Review Shooter: Uncanny X-Force The Apocalypse Solution
Artist: Jerome OpeƱa
After being disassembled by Cyclops following the events of Second Coming last year, Wolverine, Fantomex, Psylocke, Archangel and Deadpool formed a new team that only had one rule āno one can knowā. This book picks up shortly after the formation of the team and follows them on their first mission: kill Apocalypse. Naturally, things go awry for our heroes as they have to face the Final Horseman before they can get their hands on the reborn Apocalypse. It also deals with the relationship between Archangel and PsylockeĆĀ which is a pretty important relationship, because Psylocke is the onlyĆĀ person standing betwen Archangel and his evil personality that Apocalypse created.ĆĀ ĆĀ Thatās all Iāll say about the plot though, as I donāt really like to spoil things.
Rick Remender has proven to be a great writer before in the pages of such books as Venom and The Punisher, and heĆĀ doesn’tĆĀ disappoint here. He takes the simple idea of killing Apocalypse, and manages to stretch it out over four issues without it feeling padded. The dialogue totally fits with all the grim characters and itās always fun when Deadpool appears due to his penchant for P.U.N.s (I actually laughed out loud at them). My favorite part of his writing: the character interactions, which he does really well. The scenes with Pyslocke and Archangel are touching and they make you really hope both of them make it out okay. The scenes between Deadpool and⦠well anyone, really, are funny and remind you why heās āThe Merc with a Mouthā.
Jerome OpeƱaās art is frackinā beautiful. It complements the plot and writing, most importantly in the dramatic scenes and character interactions. Thereās not a panel in the book that I have a complaint about. Seriously. Now since itās so good, and I donāt have any complaints, thereās not a whole lot to say, other than that itās some of the best comic book art out there right now. While on the subject of the art though, Iād like to mention that the cover is fantastic. The original series covers are also inside, and they are likewise awesome.
My only complaint about this entire package is that the story line, āThe Apocalypse Solutionā, is four issues long, yet this book only reprints Uncanny X-Force #1-3. I read this and loved it, but couldnāt find #4, so if I want to read the conclusion to the storyline I need to buy the trade for 20 bucks, which I do not want to do. Anyway, at $4.99 this is still a better deal than buying #1-3 separately.
New reader accessibility rating: 9 Considering this reprints the first three issues of a new series, thereās not much you need to know going in. As long as you know the characters and the maybe a bit of X-Forceās recent history, you should be golden.