Plot: The book opens with the escape pod containing Doop & two of the three members of X-Force making its way back to the satellite. As the hatch opens and we discover which character was left behind to die, we also learn that this person used their mutant gift to rig the dice so that they were the one who stayed behind. However, when Dead Girl is able to use her gift to figure out how to regain control of the pod that that was careening off into deep space, this member of the group is also brought back to the safety of the satellite. With the team gathered together & ready to head back home, we see that the real Spike arrives, and the shape-shifter is exposed. We then see this killer unleashes a barrage of deadly spikes before he is taken down, and that these spikes kill two members of X-Force, including one of the big three. We then see the six surviving members of X-Force heads back to Earth, but we see one member of the group might not be with the group much longer as they've been greatly impacted by one of the deaths, and this has made them suicidal.
Comments: Peter Milligan, I hate you. Out of the entire cast you had to go and kill the one character who I had fully convinced myself was immune from impending death. I mean this character was my favorite member of the group, and what's more I had convinced myself that Peter Milligan shared this attachment, as out of the entire cast this character was the one who had been the most developed, and best represented the dual nature that a cast member of X-Force needs to have. Now it's a bit difficult to talk about this death without revealing who it is that fights their final battle in this issue, but I will say that the death caught me completely off guard, as the issue nicely sets one up to believe that the party that dies has already been chosen, and then in an almost sadistic fashion it rescues this character & moves the target so that the party that does die is a complete surprise. Now if you've read my previous reviews then it'll be pretty easy to figure out who died, but then again if you read my last review then chances are you're a regular reader of this series, and as such you've already read this issue for yourself.
I will give Peter Milligan full marks for managing to develop a character who I had become quite attached to, as I've been witness to many comic book deaths, and this is one of the rare few that left me truly sad that this character was no more. I mean the new X-Force has now been in existence for thirteen issues, and Peter Milligan managed to make me truly care about this character enough, so their death impacted me more than the death of several characters that I'd been following for decades. Peter Milligan also deserves credit for sticking to his promise, as this death does send a very clear statement that nobody is safe in these pages. Now with this issue's rather shocking offing of a "lead" character, the title of favorite character has now moved to Dead Girl, and I feel secure that she'll be a bit harder to kill off. However, this book now has a sense of unease about it, as this most recent adventure killed off two of the eight members who left on the mission, and this high causality rate does suggest that I shouldn't become too attached to any member of the group.
I have noticed that Mike Allred's work has taken on a more refined, almost less cartoonish look over the past few issues, and that this change has been reflective of the writing which has also become a bit darker in tone. Now the work still has a light, almost cheery look to it, but I've noticed that the characters look more frayed around the edges, and that they don't really leap off the page at you anymore. Now part of this might be due to the simple fact that I've adjusted to the look of this series, and as such the weird & wacky factor has simply worn off. However, what hasn't changed is the art's ability to tell the story, as there's some wonderful visual tricks used in this issue, from the panel where X-Force discovers that the Spike they've been hanging out with is a murderous impostor, to the reveal shot as we learn that a member of X-Force was fatally wounded during the ensuing battle. The final page shot also acts as a nice kick to the gut, as we see a character has started up a rather harrowing nightly ritual once again.
Final Word: While I'm a bit cheesed off that Peter Milligan killed off my favorite member of the team, I can't bring myself to dislike this issue. I mean it did such a great job leading me around by the nose, that I do have to compliment Peter Milligan for managing to completely floor me with this issue's big death. Now the rest of the book is also quite solid, as we have some clever power tricks, and some nice character moments, but quite frankly the rest of the issue is completely overshadowed by those final five pages. Now this isn't the best issue for a new reader, as the impact of those final pages does require one to be rather attached to the character who makes their final good-byes in this issue. However, if you've been with this book from the start then I can't imagine one not being surprised, and even saddened by how this issue ends. The book certainly has my vote for Marvel's most unpredictable title.
