In a perfect world, X-Force wouldn’t be necessary. That lasted a matter of days. In X-Force #2, Ben Percy, Joshua Cassara, and Dean White show us Krakoa in mourning. When beloved leader Charles Xavier is brutally assassinated, some turn to faith, others to science, and others to revenge. Unfortunately, there is no fix during a time like this, but there are answers, and we will find them.
Ari Bard: And… We’re back Kenneth! Krakoa has gone through a lot since X-Force #1, and the team is starting to come together out of necessity. Beast, Marvel Girl, Sage, and Dr. Reyes put their analytical minds to good use while Kid Omega and Wolverine seem to prefer a more… hands on approach. A scalpel vs. a sledgehammer and all that.
Kenneth Laster: We love some good loud espionage. This issue really warmed me up to the title and on the whole I really dug it. Maybe it was my garbage kid Quentin Quire showing up or maybe there wasn’t as much pressure as the first issue to set everything up. Word on the street is you feel different about it?
AB: There are definitely some improvements, especially with the plot and pacing, but the issue really has a lot of problems when it comes to resonating with me on an emotional level. Percy is going big and bold, trying to amp up the shock value make every moment matter, but a lot of the feelings just don’t shine through. Nevertheless, some big themes are addressed, from faith to science to revenge, so without further or do, let’s get started!
Gotta Have Faith
KL: George Michael would be into the first major theme of the issue: Faith. After the death of Xavier, we are getting a really interesting look at faith with the new mutant resurrection system. I really think this issue gives us a more in depth view of the anxieties of the process. The House Of X issue that introduces the concept is very grand and ritualistic but this issue casts it more as a “I think this will work…no it will…will it?” because it’s Charles’ death. I think with that comes a lot of interesting character interactions, specifically with our old pal Hank McCoy.
AB:I definitely think it’s important that a man of science has to trust so much in elements beyond his control, but there is a sense of spirituality normally implicated when it comes to faith that I feel is lacking from most of the issue. The resurrection process can be something grand and ritualistic while being filled with uncertainty, but what we get here feels extremely reserve. Beast does not look or feel as troubled as Percy is trying to convey in this situation. Beast utters a version of a very important religious passage from Psalm 22:20, “Deliver our souls from the sword,” but there really isn’t any room to linger or feel that moment.
KL: That’s really interesting I think that the issue does really well at selling a kind of crisis of faith. I think the seeds of that are presented in the scene between Marvel Girl and Magneto. Jean’s “I think” in regards to bringing Charles back changing to “I will” highlights that “yes of course the Five works but this is Charles and oh god what if it doesn’t.” Maybe as a noted agnostic, these questions of “yes of course…unless” really jumped out at me. Any final thoughts or should we move on?
AB: I think the intentions behind the scene hit home for me, but the impact did not. I’d like to feel the doubt a bit more next time, but I’m glad it worked for you, and I hope it works for others. Now onto matters of the mind!
Postmortem X-Amination
AB: Introducing new elements of science and technology into the Krakoa-verse (I’m coining this term) is definitely Percy’s bread and butter, and he’s proven it again here with the autopsies the mutants are carrying out on the invaders. All of the technology appears to be a natural extension of mutant abilities and none of it looks like traditional electronics, but it’s just as advanced if not more advanced. They are keeping an invader alive using organic plant materials and mutant healing abilities instead of modern medicine, and it feels natural. At every turn, Percy is bringing to light elements of mutant society that operate parallel to our own but remain fundamentally different, and that, I think, is one of the biggest strengths of this book.
KL: I also really have to shout out Cassara and White’s artwork for these scenes. Krakoa autopsies are nasty and really reminded me of Annihilation [Ed. note: The film not the comic events].
This scene really offered an interesting change of pace for the sterility of so many other autopsies. Cassara’s line work and White’s muddy and dank colors really add to this scene. Cassara and White also go completely ham on Marvel Girl’s mental interrogation page. Pink and green have never looked better. Any thoughts on this scene or some of the data pages?
AB: Cassara and White’s artwork is the best of the Dawn Of X books in my opinion. These two artists seem to be carrying most of the book’s emotional expressions on their shoulders, and they aren’t backing away from the challenge. The mental interrogation scene was some next level coloring, and I was so blown away that I just stared at the page for a minute before moving on. I thought these scenes were very useful when it came to slowing things down and changing the pacing, and the colors provided excellent contrasts between the three primary scenes of the issue.
When it comes to the data pages I think Percy is wasting their potential. There are some interesting tidbits here and there such as the preventative matters they’ve added since the intrusion, but I feel like they mostly serve as a giant exposition dump presented in the form of memos or logs. They really are just paragraphs of text with different headers. I will say though that I also love some of the other technologies implemented during this issue, specifically the lab Quire and Logan stumble into. Humans are definitely keeping up with mutant evolution as was hinted in Powers Of X #6. They are basically 3D printing assassins and how cool is that? I have access to a 3D printer at school but I don’t think it can do that…
X-Acting Vengeance
KL: My personal favorite bit of the issue was the comedic duo of Kid Omega and Wolverine as they search for answers for the Krakoan attack. The X-Men’s snot nosed little cousin has finally reared his big, pink, dyed head in the pages of X-Force. What are your thoughts on Quire prior to the book? He is known to be…divisive. [Ed. note: Folks only have strong opinions about Quintavius Quirinius “Quentin” Quire]
AB: I just think Quire has never been developed to his full potential. Every society, group, and identity are going to have individuals with radical ideologies, and that can be used to illuminate and mirror some aspects of our own society when approached constructively. Radicalism is not inherently bad in all respects and treating it as such is a big disservice, but when a character like Kid Omega is consistently portrayed as a snarky jerk with little to no growth over the course of multiple different books and arcs, it just comes across as disappointing. [Ed. note: Or, more pointedly, growth followed by regression.]
A lot of writers, including Percy in the issue, seem to approach Quentin as the snot nosed little cousin that shows up from time to time at family dinners, makes some outrageous comments about society at large, and then either walks out to avoid dealing with the consequences or is shoved out by his own family. Please, let’s engage with our cousin instead of ignoring or belittling him, because as much as we may dislike the ideas, he’s family and deserves to be heard.
KL: Wise words in this American Thanksgiving season Ari.I like Quire because I have read him so sporadically so I am always assuming character development that Excalibuddies co-scribe and noted Quire Hater, Nola assures doesn’t exist.
I did however really like him here. He was a very good and necessary foil for Logan’s investigation. My biggest complaint last issue was what I felt were forced “cool guy” lines and a Logan solo mission is a breeding ground for such dialogue but Quire is an excellent prevention technique. I truly laughed out loud at Quire revealing Logan’s passwords as “Bourbon” and “Cigar.” This book really needed room to not take itself as seriously and this was a welcome change for me. I also felt that the levity made a lot of the heavier stuff work especially when Quire’s powers were gone towards the back end of their story. Thoughts on that Ari?
AB: I definitely agree that levity is important in this kind of book. There’s a reason that the best spy movies are always equal parts action and witty banter. Percy did a great job of using Quire and Logan for that purpose, and Quire’s pure shock and pain on his face when he realized he didn’t have his powers was the most genuine moment of emotion I felt from the issue. I think keeping those two together could form a very strong anchor for the series.
KL: Definitely. Our little team is coming together! Especially with Domino resurfacing. Perhaps super-editor Zack’s one and only ship will reunite… [Ed. note: Domino and Colossus 5ever]
Overall I felt this issue got things rolling in a way that I wanted it to do in the first issue and I’m…excited for the next issue?
AB: I may have been a bit more critical this time around, but I am still very excited as well. Percy showed remarkable improvement in just one issue, so I’m sure that Percy will have us all on board by the end of the first arc.
X-Treneuous Thoughts
- Fred Dukes sighting on Krakoa! Gentle Blob series when?
- Put Morlock Wizard Healer on covers you cowards!
- Speaking of Morlocks, Callisto is also in the crowd scene! Really want to see more Morlocks adjusting to Krakoa living.
- Poor Black Tom Cassidy. Don’t beat yourself up too much bud.
- Favorite line of the issue: “The corpses are like Russian Dolls.”
- The Krakoan reads: Lost And Found
- Make sure to check out this week’s coverage of New Mutants & Fallen Angels #2
Ari Bard is a huge comic fan studying Mechanical Engineering so he can finally figure out how the Batmobile works.
Kenneth Laster writes, draws, and studies Film and Gender Studies so he really hopes you’re hiring!
Ari Bard is a huge comic fan studying Mechanical Engineering so he can finally figure out how the Batmobile works.
Kenneth Laster is a critic, cartoonist, and cryptid with a movie degree.
