He interrogates the man and finds out about a local arms dealer who seems to have had a run in recently with the person behind the gamma armor. The TBolts wipe out the little terrorist cell and leave. They plan an attack on the arms dealer, still trying to get answers, and this is where we start to get to our twists. Red Hulk has teamed Deadpool and Punisher together in an interesting call of, essentially, "these two could handle one another if one turned out to be a problem." Deadpool reports to Red Hulk that Punisher is champing at the bit to take out all these people contacting the arms dealer, as is his way, and he fears that he might jeopardize the mission. Red Hulk tells Deadpool to keep his eyes open and take Punisher out if he has to. Of course, Punisher isn't acting that way and Deadpool is trying to set him up so he might be able to attack him. Meanwhile, inside the location, the scummy arms dealer is meeting with terrorists and makes a note of how much he likes women in burkas because he can wonder if they're as pretty under there as he might imagine them to be. Though the last arc and the general layout of these kinds of books might lead you to believe that it's Elektra in this burka. Punisher and Deadpool have their eyes on the meeting from a perch in a window and Deadpool pulls out a handgun to use on Punisher. A gun fires and, at the turn of the page, we find that Elektra wasn't in the burka but had a sniper rifle trained on Deadpool and took him down before he could make his move on Punisher. Out from under the burka comes Venom ("out from under" isn't exactly the right phrase, as the symbiote was creating the burka) and he, Elektra, Punisher, and Red Hulk tear up the place, finally getting to the arms dealer. They start to question him before he receives a phone call from the guy they're trying to find and it detonates an explosion.
Things are, like in each other book in this review, heating up again. The team is doing everything I would have hoped this team would be able to do. The twists of Venom in the burka and Elektra prepared to take down Deadpool changes the dynamic of the book. The Venom in the burka bit shows that Way isn't afraid to play with your preconceptions, which is always a nice touch for a book to have. The Elektra-Deadpool-Punisher thing is more what we can expect from the team. This team has a purpose and it will do what it has to do achieve it. If that means taking out a key member of the team, it will be done without second thoughts. Good issue and it feels like we've put this book back on solid footing.