The Good
You can't deny that there's a plethora of X-Men comics. What's great is we're seeing more and more each book having its own feel. This version of UNCANNY X-FORCE has given us a slightly odd mix of characters and we don't necessarily have an official team just yet. The pieces have sort of fallen in place, driving some of the characters together. With Bishop's surprise appearance and beast-like nature, there's been a compelling draw to this title.
This is where we start to get some answers. We've seen that Bishop isn't in his right mind. We know he was in the far off future but that doesn't explain the growls or giant bear presence Psylocke witnessed in their final battle. It's a good thing that Betsy is a telepath because it allows her and Storm to enter his mind to try to get to the bottom of things.
The issue takes place on two fronts. We see the inside of Bishop's mind along with flashbacks as well as what Puck and Spiral are doing during this trip through the psychic plane. Having art by Adrian Alphona and Dexter Soy gives a great contrast between the two portions. Sifting through Bishop's memory is indeed a trip. Sam Humphries mixes things up by having Puck and his charming personality shine in the spotlight. Humprhies also has another player make a move that sets things up wonderfully for the next issue.
The Bad
While it is nice having this team remain separate from the other X-characters, it does feel a little odd that they would try to handle figuring out what was up with Bishop and contain Spiral on their own instead of calling in reinforcements. It could be argued that Storm, Psylocke and Puck are more than enough to deal with the two but obviously things won't go as smoothly as they planned. It's more that this isn't an official team and they decide to deal with the situation on their own.
The Verdict
Sam Humphries is carving out a nice little corner of the X-Men universe in this title. The two-fronted battle with Spiral and Bishop is over but there are still pieces they need to sort out. We get some answers as to what's been going on with Bishop since we last saw him and there's a nice cliffhanger teasing us as we have to wait for the next issue. Normally having two artists is a pet peeve but it works perfectly here as the story takes place on two fronts. The method and location where Psylocke and Storm decide to keep Spiral and investigate the inner workings of Bishop's mind is a little odd but for the sake of the events that follow, it works. As we see more and more of these characters together, I can't wait to see what else Humphries has planned.