Posted in: Comics, Marvel Comics | Tagged: deadpool, excalibur, marvel, x-force, x-men, X-ual Healing - The Weekly X-Men Recap Column

Beast's Arrogance Bites Him in His Furry @#$ in X-Force #9 [XH]

Published Tue, 24 Mar 2020 12:00:01 -0500

by Jude Terror

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Three X-books this week. Which was the best: X-Force #9, Excalibur #9, or Deadpool #4? Read on for recaps and analysis…

Sworn to sell comics for Marvel executives who feared and hated the fact that Fox owned their movie rights, The Uncanny X-Men suffered great indignities, but thanks to a corporate merger and a line-wide relaunch, the X-Men can finally get back to doing what they do best: being objectively the best franchise in all of comics.

X-FORCE #9 DX
JAN200851
(W) Ben Percy (A) Joshua Cassara (CA) Dustin Weaver
REAP WHAT YOU SOW!
In the heart of South America, X-Force finds a problem growing that threatens to destroy everything they've built… and one of their own might be responsible.
Parental Advisory
In Shops: Mar 18, 2020
SRP: $3.99

What happened in X-Force #9?

The issues opens with Wolverine engaging in some family bonding with his kids at Krakoa's tiki bar. He, Daken, and X-23 play a game of spin the bottle where whoever the bottle points to has to stab themselves in the head. Daken loses this round, as Marvel Girl and Cyclops watch, Marvel Girl concerned she's losing her sense of morality. Really? This is what does it for you, not all the other shenanigans going on on Krakoa? Also at the bar, Sage and Domino talks about Domino's resurrection. Domino doesn't remember her trauma before dying, even though her dying wish was for Colossus to make sure she did. Even worse, she believes it was her choice to have the memories erased. Also at the party, Black Tom needs a break from Krakoa and freaks out when can't get one, getting into a fight with Gorgeous George of the Nasty Boys, until Sage jumps in to get Tom's back. Wolverine and his kids join the fight, but Beast interrupts, requiring Wolverine's services. A prose page from Beast's diary reveals he's concerned about what's going on in Terra Verde, the nation with the plant people that Beast arrogantly thought he'd gotten rid of earlier in the series, even though we know that not to be true. The entire country has gone dark and presumably is overrun with plant people.

As Wolverine, Domino, and Kid Omega head for Terra Verde, they run into a problem. The gate is blocked by a plant mass filled with human corpses, so X-Force blast their way in. Beast is running this mission solo, he claims to give Sage and Jean a chance to relax, but more likely it's because he knows this is his fault. Wolverine also notices and points out the weirdness of Domino's change of attitude on her trauma. X-Force finds El Presidente, who is dead. Kid Omega notices that the vines that have killed everyone have Mayan glyphs on them. Wolverine notices a giant pyramid in the distance. A prose page tells of the plant-based mythology of ancient Terra Verde. What a coincidence! X-Force makes their way to the Temple of Ya'ax, but they're confronted by a zombie plant panther, but instead of fighting it turns and enters the temple. Beast fetches Black Tom to provide backup (for such a "smart" guy, you'd think he would have realized before now Tom's powers could come in handy here). Hopefully Tom can get there before X-Force is murdered by an angry plant god.

Was it any good?

I like the cut of this book's jib, mostly because it's exposing Beast for the dick he is. There's also more evidence of Krakoan leaders messing with the minds of mutants. Was it Charles Xavier behind refusing to let Domino keep her memories? Or was it Colossus? Colossus offers a better chance for soap opera drama if he and Domino pursue a romantic relationship and it's later revealed he lied to her, so that's the direction I'm leaning. The cast of X-Force works well, though I might have preferred the plot with the Terra Verdan plant people simmer for a bit after the previous storyline before coming back up.

Next: Excalibur #9…