I had a love/hate relationship with Chris Yost and Craig Kyle's run on "New X-Men". On the one hand, they tried a lot of interesting things. On the other hand, they demonstrated an astonishing lack of balance, lurching from one trauma to the next without taking the time to explore the impact of each on the cast. Why set up all of that horror if you never properly capitalize on the dramatic and characterization possibilities? Tossing more bodies on the pile just got predictable and numbing after more than a year of near-continuous slaughter.
So it was with mixed emotions that I approached X-Force. I'm not really a blood, death and pain kind of guy. But at least on X-Force, as pitched, that direction would be appropriate. And so far it looks like Kyle and Yost have found the right book for their writing. This X-Force is all about the horrible things that the team has to do to horrible people, and the horrible ways in which it all affects them. What I like best about this book is that the impact of the characters' actions and the things they experience is better incorporated into the story than it ever was on "New X-Men". Kyle and Yost are also handling Wolfsbane much better than I expected. I'd still rather see her in "X-Factor", but they've made a compelling case for her inclusion here given her history, and are handling her and the concerns her teammates have about her well.
On the negative side, as well as I think they're using the return of Archangel's Apocalypse-engineered form, this whole aspect of the plot line, as well as the techno-organic revival of various old villains, is way too recycled from the days of the original X-Factor. It's nice that they explain why the Purifiers were interested in Icarus's wings (a dangling plot-thread from "New X-Men"), but overall I'm not thrilled with how much this story is turning back the clock. We'll see what they do with this set-up. If they take it in a new direction from here I'll be much happier with it. But Archangel as gloomy and kinda evil was thoroughly explored a long time ago. He still looks cool, though.
And on that note, a word about the art. While occasionally colored a bit too darkly to see well (and what is it with Marvel and murky coloring these days?) it's totally gripping and far more appropriate to the writing than any of the art we got with "New Mutants". There is one brutal double-page spread that held my eyes for far longer than I really wanted to spend looking at the contents. I have not previously encountered Clayton Crain's artwork before, but this issue showed once again that he's reason enough to buy the book. If anything, he's gotten more solid, as the first issue or two had some panels that didn't quite work. Crain's artwork meshes perfectly with the writing to bring this title's dark vision to life.
