X-Force has faced one of their fiercest battles and now they need to regroup. Goodbyes are made and we start to see how this title fits into Regenesis.
The Good
Despite ending a major story arc, there is still more to tell. Often we'll see very little, if any, mention of acknowledgment of the huge events everyone just went through. Addressing what happened and building on the changes is a way to show that the story did matter. It wasn't just an event to fill in a certain number of issues. We saw the introduction of Genesis that Fantomex had to bring out to help save the day. What about Angel? What was his fate after last issue's ending? Obviously I will not mention that but it's great to see that Remender has more to say about it rather than just letting the last issue close the door on the character. We also have some Age of Apocalypse characters running around that need to be dealt with. And with Regenesis gracing the cover, how is Wolverine's X-hit squad going to co-exist with him also running a school? Remember how upset Beast got when he found out about the team before?
The art here is handled by Robbi Rodriguez. There definitely is a distinct feel to his style that takes a little getting used to after Jerome Opena and Mark Brooks. Opena will be back on issue #19.1 but Rodriguez will continue after that. Some of the faces are a little angular but after looking over the issue again (and again), it's starting to grow on me for these characters. Seeing some full-fledge X-Force action with Rodriguez will be interesting.
The Bad
It makes perfect sense that we need to take some time to unwind after the Dark Angel Saga. The characters need to regroup or unwind. We need to see the fallout. We are seeing how X-Force will continue since Wolverine is the headmaster at the Jean Grey School for Higher Learning. Maybe we've been spoiled but the desire for a little more action can't be denied.
Robbi Rodriguez has an interesting art style that will take a little to get used to. By the time the issue was over, I was looking forward to seeing more. I'm a little unsure of some character designs, such as the way Wolverine or Beast looked but some of the others were great.
The Verdict
The Dark Angel Saga is over and while this isn't an official 'aftermath' issue, there is some fallout addressed. It's great to see mention of everything that just happened rather than immediately moving on to the next arc. The trade off is we don't have the extreme action we've been used to for the past...18 issues. There is a lot to see here. This is almost a turning point for the series and characters as they need to take everything that happened along with Regenesis and figure out what happens next. Robbi Rodriguez steps on board as the artist (even though this new arc will be interrupted with issue #19.1 by Remender and Opena). Rodriquez has an interesting style. Some characters look great but unfortunately others sometimes are a little too stylized. Seeing the team in actual action could be the deciding factor. By the end of the issue you can see Remender and Rodriguez are warming up together. The issue leaves us with a cliffhanger and we'll be counting the days to see how it plays out.
Update
I was informed by Dean White that Robbi Rodriguez is only on this issue and Opena is NOT on 19.1. Greg Tocchini will be on 20-24. Looks like the solicits need to be updated. Lots of exciting times coming up!