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Welcome to an all new edition of Parlay Points, the comic book review blog to the ODPH podcast!
For this entry, the Fall of the Krakoan Era has engulfed the entire X-Universe by Marvel. With a shift in directions, each book has been impacted by the events at the Hellfire Gala. One of those books in particular has been X-Force.
During the Krakoan Era, it has been of the best X Books on the market. For their current arc, the team has a familiar face return. The question now becomes: can they stop them with what they’re planning?
X-Force #48 by Benjamin Percy, Robert Gill, Guru-eFX, AND Joe Caramagna kicks off TARGET: BEAST! Let’s see how the latest story shapes up!
*** POSSIBLE SPOILER WARNING ***
Events here tale place before Wolverine: sabretooth War and the bookend series for the end of the Krakoan Era.
The issue opens up at X-Force’s hidden base at the north pole. A sniper is looking through an infra-red lens on his target. In the crossfire is Omega Red. The man behind the gun: Hank McCoy aka Beast!
Last readers had seen Beast, he was committing crimes with Mutantkind’s benefit as the method behind the madness. With one shot, Red is taken off the board. McCoy makes his way inside the covert team’s home. Sneaking around, Beast makes his way to the computers, looking for something unknown at the time.
Meanwhile, Sage and Black Tom Cassidy are conversing in another room. Alarms tip off Sage of their former director’s return. The rest of the unit run to find Beast is armored up with Krokoan Flora shielding. With an ominous warning, Beast leaves with what he wanted.
All the while, Sage is sitting in front of a sealed room. When Wolverine approaches her, the secrets behind the door are revealed. SAGE HAS WHAT BEHIND THE DOOR?!
This leads to a plan that if it fails, spells certain door. Readers sit back and watch Sage sell her idea. The fallout brings mixed reaction as it is a bold one. However, the closing moments prove the best intentions sometimes don’t bring the best results. Get ready for a wild ride as X-Force vs. Beast begins their battle!
What a creative concept Percy brings to the masses with this story. Hank McCoy is a character of extremes. When he’s good, he is a jovial force of good. When he’s evil, he is downright dangerous.
The writing for this issue shows readers both sides to his character. The opening pages show his ruthlessness as to getting what he wants. The good appears later with one classic line that is such a well-placed throwback.
This plays into what the team is dealing with for conflict. Knowing what McCoy has meant to the unit, Percy writes this as a personal attack on Wolverine and company.
The counter thrown illustrates many sides to the polarizing mutant. McCoy’s dialogue plays into the unknown call of the mission. There really is no in-between to where things can go from here but it will have readers talking with much enjoyment.
The art sets a strong tempo with McCoy taking out Omega early. Gill talks readers through the break-in with wordless panels. McCoy’s body language speaks volumes here.
The full page of Sage’s reveal hits readers with many reactions as to what this could all lead to. There’s a great two-page spread introducing the unit to the plan’s variable. At this stage, the pace picks up leading to an interesting final image to set this series in a whole new direction.
FINAL POINT: 8
The X-Men’s most dangerous unit must find a way to stop their former director at all costs. Percy’s creative writing injects an unknown factor into a formal mission. Gill’s imagery shows the complexity of the choice made and the uncertainty of where it heads now. This will be one fans are going to be talking about.
Hit me up on ODPHpod social media and let me know your thoughts on X-Force #48. Thanks for reading Parlay points on Nerd Initiative!
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