Comic Vine Review

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Uncanny X-Force #28 - Days of Preemptive Future

5

The latest issue of X-FORCE proves that sometimes the only way to change your destiny is to sacrifice yourself.

Warning: Some spoilers below.

The Good

As much as I absolutely hated the end result of this issue, I can't say that it wasn't expected or that it was not appropriate. Sometimes things happen that as a fan, I really don't like (i.e. Fantomex being killed), but even though I may not like something, does not mean it doesn't in some way help advance the story. That's something I can respect and that's definitely something that happens here.

If you have not been reading UNCANNY X-FORCE then you may not want to start reading this series with this issue. There is a lot going on (more than one ongoing story) and the characters time travel, making things even more complicated. Having said that, it's really pretty brilliant and equally as good as previous issues.

I really think that the death of Jean Phillippe is effecting Psylocke in a really serious way, and I think that she did have feelings for him and that these feelings are coming to light now that he is dead. The issue definitely comes full circle (at least for Psylocke) who thinks of him both at the very start of the book, and thinks of him in the final moments of her life. There is definitely a deep seeded feelings there for him that go beyond the fact that he sacrificed his own life so that she may survive -- I think she loves him. It's interesting that in her final moments, her thoughts went to Fantomex rather than to Warre, too. I definitely was not expecting that.

I think the most interesting thing about this future X-Force team is the way that Remender uses their kill philosophy and integrates it into a future story. How can their philosophy go completely wrong? We see what happens when you take the mission behind X-Force and the team and apply it to a worst case scenerio; and you get something really, really bad. A future that is totalitarian. It feels like a logical end, however, which is what makes this so interesting.

I also really loved the art in this comic by Julian Totino Tedesco. I think the use of the dark colors was really appropriate and helped set the tone and mood of the scene and the book.

The Bad

Oh, you mean aside from the fact that Rick Remender killed off my two favorite characters in this series in just two issues? No, there's nothing wrong. I do hope that Ultimaton and Gateway will be justified and that Remender references these characters in some way in future books.

The Verdict

As much as what's happened in this issue pains me, I can't deny that it wasn't a great comic book story. It's very dark and grim, and you feel for these characters; something I think is very important when you're dealing with a character death. The pacing in this issue is just fantastic. Nothing feels like it happens too quickly, and everything feels like it happens for a reason (except maybe Gateway's death, but that remains to be seen). I think this is definitely a powerful issue that has the ability to re-evaluate the motives and purpose behind an X-Force team, and whether something like this is necessary. Dealing with the worst case, future scenario is always interesting, and it definitely worked here. I am so looking forward to the next issue of UNCANNY X-FORCE.