Uncanny X-Force #11
Written by Rick Remender
Art by Mark Brooks
The Dark Angel Saga has been promoted heavily with teaser images of our X-Force team facing off against Age of Apocalypse versions of characters. That has been the main selling point, that promise of a trip to the legendary AoA. Last issue our team abducted McCoy, the Dark Beast, and with his assistance they are able to pass over into his home reality in search of the Life Seed capable of saving Warren. There, now you’re caught up in time for the third page where they get into the other universe. X-Force is on a mission to save Warren from his dark side, and the first stop is the mecca of all alternate realities, and yes, I’m going to harp on this fact for a little bit in the first paragraph so that maybe I won’t mark out as much as the review goes on. I love the Age of Apocalypse, it’s one of my favorite X-Men stories of all time, and the return trip for the tenth anniversary was horrible, so I’m hoping, and have been hoping for months, that this issue might redeem it.
It has been thirteen years since X-Men: Omega, and the New York skyline is a creepy mix of death, the familiar AoA despair, a nice shout out to 80’s X-Factor, and what looks like Asgard. What do you want to bet that comes back later? Now, as I read the issue my first train of thought is ‘did Remender read Exiles?’, because they actually did a return to the AoA that was relatively well handled and didn’t crap in the hands of loyal fans wanting for more. Why do I ask this? Because Sabretooth is featured prominently in the issue and it isn’t until some passing mentions at the tail end that you get the idea that he might have, though it most likely was the crappy Claremont run. Now, I’m not saying I wanted a Creed who came with back story to explain his presence, but a little more genre awareness out of the guy who had an extended job of going to alternate realities would be nicer than him assuming a two handed Logan is a poorly made clone.
Now, there are quite a few AoA favorites who pop up in this issue. Sabretooth, Sunfire, but most importantly Nightcrawler. The issue is told from the perspective and narration of Wolverine, which means that Nightcrawler alive and well actually gets to resonate. This is Logan’s best friend, and while there’s always that chance something might happen in an alternate reality…how do you ready yourself to see your dead best friend? Kurt is his old familiar self, the guy who killed Dead Man Wade and would happily tell Deadpool how he did it while attempting to repeat his act, he’s an X-Man on a world where what X-Force does is the norm. He’s also teammates with Sabretooth, and despite this not being the Creed that made Logan’s life hell for so many years, you can’t shake off a blood feud without spilling more blood. Still, that’s two characters Logan is either used to, or getting used to being dead.
The actual reason they go there goes up in flames and the entire operation goes FUBAR, which results in a display of just how much the status quo has changed here, as well as just why. Apocalypse is the purpose of this title, and the trip to the AoA is a way to show our characters what happens in a world where he not only ruled, but was taken out. Can Apocalypse ever truly be defeated? That appears to be the question raised by this story arc, and it’s an answer I would really enjoy to see explored.
Mark Brooks is a breath of fresh air on this book, his art isn’t the grim and gritty we’ve been growing accustomed to, but that hardly means that it’s light hearted and happy. The book is clear, and I love the design work which gives me so much nostalgia. The action is clear, the detail is high, and the two page spread of New York in the beginning of the issue is intense. He’s a very welcome edition to this title, not unlike Mike Choi was for the previous volume.
So we’re back in the AoA, but is it a good thing? The characterization doesn’t escape my memories, and while Wildchild speaking in simple sentences, and Sunfire is a little too cocky without enough asshole in him, I have to say I like it. Nightcrawler steals the show, without a shadow of a doubt, and to be completely honest…I wouldn’t mind it if he made the return trip to join the team fulltime. Sure, I know, Nightcrawler just died, but this is a different one! Imagine the stories they could pull about having an alternate reality version of Nightcrawler, one that is violent enough to be on X-Force, hanging around. That would be epic. But yeah, this book was great, and if you’ve ever been a fan of the Age of Apocalypse…this is definitely one of the better returns we’ve seen to the best alternate reality of them all.
Overall?
8.5/10
