X-Force #22, May 1993, written by Fabian Nicieza, penciled by Greg Capullo

The X-Forcers make it back to Camp Verde safe and sound, with all of Cable’s weapons and vehicles from his space station Graymalkin intact. Of course, they rarely if ever use any of this stuff…but whatever. The plot involving Warpath, Siryn and Boomer’s kidnapping advances, and will get resolved next issue.

Nothing much more to say past this just being another great installment in a great run. Nicieza is writing charismatic individuals who I love “hanging out” with, and Capullo is doing the best artwork that any X-Book had at the time (outside of Romita Jr.). It’s great stuff.

Also I just saw on Amazon that Nicieza and Capullo’s run (minus the X-Cutioner’s Song issues that started it) is being collected in a premium format hardcover this November. Get it. I’m so excited that this entire stretch of issues is being given a cool collected edition that I can now direct people towards. Win!

Sidenote: I got this issue in a big variety pack of comics from some bookstore in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee (aka Tourist Trap Land aka Bumper Boat Heaven aka Where Country Music Goes To Die)  in Summer 1993.

My Score: 8.7

X-Force #21, April 1993, written by Fabian Nicieza, penciled by Greg Capullo

Listen, I’m writing this in a state of semi-consciousness, pretty darn tired after a long day of buying trade paperbacks and air conditioners (singular, just one). So whatever. This is a great issue. Actually, this entire stretch of issues is great. I’ve written about my love for the Nicieza/Capullo era of X-Force before. It’s not Sandman, it’s not New X-Men, it’s honestly not overly smart, it’s just good. Like, really good. And because of it being really good, it’s GREAT.

As in, it doesn’t try to be anything more than it is. Some of the Great Comic Books have a pretension to them, a smug confidence, or they just feel like Important Books. That’s cool. That’s great. But you know what I like even more? Good comics. Comics that are good. Comics with big fights between characters that I like hanging out with. Not characters that I love to hate, or characters that I’m learning something from, or characters that are placeholders for larger ideas. Characters that I like to hang with, that I like to see quip and punch and grit their teeth. There’s a lot of that in this issue.

The X-Forcers fight War Machine and S.H.I.E.L.D. on an exploding Graymalkin while Cannonball and Sunspot race against the self-destruct timer to save what little of Cable’s legacy they can. That’s it for that. Shatterstar vs. War Machine? Yes, please, dude. But also, Cannonball desperately hoping that Cable (his latest in a long line of surrogate fathers) left him something. The soap opera elements in this are great. They’re deep enough to provoke thought, but raw and simple enough to not muddle up the plot. 

Geez guys, I’m tired and I love X-Force. This stuff is great fun and it’s where my love for the characters comes from. In your face!

My Score: 8.8

1335. X-Force #20, March 1993, written by Fabian Nicieza, penciled by Greg Capullo

X-Force continues to be an incredibly fun comic that has just a bit more going on underneath all the fighting, for those who care to see it (I care, I care way too much). Still reeling from the loss of their mentor, Cable, the X-Force crew jump at the chance to protect and take their inheritance on the newly decloaked Graymalkin space station before S.H.I.E.L.D. can get to it first. The divvying up of the deceased belongings and reading of their will is a cultural tradition, and Nicieza is having X-Force do just that after the death of Cable…just in the form of a big fight with Nick Fury and company. It’s a great deal of fun.

X-Force collectively not knowing their own strength and being a bit dim is becoming a favorite running gag of mine in this series. After X-Force tear through S.H.I.E.L.D. (and Sam apologetically knocks Fury out cold), Sam asks if anyone needs any medical care. Rictor says they’re all all right, to which Sam mutters that he was talking about the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents. Like I always say when I talk about X-Force, they are big, loud, brash and immature; they are teenagers fumbling their way into adulthood. Sam’s reactions to all of this, particularly in a later issue when his team dumps a prisoner in the ocean, are perfect.

I also really enjoy the connection that Cable’s sentient computer, Professor, is most likely Ship from the old X-Factor comics. It’s a nice bit of history that is dealt with properly here.

And on top of all that, Capullo’s art is incredibly fun and ’90s in a good way. It holds up very well.

My Score: 8.8

1185. X-Force #19, February 1993, written by Fabian Nicieza, penciled by Greg Capullo

Every one of my arguments for X-Force being the most consistent X-Title of the ’90s (if not of all time) pretty much stem from this issue. It’s absolutely phenomenal, the perfect example of how you force real gritty human emotion-based drama into spandex. 

X-Force started as a cash-in move by Marvel to get tons of money off of the gun-toting day-glo angst of the early ’90s. Mix mutants with Punisher ethics and big tits? Uhyesthankyou, hereareamillionvariantcovers. And thanks to Fabian Nicieza’s scripting, those horrendous Liefeld plots still managed to pop due to sharp characterization and self-aware quips. But then Liefeld left the book, and Cable soon after, and the team was thrown into a crossover that forced them to answer for their reckless decision making. I’ve already gone on at great length about how much I love this aspect of “X-Cutioner’s Song” so I won’t do it again. So like X-Factor #87 and Uncanny X-Men #297  before it, this comic steps back, sits down, and takes a breather.

And it’s the best issue of X-Force ever and, currently the sixteenth best comic I have ever read in my entire life. Yes, I have a database. Of course I have a database.

So why is this issue so great? Because Nicieza actually addresses the inherent consequences of the first year of the title and the repercussions of the team being held captive by Xavier. The confrontation that has needed to happen, X-Force vs Xavier, finally happens and it pays off big time. Xavier still believes the team to be children, incapable of handling their own destiny. He thinks they’ve been manipulated by Cable and sees the world in a strict sense of right and wrong. Cannonball explains to Xavier that they are adults and they have learned from all of their teachers and are ready and completely capable of living on their own. The issue is debated smartly by both sides and is ultimately won by Cannonball, who demonstrates that shades of grey exist and differing methods can result in the same outcome. The argument ends with Cannonball nearly slapping Professor X, and it’s depicted with appropriate gravity and expert acting (thanks to Greg Capullo). And man, Nicieza, you get Cannonball. You made Cannonball an adult in this issue, an adult that logically grew up from the childhood we all read in New Mutants. You gave him a hero moment, standing up to his father figure, that defined him for, well, it still defines him today. Cannonball stopped being a goofy Southern generic hero in this issue and became a competent leader on the level of Cyclops.

Siryn and Sunspot also have similar moments of realization in this issue that come across differently than Cannonball’s. Sunspot is absolutely shaken by his experience with Gideon and his newfound energy blast powers. He’s completely unsure of and terrified of his future. Siryn, on the other hand, admits to Professor X that she feels alive for the first time and has the utmost faith in her team. These two vignettes, along with Cannonball’s, perfectly illustrate what X-Force is all about. Growing up. So many comics are about kids and teenagers, and so many comics are about heroes who are just generically adult, but so precious few are about this period. The awkward, uncertain steps teenagers take into adulthood are such perfect material and yet so rarely done, and rarely done so well. This is X-Force as a unit deciding that they are strong enough and confident enough to stand alone and deciding to go for it.

And that’s what this series is all about. X-Force thematically is not about Cable. It is about the absence of authority and who you become in said absence. That is why the Nicieza/Capullo run of issues, and particularly this issue, works so well.

The other magnificent part of this book is Greg Capullo’s art, especially his redesigns of the entire X-Force team. They are easily my favorite superhero uniforms of all time. The new designs mix a team look with individual looks, which is what all team looks should do. Yes, the uniforms have shoulder pads and pockets galore, but overall…they look more timeless than the Liefeld designs. They mix maturity with youthful colors and flourishes, all tied together with a strong militaristic vibe. They are unique and a step past the anti-costumes of 1991. Also Nicieza takes a jab at Liefeld by having Warpath say upon receiving his new costume, “at least now I can turn my neck without smacking myself in the chin with my shoulder pads.” Nice.

On top of all this greatness, characters have hilarious lines, they interact in fascinating ways, it’s just Nicieza taking everything that once did not work about this series and making them be the series’ strong points. The issue ends with X-Force declaring their independence and teleporting away. As they are leaving, Professor X tells Cannonball that two of his teammates snuck into his study to steal information. I love this. I love that Nicieza both gives Cannonball a clear philosophical victory and has Professor X get a last dig in. Yes, Professor X could have just gotten a verbal beating, end of issue. But Nicieza acknowledges Professor X as a character that exists strongly outside of X-Force and doesn’t let him get trounced that easily. One last jab, one last “realize that this is the path you have chosen, one filled with second-guessing and moral compromises” to make his point before the issues end. It’s expert. It’s class-act. It’s near a masterpiece.

I love X-Force.

My Score: 9.8

507. X-Force #17, December 1992, written by Fabian Nicieza, penciled by Greg Capullo

The dead middle of this 12 part story wraps up with this issue, and thankfully it’s a lot lighter on pointless fisticuffs and heavier on interpersonal drama. X-Force’s “stay” in the X-Mansion is taking a toll on everyone involved. Stryfe also beats the crap out of Apocalypse, providing further hints about his real identity. I read this storyline after the fact so I always knew that Cable was Cyclops’ son and Stryfe was the clone. I don’t know what reading this as it was published would have been like, but I can’t imagine there was anyone who hadn’t figured some of it out at this point. For some reason even though I guess I knew this was when Cable’s origin was revealed, I never really knew this was when his origin was revealed. I just always read every early Cable appearance as if his origin was known because that’s the point of view I’ve always had of his character. I am just now realizing that Cable’s true origin was actually revealed at the time I started knowing who the X-Men were, and that itself was three years after he first appeared. That’s why I’m doing this whole “read nearly all X-Men comics in order” thing, to put things in perspective.

This issue itself gets by on snappy dialogue (WAY better than Nicieza’s current work on X-Men) and Capullo’s top notch artwork.

My Score: 8.7

0467. X-Force #16, November 1992, written by Fabian Nicieza, penciled by Greg Capullo

All the great tension of the past two issues is still kept taut in this one as X-Force is taken down by their friends and allies. It’s a rewarding read and X-Force’s defeat feels dramatic, a real turning point.

But there’s some wonky stuff gong on plot-wise. I noted in the previous chapter that Mr. Sinister’s sudden desire to kill Professor X seemed random, and apparently someone else behind the scenes thought that. The villain who said that he came to bury Charles Xavier in the previous part now assures Bishop that he is at the X-Mansion to help the X-Men find the real culprit. What? That’s just lazy. And both issues were written by Fabian Nicieza! So…no clue what caused that sudden shift. That’s a pretty lazy mistake.

Greg Capullo’s art holds up way better than every other artist working on this crossover. I love Jae Lee’s work on X-Factor, but it does seem needlessly abstract and overly ’90s at times. Capullo’s work is just solid. Equal parts dynamic and traditional. Compared to his Image predecessors, Capullo’s work is just as totally awesome but with great proportions, layouts, and facial expressions. He’s a real artist.

My Score: 8.5

0400. X-Force #15, October 1992, written by Fabian Nicieza, penciled by Greg Capullo

Salvation! The next 11 issues are going to be so much fun and so much better to look at. Capullo was made to draw this series. He has the exact same energy that Liefeld had (ol’ Rob’s only asset) but a professional artist’s sense of proportion and perspective. The artwork in this issue is the best and most appropriate (sorry Mignola) the series has had to date. It’s great. His art really takes off by the end of issue #19, when he redesigns the team’s look, but it’s already off to a strong start.

The story itself is great fun. Nicieza has managed to tie up every one of Liefeld’s ridiculous loose ends in three issues. Seriously. In the last two issues he tied up all of Weapon Prime’s grudge, had the team abandon their HQ, added Rictor to the team and had Domino and Cable set out to find Tolliver. Now in this issue he definitively clears up all the Domino/Vanessa switcheroo mess, frees Sunspot from Gideon’s clutches while also getting all the Externals off X-Force’s backs, writes Tolliver out of the book as an antagonist and has the team relocate to Warpath’s old reservation…and also fits in a fight with Deadpool. This is Nicieza cleaning house, tossing out everything that doesn’t work and polishing up the stuff that does work.

Nicieza continues laughing at Liefeld’s idea by having an opening splash page of Crule leaping into the IPAC vehicle…and then having Rictor simply vibe-blast him out of the same hole a couple pages later. Big lead up, and then he’s dismissed like the joke character he is. Great.

Sunspot is added to the cast an issue after Rictor is, which is wise. I don’t know how much Nicieza enjoyed Liefeld’s additions to the team, but I assume from this move that he wasn’t a fan of writing a team full of psychos. Cable, Domino, Feral and Shatterstar have all been standing around gritting their teeth for the past year’s worth of stories, I’m glad to see Cable and Domino written out and Sunspot and Rictor added back in. Adding these two classic characters, even though they are both stubborn hotheads, makes the book seem way more familial. I love Cannonball asking X-Force to help him rescue his best friend from Gideon. I love Cannonball being the one to save Sunspot and being with him as he goes supernova. I love Boom Boom’s reaction to the explosion, a whispered “Sam—?” followed by a big ol’ kiss when she sees him. Man, I really love Shatterstar immediately demanding a plan of action from Cannonball, who admits that he has no clue what the team should do next. Nicieza has been giving Cannonball tons of great character moments like this, putting him in situations that he as a leader hasn’t been ready to face.

Lastly, we get to really meet the real Domino in present day in this issue. She introduces herself by blowing a giant hole in Deadpool’s back with Vanessa/Domino’s gun, while wearing a tattered bikini and wise-cracking. Ugh, I love Domino. So great.

Guys, I think that by the end of 1992, X-Force surpassed X-Factor as the best X-book.

My Score: 8.8

0359. X-Force #13, August 1992, written by Fabian Nicieza, penciled by Mark Pacella

Man, that feels good. “Written by Fabian Nicieza.” And it shows. The issue’s pacing is infinitely better. Nicieza builds tension on the first page by alternating showing Weapon Prime’s descent upon X-Force’s headquarters and the team’s hurried packing. The entire issue has a real sense of urgency and discernible goals. Weapon Prime wants to finally bring Cable to justice after his “terrorist” acts. Since the team is made up of Cable’s former disciples, there are some really good moments with the Primers telling the Forcers that they are being fooled by Cable. Coming on the heels of “Domino’s” betrayal, this feels very relevant. I also like that Nicieza makes everything more hectic by making Cable attempt to keep his tech out of S.H.I.E.L.D. and Prime hands. So on top of evacuating the base and getting attacked by Weapon Prime, Cable also has to make sure his weapons and plans stay secret. Everything culminates in a close up image of Cannonball blasting, completely freaking out (good job Pacella) and barking orders at everyone as the self-destruct on the base counts down. I absolutely love the bit in this panel where Cannonball tells Boom Boom to drop an unconscious Rictor if she has to, followed by a mumbled “Lord” conveying his inability to grasp the HUGE decisions he has to make quickly about the fate of his friends. It’s just so well done, so subtle, and so what X-Force should have been about from the beginning. The teens being forced to grow up due to the world they have chosen to live in. Great stuff. Pacella’s art is also better in this issue, not because of the art itself but the style. Most of the pages have full-bleed (right? where the art goes all the way to the edge of the page?) which makes it stand out from every other issue of the series so far. It’s not that big of a change, really, but big enough that it has stayed with me since I read it first almost 17 years ago. I guess you don’t realize how every comic has a white border around it until it’s taken away.

Overall, this is the best issue of the series in a long while and a good sign of things to come. The score would be higher if the plot wasn’t so paper thin and the art still so Liefeld-esque. But the fact that the plot is actually coherent and the art attempts something unique makes it better than previous issues.

My Score: 7.9

0358. X-Force #12, July 1992, scripted by Fabian Nicieza, plotted by Rob Liefeld, penciled by Mark Pacella

And here it is, the first appearance…of CRULE! Or Krule, depending on which issue or toy or trading card you have with this guy on him. Seriously, Rob Liefeld? A purple barbarian with a ridiculously long pony tail that has skulls braided through it? What? And on top of that, give him crazy speech bubbles unlike anything ever before, which use elements normally reserved for robot voices. Man, what a winner.

Crule will be dead in four years.

More importantly than Crule’s first appearance, though…this is Rob Liefeld’s LAST ISSUE of X-Force. His last issue as artist was #9, last issue as cover artist (aside from gimmicky variants way ahead in the future) was #11, and now his last issue as plotter (the most dangerous area for him to be involved in) is here. #12. A year of Liefeld and DONE. This series, in this incarnation, lasts for another 100 issues! And it gets so much better! The business with Weapon Prime (a team built around hating Cable) and the fake Domino and the plan for revenge on Tolliver is much more interesting than the endless fight with Toad’s Bros.

This issue was a little too heavy on the gritted teeth, but still okay. Things pick up quickly from here.

My Score: 7.3

0353. X-Force #11, June 1992, scripted by Fabian Nicieza, plotted by Rob Liefeld, penciled by Mark Pacella

Pacella’s art improves some. The fight between Deadpool and Domino is pretty strong, even though it suffers from every anatomical error every artist made in the early ’90s when drawing women. X-Force goes down to the Morlock tunnels to rub the murder and beating (?) of Thornn into their faces. Um, seriously, Thornn? Beaten and whipped? Yeesh, Cable. These are teenagers you’re in charge of.

So, better than last issue. But that’s not saying much. I like where this book is going.

My Score: 7.4