In a perfect world, X-Force wouldn’t be necessary. And in a perfect world, a psychic menace wouldn’t be gunning for the shores of Krakoa. Can X-Force survive these Brain Blasts? Find out in X-Force #18 brought to us by Benjamin Percy, Garry Brown, Guru-eFX and Joe Caramanga.
Ari Bard: So… it seems like Kid Omega may have a problem on his hands that’s very quickly becoming everyone else on Krakoa’s problem too.
Kenneth Laster: Honestly it’s in keeping with his whole vibe, but sad that stop #1 on his Pink Dink Redemption tour is him immediately cleaning up his own mess. But as you said, it’s an all hands on deck type of deal so let’s see what we can see!
Do Computer Brains Dream of Electric Drinks?
AB: Excellent question to start things off Kenneth! Sage begins the issue a tad sloshed and experiences quite the hallucination at the bar as Blob turns into something much more monstrous. This is obviously a problem, especially when she discovers that others are having these hallucinations as well, and she leads the investigation while keeping her sense sharp using analytical tactics and possibly… various substances. This is substantially more Sage time than we’ve gotten in X-Force so far. What did you think, Kenneth?
KL: It is very interesting how stable of a supporting character Sage has been, we haven’t really been able to see what makes that computer brain tick. She’s primarily been more or less the team’s “girl in the chair” for the most part and it’s interesting to see some more layers on top of that in the context of X-Force. The final datapage on her recounting the various quantities of her life and how she’s losing them is a really nice brief piece of prose from Percy and it really makes me hope she gets a bit more focus in the future. As evidenced by this issue, there’s a lot to work through there. I’m definitely not incredibly familiar with the character but I think there’s definitely room for the book to run with her a bit more. Did you have any specific Sage musings Ari?
AB: I am not super well-read when it comes to previous Sage characterization [Ed. note: It’s mostly 00s era Chris Claremont, so take that as you will], so it is hard for me to speak to any of that, but I definitely think I understand the sort of deterioration that she’s experiencing in this issue. Obviously I don’t have Sages intellect or powers, but I was, and still am to a lesser extent, called things like “cold”, “calculating”, and worse for a long time. I was told I’d never be able to feel empathy towards anyone by family, friends, and others at a time when I was much too young for conclusions like that to be drawn. I think that a lot of writers often struggle with writing empathy and lack thereof because it can often be an intangible and intuitive thing. There are plenty of diagnoses that may describe Sage’s behavior, but I’m not going to take on that role. All I can say is that I really appreciated Percy’s ability to write Sage in this issue in a way that shows the toll being taken on her mind.
I definitely know that what you don’t feel can cause just as much inner turmoil and downward spiraling as feeling too much, and I think some of that weighs on Sage quite a bit. That being said, there are some actions and words said by Sage in this issue that I find pretty inexcusable. I think it’s written that way on purpose, and I’ll get into it more in the next section, but there’s definitely some nuanced character building going on here. I am also far too well aware of the temptation to use substances in an attempt to access more, do more, and feel more, since they can artificially affect the brain so I feel for her and some of the reliance on alcohol and organic stimulants in this issue as well. Perhaps I’m projecting too much on approximately seven pages of Sage content here, but there was a lot I appreciated.
KL: It’s seven pages with a lot of layers! I agree that ultimately there’s a lot of potential with Sage and I think we are seeing her at a good starting point for some kind of growth and maybe coming to an acceptance of her more analytic nature. It’s a tough tightrope because it would feel weird for her arc to end in her becoming an empath, but as you said there’s a level of callousness that goes beyond a sense of pragmatism and into concerning, however I do hope we get to see a good arc for Sage in the future. Hopefully she spends less time with Beast. Speaking of…
Bad Day Beast
KL: Beast! As part of this coordinated psychic attack on X-Force, Hank is hit with a massive stroke rather than divulging Krakoan secrets. It’s a little messy how it’s handled in my opinion but I do have to say it is the right amount of silly that the vision of Beast being interrogated is him having to do a Bart Simpson but with state secrets by writing on the chalkboard as Baby Beast. What were your thoughts on Hank in this one?
AB: I am very upset that Percy still seems to be grasping at straws to find ways to make us feel something for Hank, and it’s not going to work! That being said, I do think a lot of this seen was handled rather sloppily. Sage may have a rather limited capacity for feeling for others through no fault of her own, but that does not excuse likening a “compromised body” to a “damaged harddrive.” There are a lot of things wrong with that analogy and it’s a rather appalling look at the attitude towards disability on Krakoa. Beast deserves a lot of terrible things, and the prospect of his death and humiliation is not something I’m too upset about. Unfortunately it had to be soured by some poorly thought-out commentary about his disabled body.
KL: It was pretty troubling on this first read. And like you said, that line does a lot of heavy lifting in selling Sage’s callousness (and Beast’s by putting together this arrangement) in that moment and the pragmatic thinking that goes into the Mutant CIA. But it came across not great.
There is a much more thoughtful meditation in New Mutants which explored through the mutant metaphor as a lens for disability politics, which in itself is a rarely explored, yet very fertile ground for exploration on the ever changing analogy. Despite this more gentle approach at exploring that subject, Percy just kind of does it and does it poorly. It comes off as more of a “we’re the edgy team that does what needs to be done” rather than something to be handled with care. Disability following a stroke being a real thing people live with and having a character be killed as their body is “compromised” is maybe not worth botching the first exploration of disability politics on this mutant utopia.
Yes Beast is going to be immediately resurrected but that type of euthanasia promotes a type of borderline eugenics that is a very real issue that people with disabilities face. Just looking back recently to people with disabilities given “do not resuscitate” orders on Covid patients when hospitals were filled. It’s just such a weighty topic that needs so much care, and thought, that Percy just tossed in without an after thought because it gave the book some “grit.” Any more thoughts on Beast in this one?
AB: I think you summed everything up quite well. There appear to be plans to look at disability and the mutant metaphor with a lot of nuance and care, but this certainly wasn’t that and it didn’t do anything for the story, team, or characters. I think that a lot of Sage’s layers came through exceptionally well in some of the other writing, and throwing something out there as outright cruel and discriminatory as what she said was a giant misstep here. I’d like to say that this doesn’t mean we are defending Beast as a character in any capacity though. I think that disclaimer is always a little warranted. Of course, an X-Force cluster&*%# wouldn’t be complete without someone to blame, and that person is, of course…
Rise of Adult Alpha
AB: Kid Omega! Well I suppose he’s proclaimed to be a man now or something. Quentin’s doing his best to redo his image, and I think he has started to put in the work. There’s a lot of acceptance of responsibility and humility going on in this issue, and it’s a side of Quentin I appreciate, but, and I can’t believe I’m saying this, perhaps he could use a little more in the self esteem department wouldn’t you say?
KL: I hear you there! It’s definitely not out of the imagination that his big ego was a thin veil for some self loathing because uh we’ve all been there (right…?) but it’s kind of weird to read a Quire without that. It’s a hard thing to balance, and it reminds me of Damian Wayne in a way. A little shit at the beginning and while he grows, and is humbled slightly, there’s still that manner of speaking and attitude that remains (and also regressions in character growth but I digress…) but that’s all to say that it is hard to walk back an arrogant character in terms of a team dynamic. It’s very easy for Quire to pull back and become just some guy. However there is a lot of room for him to earn this character development with his very own Reverse Domino (who gets a call back) who I’ve dubbed Adult Alpha (Ben Percy DM me for where you can send the check) and is horrifically rendered by guest artist Garry Brown. What are your thoughts on Kid Omega’s tethered?
AB: I agree with what you’re saying both as far as the strengths of Quentin’s growth and the dangers. I think there’s a reason Phoebe does a lot of the heavy lifting in the quieter moments. Some of it is because without the ego, Quentin is, as you said, “some guy,” and some of it is that the best growth can often happen with the help of someone important to you by your side. In that way, I am happy that Phoebe and Quentin decided to confront this on their own, at least at first. Hopefully, Quentin can find it within himself to get out of this predicament.
KL: Too true. Hard to make heads or tails of how Quentin will come out of this for better or worse but I’m curious to see how it resolves. It is nice to have the book feel a sense of focus coming into play as well, although it does bum me out that Jumbo’s possession was wrapped up off panel between issues. A lot happens in the leap with Percy and it still takes some getting used to but I’m hoping we get some ample space to see this conclude.
X-Traneous Thoughts
- Most explicit on page acknowledgement of the Scott-Jean-Logan polycule
- Black Tom dreams of being tickled by his “old friend” Juggernaut. Just guys being dudes.
- Blob Bartending mini-series when?
- Krakoan reads: HEADACHE
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.
