Writer: Ben Percy

Art: Joshua Cassara, Dean White, VC’s Joe Caramagna, Tom Muller, Dustin Weaver, and Edgar Delgado

Price: $3.99

Release Date: March 18th, 2020

With Domino back in the fold and better than ever, the team of Wolverine, Kid Omega, and Domino head off on their next mission. However, as our X-Force team attempts to gate to their location, they appear to be stuck and can’t pass through the opening. After a thorough inspection of the Krakoan gate by Wolverine’s claws, it appears as though some type of thick blood-like substance is waiting on the other side. Let’s cut into X-FORCE #9 by Ben Percy to see what our team has in store waiting for them on the other side of the gate.

Do you remember Terra Verde from a couple of issues ago? And, do you recall how it ended with this “Attack of the Body Snatchers” vibe but with plants? Well, our X-Force team is directed back to Terra Verde, which is now called Muerte Verde! However, our team was sent to attempt to learn why no communication has come from this small nation in months. So, by the time this issue is complete, readers will know exactly what happens with some fascinating twists that may blossom within the next issue.

Percy continues to do a great job establishing strong stories that capture the true premise of what the current incarnation of X-Force is all about. He doesn’t try to be cute or formulate a mind-blowing, enthralling think-fest. Percy hits you with violence, turmoil, and hard-nosed action. Issue after issue, page after page, Percy and his team create a straightforward, easy to follow, action-adventure jammed with brutal passion and gut punches that harness a quality that many of the other X-titles do not. If you’re craving an X-book that provides an 80’s action movie feel from start to finish, X-FORCE is the series for you.

Nonetheless, the art has been a bit cumbersome to me. Joshua Cassara and Dean White create this style that truly fits perfectly with the book. Like the story, Cassara and White paint this extremely savage and almost muddy design that helps to capture the team’s mood, as well as the purpose of the book. However, it’s sometimes to disorganized and blurry for this reviewer who simply adores crisp, detailed designs. I wonder if a different art team with a totally different style would be helpful in providing readers with a break as to not tire of this (sometimes chaotic) style that fits the title so well in so many ways. Maybe it’s my older age now but I found myself almost angry as the issue closed after fighting to distinguish and articulate aspects of the narrative.

FINAL THOUGHTS

X-FORCE #9 kicks off a new arc on an old premise that is sure to ignite new and old readers alike. Percy opens the issue in a fun, yet disturbing manner that bleeds into more fierce savagery that has elements of an action thriller. Now, even though I left the issue a bit perturbed about Domino and desiring an artistic change (for only a couple issues), I would still hang my hat on this series as a solid X-book that should be in everyone’s pull list. If you can’t make it to your Local Shops this week for ”reasons” out of your control, give the Marvel Unlimited App or ComiXology a try and download X-FORCE #9 this week! I highly recommend it. Stay healthy and stay safe.

8.7/10

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