X-Force #120

Posted: Friday, October 12
By: Jason Cornwell

Writer: Peter Milligan
Artist: Michael Allred

Publisher: Marvel Comics

Plot:
The book opens with the discovery that Doop is an old friend of Wolverine, as we see Logan is questioning the little floating green blob why he's hanging with the new X-Force. With Doop's answer being incoherent to us readers, we do learn that Doop has asked Logan for a favor. We then look in on U-Go-Girl, as under the directions of the morally corrupt Coach, she pays a visit to Orphan's home & places five extra bullets into Orphan's gun, thus insuring the outcome of his nightly game of russian roulette. However, as the sunset approaches we see U-Go-Girl has a change of heart & attempts to save Orphan, but the Coach stops her with a paralyzing attack, and is all set to take advantage of her inability to move. However, his actions are halted by the arrival of Orphan, who easily figured out his gun was fully loaded, and when Wolverine joins the party, we see that it is the Coach who is lying dead on the ground when the battle is over.

Comments:
While Doop is my sentimental favorite, this issue moved U-Go-Girl to the top of the list, as she is now my favorite member of the new X-Force. This issue she displays that she does have a heart buried inside her highly cynical, chemical dependent body. I love the idea that she is the team's method of escaping from the suicide missions they go on, and yet she is probably the last person you would your life depending on. I love the fact that she has been beaten down so often that her only way of interacting with others to push them down in the mud. I love the fact that she has her eye set on leading X-Force, and that this issue hints that she may have played a role in the death of the rest of the team in the opening issue. I also enjoy the idea that this issue marks the first time we see that she may not be as bad as others believe her to be, and that her feelings for Orphan may very well be real, and not manufactured ones designed to help her grab the brass ring.

I want to come right out and admit that I was wrong about this book. Now I wasn't among the group that automatically wrote this book off because its new cast was replacing the old X-Force. I also didn't mind the false hype that Marvel surrounded the book's opening issue with, as I understand hype is what makes the world go round. However, I did find the early issues to be relying upon shock value, and the simple fact of it was different from other titles on the stands was its only redeeming feature. Now, that I'm a few issues further in, I can start to see that Peter Milligan does indeed have a plan, and what's more he's slowly developing a cast that is highly engaging, even if they are just this side of outright bastards. We have plots that I find are holding my interest, and when it was revealed that Orphan was set to place a fully loaded gun to his head, I must confess my attention was fully invested in the book. The death of Coach also throws a degree of uncertainty into the mix.

There's very few comics out there where the art plays as vital a role in the overall mood of a book, as the work of the book's writer. I mean, I have my favorite artists that add a great deal to their respective titles, by this is the only title I can't see being as effective as it is now, if its artist moved on to another title. The idea that Michael Allred's art is a mixture of Jack Kirby's super-hero style, and Robert Crumb's underground comic style gives this book a truly unique appearance. The art is fun & bright, but it also has itself a somewhat seamier side, as we see the characters involved in activities that are quite disturbing (e.g. the Coach's attempt to take advantage of a paralyzed U-Go-Girl). Other moments worth noting are the video game designer's hissy fit with Thor's hammer, and what can I say, even though he/she is basically just a floating blob, every panel that features Doop in it puts a smile on my face.

Final Word:
This book does grow on you, as Peter Milligan has taken what I had initially dismissed as an excuse to display excessive violence with a cast of flat characters who only existed to be self-absorbed jerks, and delivered something that I'm looking forward to with greater anticipation every month. The cast still needs a bit more work, but this issue did wonders for both Orphan & especially U-Go-Girl, as we see her finally display a hint that she is not as self-centered as she appears to be. This issue also rids itself of the truly evil Coach, and has me quite curious about how X-Force is going to continue with the Chief dead, though if I had to guess I'd guess they would go out & find themselves a shape-shifter to take his place.