A group of mutants created in the nineties by the ineffable Rob Lovefeld and that has known how to evolve over time returns to the spotlight thanks to the publication by Panini Comics of a compiled volume with the first issues of the period led by Craig Kyle y Chris Yost. This first volume comes to us under the title of 100% Marvel HC. X-Force by Chris Yost and Craig Kyle 1 – Angels and Demons.
From the small screen to the comic
Craig Kyle y Christopher Yost had their first contacts with the characters of Marvel Comics on the small screen through the animated series X-Men: Evolution. This was the work thanks to which the editors of The House of Ideas They noticed them and sooner rather than later they signed them to script more mutant adventures, this time in comic format.
Perhaps their greatest achievement was the fact that they were identified as responsible for the creation of X-23a character from whom they have managed to extract revenue very efficiently, not only giving him a life with brilliant moments in the ninth art but even transplanting him to the cinema in Logan (and with a high probability of being someone important in what is to come in the marvel cinematic universe).
This is how this pair of authors began working on miniseries centered on this character, whose appearance would also be indisputable in other series in which they participated: first in New X-Men and then, as a climax, in the one at hand. And this would be just the beginning of a career that would include more animation products, more comics and even movies of the UCM like the first three movies Thor.
Historical context
You have to situate yourself in that time when, after the actions of Wanda Maximoff (all that “No more mutants!”) the mutant race lives its worst moments. They have been driven to near extermination and their numbers are incredibly low, especially when compared to the days when you kicked a stone and it hit a mutant. Hope arises in the form of a mutant baby named Hopethe first to arise after the debacle, which leads to the event messiah complex.
And among the series that emerged from said event we find this one, where the mutant leader Cyclops is forced to resort to Wolverine so that they form a team that should take care of everything that is necessary but morally ambiguous, being generous. Scott Summers he’s sick of being the punching bag of Marvel Universe and you decide that it is time to be more proactive and less reactive, a philosophy which will govern your behavior for years to come.
And Wolverine goes to recruit the right ones for the job: wolverine, Poisonous Wolf y Warpathwho will soon join Domino, Archangel y Elixir (probably the most debatable choice).
When diplomacy fails
This group of mutants has the DNA of the time they were created, when gritting teeth and heroes taking the law into their own hands was all the rage. Liefeld limited himself to collecting the prevailing zeitgeist for the creation of a formation that embodied what the readers of the moment were looking for. Beyond the quality of those first comics, the truth is that the concept was something that could be used a lot…
And perhaps the first ones who knew how to see what could really be done with this group while maintaining the bases of the initial idea (X-Statix had been something else) were Chris Yost and Craig Kyle (although surely Rick Remender Y Jerome Opeña later they knew how to refine all this even better). We forgot about the loud colors and we dressed our protagonists in black (perhaps more appropriate than yellow lycra when you intend to attack without being seen) for black ops type missions in which spilling blood is almost mandatory…
The authors take charge of this series with the aim of charming longtime mutant readers, constantly playing with plots and characters that began decades ago, which includes some more than questionable resurrections. Proof of this are the enemies that the group is going to face in their first adventure, the purifiers led by Matthew Rismanor the return of Legacy Virus…
darkness everywhere
In the graphic section, those responsible are mainly Clayton Crain y Mike Choi (although we also have Jephte Palo taking care of a special number). Both cartoonists offer us some really impressive scenes and their style seems the most appropriate for a bloody series like this, despite the fact that both of them are a little too static, something that has a negative impact on the fluidity of the action sequences.
On the other hand, although a dark tone is the only one that can suit a series like this, perhaps here the colorists have gone too far, sometimes resulting in a slightly confusing reading due to the excessive darkness of some pages.
In short, we are looking at an adult series that does not shy away from showing violence in close-up and whose moral disquisitions are probably its strongest point. It will delight fans of mutants who have followed their story since the days of Chris Claremont.
He took 100% Marvel HC. X-Force by Chris Yost and Craig Kyle 1 – Angels & Demons published by Panini Comics in hardcover contains 352 pages in color with a page size of 17 x 26 cm. and includes the translation of the American edition of the first thirteen issues of the regular X-Force series. in addition to the special X-Force: Ain’t No Dog One-Shot.
The volume also includes an introduction by Ivan Noda Diaz titled As on Earth as in Hell and the original covers of the issues contained in the compilation, as well as a small section of extras at the end with sketches by Michael Choi. The recommended retail price is 35 € and was put up for sale in February 2023.
100% Marvel HC. X-Force by Chris Yost and Craig Kyle 1 – Angels and Demons
ISBN: 9788411502191
There are lines that the X-Men have promised never to cross.
But after the events of “Messiah Complex”, Cyclops has understood that some enemies must be dealt with once and for all… And without the rest of Charles Xavier’s pupils even knowing it.
Wolverine, Warpath, X-23 and Poison Wolf have a new mission. They are the new X-Force!
Autores: Christopher Yost, Clayton Crain, Jefte Palo, Mike Choi, Jason Aaron, Craig Kyle y Charlie Huston
