Friday, December 16, 2011

Uncanny X-Force #18

If it's polybagged, you know it has to be great, right?

Well, that's probably pushing it a bit - but this issue of Uncanny X-Force does wrap up the long-running "Dark Angel Saga," and sets up some future tales in the bargain.

Summing up writer Rick Remender's story would take a while, so here's the thumbnail version. Apocalypse is (apparently) dead, so he's been replaced by the Angel, who has become the murderous (and heavily armored) Archangel. Using alternate realities, the bad guys have secured a Life Seed, which will allow them to scour the Earth of all life - unless X-Force can stop them.

Whew! It's a gnarly story, loaded with lots of violence, brutal battles, apparent deaths and last-minute heroics. There's a love story mixed in there, too, as Psylocke struggles to save the man she loves - if he still exists.

I suspect the whole story will read better in a collection - it definitely wanders all over the place (or at least covers a lot of ground), and it's tough to keep the characters straight sometimes - but it's a hard-hitting, action-packed comic that keeps the reader guessing most of the way.

The artwork by Jerome Opena and Esad Ribic is quite good, with lots of crazy, over-the-top sequences and a sweet sequence illustrating a long-lasting love story.

If you don't mind the grim and gritty stories, the adventures of the X-Force are actually some of the best X-Men-based comics out there. Recommended!

Grade: A-

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