At its core, X-Force is a book about being extreme. Radical, both in the sense of its politics and in the sense of the word as yelled by a Ninja Turtle. Or, as radical as a book owned by a corporation will allow.
The original X-Force was an X-Men book for the MTV generation of the 1990s, all long hair, backwards baseball caps and Monster Magnet T-shirts. But also, it was peacetime, Bill Clinton was president and by modern standards it was slightly center-left politics arguing against slightly center-right politics. And even then, Cable was an old soldier trying to bond with/whip into shape the disaffected youth of the day as they dealt with issues like drinking, Native American genocide and super-thinly veiled gay subtext.
Now, a passing glance at the X-Force of 2026 belies a metaphor for a very 2026 topic: the split within the Democratic Party between the establishment of the past 20 to 30 years and the rising progressive movement. And, much like cable news, the move seems to be to demonize the movement, rather than understand it and incorporate its lessons. To mock the way the youth talk and dismiss their points as the internet-pilled ramblings of a generation gone mad, as if their elders aren’t also taking their cues from the all-caps vitriol spewed in community Facebook groups. Like Seymour Skinner once said, “It’s the children who are wrong.”
But like it or not, the children exist to replace us. The more responsible of us prepare them as best we can for the world, but eventually we have to let them take the reins, whether we like the results are not. Control is a thing we let go of as we make our way to the grave.
Anyway, how old do you think Boom-Boom is supposed to be these days?
Check out our exclusive preview of Inglorious X-Force #8, out next week, and keep scrolling for the basic deets.
W: Tim Seeley | A: Luca Maresca | CA: R.B. Silva
THE ENEMY IS ALWAYS EVOLVING! The secret behind CABLE’S lost memory! The MUTANT LIBERATION FRONT makes a startling move! And DOMINO takes extreme action! The players are in position, and the fall-out will either save the future…or doom it!
$4.99
Buy Inglorious X-Force #8 here. (Disclaimer: As an Amazon Associate, ComicsXF may earn from qualifying purchases.)
Dan Grote is the editor and publisher of ComicsXF, having won the site by ritual combat. By day, he’s a newspaper editor, and by night, he’s … also an editor. He co-hosts The ComicsXF Interview Podcast with Matt Lazorwitz. He lives in New Jersey with his wife, two kids and two miniature dachshunds, and his third, fictional son, Peter Paul Winston Wisdom. Follow him @danielpgrote.bsky.social.
